Hispanic Collaborative

What Hispanic Collaborative does

Hispanic Collaborative is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization founded in 2016 as a direct outcome of community visioning by over 100 Hispanic community leaders in response to the 2016 Greater Milwaukee Foundation Latino Study. Its core offering is the proprietary Hispanic Well-Being Index, which tracks 40 variables across income, wealth, employment, and health and benchmarks them against the top 50 U.S. metros; across three editions (2018, 2020, 2024) Milwaukee has ranked 39th, 44th, and 45th, indicating a worsening outcome trajectory that frames the organization's intervention thesis.

The organization operates a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than discrete products: the mercadoMKE online marketplace serving 125+ Latino-owned businesses, a workforce upskilling pilot focused on Certified Nursing Assistant training targeting scale to 3,000 participants annually, an internship pilot with six area universities, the URBANO Hispanic Commercial Real Estate Conference (now in its 5th edition as of October 2025) and its spin-off Hispanic Collaborative Emerging Developer Fund, the Raices y Realidades biweekly podcast, an annual Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff with the City of Milwaukee, and an annual State of Latinos Briefing. Technology consists of a Wix-hosted website and marketplace, a Spotify/Apple-distributed podcast, and the proprietary research index methodology; no AI/ML, API, or mobile app capabilities are evidenced.

Hispanic Collaborative has 1-10 employees and operates as a donation-funded nonprofit with no disclosed revenue figures; the only named grant in the source data is $50,000 from the Zilber Family Foundation in June 2022. It is governed by a board chaired by Ivan Gamboa (SVP, Tri City National Bank) and including executives from Alliant Energy, United Community Center, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, and Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin, reflecting a multi-sector convening model rather than a traditional commercial go-to-market.

Name

Hispanic Collaborative

Legal name

Hispanic Collaborative

Website

https://mkehc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hispanic Collaborative is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit founded in 2016 that advances outcomes for the regional Latino community through the proprietary Hispanic Well-Being Index, the mercadoMKE marketplace, workforce upskilling, the URBANO conference, and multi-sector convening.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAMAM

Inclusive Trade (Gender, Youth, Marginalized Groups)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Trade & Economic Development

Keywords

• Community development services
• Workforce development programs
• Latino business support
• Community well-being research
• Economic empowerment initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization operates as a nonprofit and relies on financial support from donors to fund its initiatives. The donate page provides a direct giving mechanism through givebutter.com.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Hispanic Collaborative is a nonprofit organization that convenes multi-sector efforts to advance outcomes for Latinos in the Milwaukee region. It delivers a portfolio of programs including the proprietary Hispanic Well-Being Index research, the mercadoMKE online marketplace for Latino-owned businesses, a workforce upskilling pilot (Certified Nursing Assistant training), a college internship pilot, the annual URBANO commercial real estate conference, the Hispanic Collaborative Emerging Developer Fund, and community events such as Hispanic Heritage Month and the State of Latinos Briefing.

Product overview

The Hispanic Collaborative operates as a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on advancing outcomes for Latinos in the Milwaukee region. The core offerings include the Hispanic Well-Being Index (a proprietary research tool tracking 40 variables across income, wealth, employment, and health), Raíces y Realidades (a podcast bringing the index data to life), and mercadoMKE (an online marketplace supporting over 125 Latino-owned businesses). Additional programs include a Workforce Upskilling Initiative with Certified Nursing Assistant training, the URBANO commercial real estate conference, the Hispanic Collaborative Emerging Developer Fund for developer mentorship and capital, an Internship Pilot connecting Latino college students with small businesses, Hispanic Heritage Month celebration coordination, and the annual State of Latinos Briefing. Together, these programs form a data-driven ecosystem approach to improving outcomes for the Latino community through economic empowerment, workforce development, and civic engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• mercadoMKE: An online marketplace free to Latino business owners offering free participation, extensive technical assistance, and resources for businesses to showcase their products online. Currently has over 125 businesses active on the platform.
• Raices y Realidades
• Hispanic Collaborative Emerging Developer Fund
• URBANO

