National Association of latino Arts and Cultures

What National Association of latino Arts and Cultures does

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the sole national organization exclusively dedicated to the Latinx/é arts field, serving individual artists, cultural workers, and nonprofit arts organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico. NALAC's core offerings include the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) grant program, three leadership institutes (NALAC Leadership Institute, Advocacy Leadership Institute, and Intercultural Leadership Institute), the Catalyst for Change Fellowship, regional arts training workshops, the National Latinx Summit, and a recently launched research initiative ("A Mirror and a Map"). Since inception, NALAC has awarded over 1,300 grants totaling more than $8 million and trained 751+ alumni through its leadership programs.

NALAC operates without a proprietary technology platform as a core product; it relies on Submittable for grant application processing and standard nonprofit communications infrastructure (website, email newsletter, social media). The organization does not produce or sell products or services in a commercial sense; instead, it distributes grants, fellowships, and training to its constituents. Revenue is generated through foundation and corporate grants (Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Wallace Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast, National Endowment for the Arts), supplemented by individual donations and tiered membership fees (individual, small organization, medium organization, and large organization levels). Its go-to-market is event- and community-driven: annual convenings, regional workshops, alumni networks, and peer referrals drive engagement, while partnerships with co-funders amplify reach.

The organization is led by CEO and President Mari Hernandez, appointed October 2025, who succeeded long-time leader María López De León. Recent strategic signals include a $1M+ partnership with Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast, the launch of a 493-organization research product, expanded 2025 grant cohorts, and a new 2026 Chicago Regional convening, indicating deliberate programmatic expansion under new leadership.

Name

National Association of latino Arts and Cultures

Legal name

National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures

Website

https://nalac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, exclusively dedicated to supporting Latinx/é artists, cultural workers, and arts organizations through grants, leadership institutes, advocacy, and research across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Culture Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Resources & Talent Development (EDAGANAB)

Keywords

• Arts grant funding
• Leadership development programs
• Arts advocacy training
• Cultural research initiatives
• Nonprofit arts convenings

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Corporate Grants: NALAC receives funding from foundations (Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Wallace Foundation, Surdna Foundation, etc.) and corporate partners (Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast) to operate its grant programs, leadership institutes, and research initiatives.
2. Individual Donations and Memberships: The organization generates revenue through individual donations and membership fees, with various membership tiers for individuals and organizations of different sizes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NALAC operates a portfolio of grantmaking, leadership development, convening, research, and advocacy programs exclusively serving Latinx/é artists, cultural practitioners, and nonprofit arts organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Core offerings include the NALAC Fund for the Arts grant program, three leadership institutes (NLI, ALI, ILI), regional and national convenings, and the 'A Mirror and a Map' research initiative with interactive data tools.

Product overview

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) is a nonprofit organization that offers a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services exclusively dedicated to supporting the Latinx/é arts field in the United States and Puerto Rico. The core offerings include the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) grant program, which is the premier national grant program exclusively supporting Latinx/é artists and organizations; three leadership institutes (NALAC Leadership Institute, Advocacy Leadership Institute, and Intercultural Leadership Institute) providing professional development and policy training; and convenings including Regional Arts Training Workshops and the National Latinx Summit for community building. Additional offerings include the Catalyst for Change fellowship for social justice artists, the A Mirror and a Map research initiative with interactive data tools, and membership services. These programs work together to provide funding, leadership development, advocacy training, research, and networking opportunities across the Latinx/é arts and culture sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $8 million invested in 1,300+ grants to the Latinx/é arts field since inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and strategic.

• NORC at the University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Research partner for the 'A Mirror and a Map' research project, supporting the development of comprehensive data about Latinx/é arts and culture organizations' post-2020 realities.
• Hasbro and Wizards of the CoastflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 September 2025Collaboration on 'Secret Lair x NALAC: Nuestra Magia' Magic: The Gathering product line featuring Latinx/é artists. The partnership surpassed $1 million in support for NALAC, demonstrating how narrative and representation can transform culture while raising funds for the organization.
• Southwest AirlinesstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with NALAC since 2018 to promote, cultivate, and advance Latinx arts and cultures across borders, including the US:CDMX Transcultural Exchange program.
• Alternate ROOTScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI), a collaborative year-long intercultural leadership program for artists, culture bearers, and arts professionals.
• First Peoples FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI), contributing to intercultural leadership development alongside NALAC, Alternate ROOTS, PA'I Foundation, Sipp Culture, and The International Association of Blacks in Dance.
• PA'I FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI) collaborative program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Americans for the Arts: The largest US national nonprofit service organization for the arts, with comparable programs in advocacy, research, leadership development, and convening — including the Annual Convention. While broader in scope than NALAC's Latinx-specific focus, Americans for the Arts is the most operationally similar peer in arts service delivery model.
• National Performance Network (NPN): A national nonprofit network supporting diverse performing arts presenters and artists with grants, convenings, and leadership programs. NPN is highly comparable to NALAC in its grant-funded service model for performing arts communities, though its constituency is broader than Latinx-specific.
• Alternate ROOTS: A regional nonprofit supporting artists and cultural workers in the Southeastern US, and an active NALAC partner in the Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI). Directly comparable as a mission-aligned arts service organization with similar activist-artist support model.
• First Peoples Fund: A national nonprofit serving Indigenous artists and culture bearers through grants, fellowships, and leadership programs. Directly comparable to NALAC in funding model and constituency focus, and an active partner in the Intercultural Leadership Institute.
• PA'I Foundation: A Hawaiian nonprofit supporting Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners through fellowships and capacity-building grants. Comparable as a culturally-rooted arts service organization and an active ILI partner alongside NALAC.
• Hispanics in Philanthropy: A national nonprofit mobilizing philanthropic resources for Latino communities across the Americas. Comparable to NALAC through its Latinx-focused mission, though it operates as a funder-network rather than direct grantmaker to artists.

Broad incumbents

• UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza): The largest US Hispanic civil rights and advocacy nonprofit. While broader in mission than arts-specific, UnidosUS serves overlapping Latinx constituency networks and operates similar advocacy and program-delivery infrastructure.
• National Endowment for the Arts: The US federal arts agency that funnels grants to NALAC and many peer organizations. While a government agency rather than peer nonprofit, NEA is the principal sector-wide funding conduit for arts service organizations and competes with NALAC for influence.
• The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: A major US foundation funding the arts and humanities, including NALAC. While a funder rather than peer, Mellon shapes the field through major grant programs to arts organizations and increasingly direct support to BIPOC-led cultural organizations.

Emerging players

• Creative Capital: A national nonprofit supporting innovative artists through grants and professional development. Comparable to NALAC's artist support model, though smaller in scale and focused on individual artist grantees rather than organizational capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nalac_arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about National Association of latino Arts and Cultures