National Hispanic Institute

What National Hispanic Institute does

The National Hispanic Institute (NHI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 by Ernesto Nieto and Gloria de León and headquartered in Maxwell, Texas. It operates a portfolio of in-person summer leadership development programs for high-achieving Latino high school students, structured as a progression: Great Debate for 9th-10th graders, the Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ) for 10th-11th graders, and the Collegiate World Series (CWS) for 11th-grade students. Programs run 5-8 days at partner university campuses including University of San Diego, Seton Hall, Trinity University, University of Saint Thomas, Augustana College, University of New Mexico, Regis University, Colorado State, Austin College, St. Mary's, and Our Lady of the Lake. The Dennis Chavez New Mexico LDZ cohort is uniquely fully funded by the New Mexico State Legislature. The organization also runs the John F. Lopez, Jr. Research and Management Fellowship (JFL) for undergraduates and a College Register service linking students to college recruitment, and maintains 25+ local alliance chapters across the US, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Guatemala.

The underlying delivery model is human-facilitated residential programming rather than technology; supporting infrastructure consists of a website-based application and payment system, email communications, social media channels, and an in-house digital fundraising platform. NHI does not depend on public or private grants for its primary funding. Revenue is generated through student tuition ($720-$1,300 depending on program) plus a $25 application fee and a $150 non-refundable deposit, supplemented by donations (Pass The Torch campaign), school-district and corporate sponsorships (Empowerment to Legacy Donor tiers), New Mexico legislative appropriations, and in-kind venue support from partner universities. Recruitment is community-led, driven by a volunteer and alumni network of over 90,000 former participants who are required to recruit new students as part of their continued engagement, creating a grassroots pipeline that delivers approximately 3,200 new participants annually across roughly 19 regional chapters and 4 Latin American chapters.

Name

National Hispanic Institute

Legal name

National Hispanic Institute

Website

https://nationalhispanicinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Hispanic Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 that runs in-person summer leadership development programs (Great Debate, LDZ, CWS) for high-achieving Latino high school students across US and Latin American chapters, funded primarily by student tuition and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Leadership Development & Educational Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Speech & Debate Camps, Intensives & Bootcamps (EDAMAOAN), Third-Party Short-Term Academic Program Providers (Multi-Discipline) (EDAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Youth leadership development
• Latino youth programs
• Educational summer programs
• College preparation services
• Community leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Maxwell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Student Program Fees: The majority of NHI's funding comes from student registration fees paid by parents or local community sponsors. These fees cover the cost of running summer leadership programs including university venue hosting, staff, materials, meals, and housing for participants.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: NHI relies on donations from individuals and organizations through its 'Pass The Torch' fundraising campaign. Donations can be applied to specific students' tuition accounts or to general operational support. The organization also receives support through regional Hispanic Youth Fund scholarships.
3. Third-Party Tuition Sponsorship: School districts, nonprofit organizations, and local businesses can sponsor students' tuition. Additionally, the New Mexico LDZ program is fully funded by the New Mexico State Legislature for eligible New Mexico students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Hispanic Institute delivers week-long, in-person summer leadership development programs for high-achieving high school students from the Latino community. The core product line consists of three sequential programs — Great Debate (communications and debate for 9th-10th graders), Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (policy simulation for 10th-11th graders), and Collegiate World Series (college-prep capstone for juniors) — hosted at partner university campuses across the U.S. and Latin America. The organization also offers the JFL undergraduate internship and a College Register service that circulates student information to its college network.

Product overview

National Hispanic Institute offers a suite of youth leadership development programs for high-achieving high school students. The core portfolio includes the Great Debate (communications and leadership for 9th-10th graders), the Lorenzo De Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ) (policy-focused leadership for 10th-11th graders), and the Collegiate World Series (CWS) (capstone college preparation for juniors). The organization also provides the JFL Internship for undergraduates and maintains local/regional chapters across the U.S. and Latin America. Programs are held at host universities including University of San Diego, Seton Hall University, Trinity University, University of Saint Thomas, Augustana College, and University of New Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Great Debate: A communications and leadership development program for ambitious young people focused on making meaningful change in their communities.
• Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ)
• Collegiate World Series (CWS)
• Dennis Chavez Scholars
• John F. Lopez, Jr. Research and Management Fellowship (JFL)
• NHI Magazine
• NHITV