Products and services

• Hispanic Well-Being Index A proprietary research index that tracks 40 variables covering income, wealth, employment, and health for the regional Latino population and compares them to the same data for the top 50 metros to understand how Latinos in Milwaukee compare to other cities.
• Raíces y Realidades (Podcast) A biweekly podcast that brings the Hispanic Well-Being Index to life, sharing real stories behind the data and exploring 40 key indicators shaping Latino life in Milwaukee through conversations with leaders, advocates, and community changemakers. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
• mercadoMKE An online marketplace free to Latino business owners offering free participation, extensive technical assistance, and resources for businesses to showcase their products online. Currently over 125 businesses are active on the platform.
• Workforce Upskilling Program A workforce upskilling pilot that places the Latino worker at the center of design, with initial success in healthcare opportunities and Certified Nursing Assistant training. The program aims to scale to serve 3,000 people per year into higher-paying, more in-demand jobs.
• URBANO Conference An annual Hispanic Commercial Real Estate conference launched in 2020 to be a catalyst for greater Hispanic development, increasing the number of Hispanic investors, developers, and Latinos in the commercial real estate industry. The 5th edition is scheduled for October 2025.
• Hispanic Collaborative Emerging Developer Fund A fund supporting aspiring developers with capital for debt or equity and mentorship, developed as an outcome of the URBANO conference initiative.
• Internship Pilot A program that supports Latino-owned businesses by providing free social media execution and support through Latino college students from 6 area universities, while also providing valuable work experience to the students.
• Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration An annual celebration that highlights Latino impact throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, including a city-wide kickoff event with the City of Milwaukee and a coordinated website for community members to add celebrations and events.
• State of Latinos Briefing An annual report event held each November reporting on the State of Latinos in the Milwaukee region, featuring key issues and opportunities data and analysis with published slide deck reports.

Quantifiable outcome

• Milwaukee ranking improved from 39th to 44th to 45th over 3 editions of the Hispanic Well-Being Index, indicating need for accelerated improvement relative to other metros.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Community Partners for Workforce UpskillingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization works with community partners to scale its workforce upskilling program, which currently focuses on healthcare and Certified Nursing Assistant training. These partners provide operational capacity and expertise for program delivery to achieve the goal of 1,000-3,000 participants annually.
• 6 Area UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with six area universities for the internship pilot program where Latino college students provide social media execution and support to Latino-owned businesses on the mercadoMKE platform. Students gain work experience while supporting local small businesses.
• City of MilwaukeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership with the City of Milwaukee for Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, including the annual city-wide kickoff event featuring Latino food, entertainment and activities.
• Greater Milwaukee FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hispanic Collaborative was formed as a direct outcome of community visioning by over 100 Hispanic community leaders in response to the 2016 Latino Study conducted by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. The foundation's research identified both exponential population growth and persistent serious challenges.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• United Community Center (Milwaukee): Large Milwaukee-based multi-service Latino-serving institution (CEO Laura Gutierrez sits on Hispanic Collaborative's board). Operates in the same geography and serves overlapping populations with broader human services; comparable as a peer CBO rather than a direct competitor, given differing service portfolios.
• Greater Milwaukee Committee: Regional civic/business leadership organization in Milwaukee focused on economic competitiveness and inclusion. Shares Hispanic Collaborative's multi-sector convening approach and Milwaukee footprint, but operates as a broader civic-strategy body rather than Latino-specific.

Direct peers

• Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC): Midwest-based nonprofit focused on Latino business development, workforce training, and small business lending. Directly comparable in combining small-business support, workforce upskilling, and place-based economic empowerment for the Latino community, though based in Minnesota/Wisconsin-adjacent markets.
• Centro Hispano of Dane County: Wisconsin-based community organization serving the Hispanic/Latino population with workforce development, education, and cultural programming. Closely comparable as a regional Latino-serving collaborative in a neighboring Wisconsin city, with overlapping focus on workforce upskilling and small business support.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC): National Latino arts/culture advocacy and capacity-building intermediary. Comparable as a Latino-focused membership/convening organization supporting affiliated community programs, though specializing in arts/culture rather than economic empowerment.
• Hispanic Federation: National Latino advocacy and direct-service organization that supports Hispanic-focused nonprofits and communities across multiple states. Comparable as a membership/grantmaking-style intermediary for Latino community empowerment, though operating at much larger geographic and programmatic scale than Hispanic Collaborative.
• UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza): Large national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization that funds and supports a network of affiliate community-based organizations. Highly comparable in mission (advancing outcomes for Latinos through multi-sector collaboration) and convening function, but operating nationally with affiliated-chapter model.

Others

• Greater Milwaukee Foundation: Community foundation whose 2016 Latino Study directly catalyzed Hispanic Collaborative's formation. Not a direct peer (it is a foundation, not a direct-service org), but highly thematically connected via the Latino research agenda and likely ongoing grant-making relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MKEHispanic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hispanic-collaborative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hispanic Collaborative