Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California

What Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California does

Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community-based organization founded in 1984 and headquartered at 1565 W. 14th St. in the Pico-Union area of Los Angeles. It serves approximately 1,000 low-wage immigrant day laborers and household/domestic workers annually through four Day Labor Community Job Centers (Hollywood, Downtown-Fashion District, Harbor City, and Cypress Park), each operating as a humane alternative to street-corner hiring. Programs use Popular Education methodology (rooted in Paulo Freire) and include English-language and literacy classes, leadership development, wage-theft prevention, immigration advocacy, and referrals to health and legal services.

IDEPSCA's product portfolio comprises the Day Labor Project (DLP), the Workers' Health Program / Proyecto de Salud (launched 2004), Mujeres en Accion (a household-worker collective formed from the earlier Mujeres en Movimiento), VozMob / Mobile Voices (a mobile-first storytelling platform co-developed with USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism), and the Aprendamos after-school program. Verifiable impact includes nearly 500 day laborers and domestic workers connected to jobs, ESL classes, wage-theft support, and health/legal referrals in the last six months of 2016, alongside coalition leadership in winning California's Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (AB 241).

The organization's revenue model is non-commercial: services are free to both workers and employers, and operating funds come from City of Los Angeles public-safety contract support for the day-labor centers, foundation grants (Marguerite Casey Foundation, Rose Foundation), and individual tax-deductible donations. Go-to-market is community-led — direct engagement at job centers, social media outreach (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), co-sponsored community events, university volunteer pipelines, and worker-to-worker referrals. Maegan E. Ortiz has served as Executive Director since April 2015, supported by a Board of Directors including a Community Organizer as President and a National Day Laborer Organizing Network coordinator as Vice-President.

Name

Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California

Legal name

Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California

Website

https://idepsca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IDEPSCA is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs four Day Labor Community Job Centers and related health, household-worker, and digital-storytelling programs serving roughly 1,000 low-wage immigrant workers and families annually through Popular Education methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community-based social services for immigrant workers

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF), Workplace & Career Integration for Immigrants (Credentialing, Job Readiness) (EDAAADAE)

Keywords

• Community job centers
• Day laborer organizing
• Popular education methodology
• Immigrant worker advocacy
• Household worker rights

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: Funding from foundations such as Marguerite Casey Foundation, Rose Foundation, and individual donors to support organizational programs and operations.
2. City of Los Angeles Funding: Government contract funding for Day Labor Community Job Centers as a public safety program.
3. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the organization's mission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IDEPSCA is a nonprofit community-based organization that runs four Day Labor Community Job Centers in Los Angeles, providing low-wage immigrant day laborers and household workers with safe employment matching, English-language and literacy classes, health workshops and referrals, worker rights education, and leadership development using Popular Education methodology. It also operates the Workers' Health Program, the Mujeres en Accion household worker collective, the VozMob mobile storytelling platform, and the Aprendamos after-school program.

Product overview

IDEPSCA is a nonprofit community-based organization offering a portfolio of service programs focused on immigrant worker empowerment. The core offerings include the Day Labor Project (four community job centers), the Workers' Health Program (holistic health services), Mujeres en Accion (household worker advocacy), and VozMob (mobile storytelling platform). Programs use Popular Education methodology to organize and educate low-income community members, particularly immigrants, around labor rights, health, and civic participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VozMob: Platform for immigrant and low wage workers to create stories about their lives directly from cell phones
• Mujeres en Accion
• Workers Health Program
• Aprendamos