Products and services

• Great Debate Communications and leadership development program for ambitious 9th and 10th grade students focused on public speaking, debate skills, and community leadership; delivered as a 5-6 day residential program at partner universities.
• Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ) Week-long (7-8 day) transformational leadership experience for high-achieving 10th and 11th grade students where a cohort of approximately 150 delegates engages in legislative simulation, proposing, reviewing, and adopting policies to advance the Latino community; offered in multiple regional editions (Texas, American, Colorado, Dennis Chavez New Mexico).
• Collegiate World Series (CWS) Capstone 5-day leadership experience for high-achieving high school juniors (11th grade, 3.2+ GPA recommended) preparing for the transition to college and adulthood, with emphasis on college readiness, leadership development, and senior-year preparation; offered in Texas and Rocky Mountain editions.
• John F. Lopez, Jr. Research and Management Fellowship (JFL Internship) Annual internship program for undergraduate volunteers providing hands-on management, research, and training experience within NHI's operations; undergraduates form the cohort of JFL Interns who serve as senior mentors and coaches at NHI programs.
• College Register College networking and recruitment service that circulates limited information about high-achieving NHI high school student members to NHI's network of partner colleges and universities to support college admissions outreach.
• NHI Local/Regional Chapters Network of 25+ local and regional NHI community chapters across the U.S. (Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Colorado, New Mexico, East Coast, West Coast, Las Vegas, Midwest, North Texas, Rio Grande Valley, Tip of Texas) and internationally (Dominican Republic, Mexico/Monterrey, Panama, Guatemala), serving as regional hubs for recruitment, volunteer engagement, and alumni activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90,000 young people served since 1979
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Saint Thomas (Houston)coreOthers · 21 July 2026Host venue for the 2026 Texas Collegiate World Series. Provides campus facilities for the capstone leadership program.
• Seton Hall UniversitycoreOthers · 19 July 2026Host venue for the 2026 American LDZ program in New Jersey. Provides campus facilities for the week-long legislative session experience.
• Trinity University (San Antonio)coreOthers · 19 July 2026Host venue for the 2026 Texas LDZ program. Located in San Antonio, Texas, Trinity University provides campus facilities for the legislative session.
• University of San DiegocoreOthers · 7 July 2026Host venue for the 2026 California Sol Great Debate program. Provides campus facilities including dormitories, dining halls, and meeting spaces for the week-long leadership program.
• Augustana College (Rock Island, Illinois)coreOthers · 28 June 2026Host venue for the 2026 Midwest Great Debate program. Provides campus facilities for the 6-day leadership and public speaking program for 9th and 10th graders.
• University of New MexicocoreOthers · 7 June 2026Host venue for the 2026 Dennis Chavez New Mexico LDZ program. Located in Albuquerque, the university also coordinates visits to the State Capitol in Santa Fe. Program is fully funded by New Mexico Legislature.
• Regis UniversitycoreOthersHost venue for the Rocky Mountain Collegiate World Series program in Colorado.
• Colorado State UniversitycoreOthersHost venue for the Colorado LDZ program in Fort Collins, Colorado.
• Austin CollegecoreOthersHost venue for the Texas Great Debate program in Sherman, Texas.
• St. Mary's University (Texas)coreOthersHost venue for the Texas Ambassador Great Debate program in San Antonio, Texas.
• Our Lady of the Lake UniversitycoreOthersHost venue for the Texas Star Great Debate program in San Antonio, Texas.
• School Districts and Local SponsorsminorOthersLocal school districts, businesses, and community organizations that sponsor students' program tuition. Multiple sponsorship tiers available from Empowerment Donor ($50) to Legacy Donor ($1,000+).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU): HACU operates Latino-focused college-readiness and leadership programming for K-12 students and connects them to member Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Comparable to NHI in serving Hispanic high-achieving students and partnering with universities for program delivery.
• Close Up Foundation: Close Up runs week-long civic-education programs in Washington, D.C. for high school students, with a legislative simulation component and university-style residential format — closely mirroring NHI's LDZ and Great Debate structure and target audience.
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI): CHCI runs leadership development, internship, and fellowship programs for Latino youth and young professionals — overlapping nearly identically with NHI's mission, student demographic, and program structure. It is the most direct comparable in the Hispanic youth-leadership space.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: Junior Achievement is a long-established national youth leadership, workforce preparation, and financial literacy organization. It serves a broader K-12 demographic than NHI but competes for similar leadership-development mindshare among high-achieving high schoolers.
• National Urban League: The National Urban League is a major civil rights and community-development nonprofit that runs youth leadership and education programs targeting African American and Latino students. Comparable to NHI in mission and underserved-student focus, though at much larger scale.
• Boys & Girls Club of America: Boys & Girls Clubs is a large national youth-development nonprofit operating in underserved communities. It serves a broader age range and a different socioeconomic profile, but overlaps with NHI on youth leadership programming and corporate/foundation fundraising channels.
• Girl Scouts of the USA: Girl Scouts operates a national youth leadership development program with curriculum and badge systems aimed at girls including Hispanic girls. Comparable to NHI at scale and on leadership curriculum, though serving a broader age range and gender.
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC): LULAC is one of the oldest Latino advocacy organizations and runs youth education, leadership, and scholarship programs. Overlaps with NHI on Latino youth civic engagement and on national/state-level political relationships.

Emerging players

• Breakthrough Collaborative: Breakthrough runs summer college-prep and leadership programs for middle and high school students from underrepresented backgrounds. Directly comparable to NHI's CWS in mission (college readiness for underrepresented students) and program model.
• AIESEC: AIESEC is a global youth-led organization running leadership and cross-cultural exchange programs for students. Overlaps with NHI on youth leadership development, multi-country programming, and volunteer-driven operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nhi_news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/NHITV
• Facebookfacebook.com/nhihq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-hispanic-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/nhi_news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Hispanic Institute