Products and services

• Day Labor Project (DLP) A community-based program operating four Day Laborer Community Job Centers (Hollywood, Downtown-Fashion District, Harbor City, and Cypress Park) that provide a humane alternative for day laborers to find work, offering literacy classes, English language instruction, and information about health, labor, and immigration laws.
• Workers' Health Program / Proyecto de Salud A holistic health program addressing the health needs of day laborers and household workers through health curriculum development, workshops, health-promoter training, and connections to health resources, operating at all four job centers.
• Mujeres en Accion A household worker organization focused on leadership development and advocacy for domestic worker rights, including the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (AB 241); women meet weekly to develop leadership skills and advocate for labor and health rights.
• VozMob (Mobile Voices) A mobile storytelling platform developed with USC Annenberg that enables immigrant and low-wage workers in Los Angeles to create stories about their lives directly from cell phones, increasing participation in the digital public sphere for those with limited computer access.
• Aprendamos After-School Program A free after-school program for grade-school children focusing on water and energy conservation education, culminating in community mural design and painting projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1000 day laborers and household workers served annually through four worker centers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at USCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in developing the VozMob platform for immigrant worker storytelling and digital empowerment.
• Occidental CollegeminorOthersUniversity partnership providing volunteers for IDEPSCA programs and popular education workshops.
• Azusa Pacific UniversityminorOthersUniversity partnership providing volunteers for IDEPSCA programs.
• Pilipino Workers CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in California Domestic Workers Coalition working on labor rights for low-wage workers.
• CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in immigrant rights advocacy and California Domestic Workers Coalition.
• California Domestic Workers CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide coalition working on the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (AB 241) enforcement and expansion.
• CARECEN (Central American Resource Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing coalition partner in immigration advocacy and day labor center funding protection efforts.
• YPI (Youth Justice Coalition)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in advocacy to maintain City of Los Angeles funding for day labor centers.
• The Pico Union ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the First Annual Pico Union Resource Fair.
• UCLA Labor CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Mujeres en Accion graduation ceremony.
• California Hospital Medical CenterminorOthersHealthcare partner providing free health screenings at IDEPSCA's Downtown Community Job Center.
• Aspiration TechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology organization providing free communication workshops in Spanish for community organizers.
• National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network coordinating day laborer organizing efforts; Veronica Federovsky serves as West Coast Coordinator.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Aspiration Tech: Technology nonprofit providing free digital-skills training, including Spanish-language workshops for community organizers. Listed as a partner of IDEPSCA's programs — an adjacent/enabling peer in the digital-inclusion space supporting immigrant worker empowerment.

Direct peers

• CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles): LA-based immigrant rights organization providing workforce, legal, and health access services to immigrant workers — directly comparable to IDEPSCA in geography, target population, and service mix, and an active coalition partner.
• National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON): National network of day laborer worker centers; IDEPSCA is both an active member and a model affiliate. Comparable services (hiring halls, worker advocacy, training) and direct coalition partnership make NDLON the closest peer.
• Casa de Maryland: Operates multiple day laborer worker centers (notably in Langley Park, MD) serving primarily Central American immigrant workers with job matching, ESL, health, and legal services — essentially the same operating model as IDEPSCA in a different metro.
• Make the Road New York: Worker-and-immigrant-centered organization providing workforce, education, and legal services to low-income immigrant communities — directly comparable mission and operating model, serving a parallel population in a different metro.
• Pilipino Workers Center: LA-based worker center serving predominantly Filipino immigrant domestic and service workers with rights education, leadership development, and advocacy — directly comparable in mission and a core coalition partner with IDEPSCA in the California Domestic Workers Coalition.
• CARECEN (Central American Resource Center): Los Angeles–based immigrant-serving nonprofit offering workforce development, legal, and educational services. Directly comparable as a coalition partner of IDEPSCA serving the same immigrant community with overlapping programs.

Broad incumbents

• Centro de los Derechos del Migrante: National migrant worker rights organization focused on labor enforcement and policy advocacy for low-wage workers — broadly comparable mission to IDEPSCA's household worker advocacy but operating more as a national advocacy entity rather than center-based service provider.
• Restaurant Opportunities Centers United: National restaurant worker organization providing workforce development, advocacy, and research for low-wage workers — adjacent peer sharing the worker-center / industry-targeted organizing model with IDEPSCA but in a different industry vertical.
• National Domestic Workers Alliance: National alliance of domestic worker organizations advancing rights and standards for nannies, housecleaners, and home care workers — directly aligned with IDEPSCA's Mujeres en Accion mission and a peer in the domestic-worker organizing space, but operating at federal scale rather than center-based.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IDEPSCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/instituto-de-educacion-popular-del-sur-de-california

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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