Our Mission

The mission of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund is to improve the quality of life of Latino families in Greater Kansas City by engaging the Latino community in philanthropy to build stronger communities through grantmaking, scholarship support, and college advising.

How it started…

In 1983, the Hall Family Foundation approached leaders in Kansas City’s Hispanic community with a bold and unprecedented idea: to place philanthropic resources directly in the hands of community members so they could define their own priorities. This concept of community-led giving had never been attempted locally before.

Under the leadership of Tony Salazar and other dedicated community champions, that vision took shape. The initial investment from the Hall Family Foundation became the seed for something lasting and transformational.

The Hispanic Development Fund (HDF) quickly proved the model worked. In 1986, the Hall Family Foundation deepened its commitment by helping establish an endowment. Over the years, HDF leaders continued to grow that endowment through perseverance and grassroots support, much of it coming from within the Latino community itself.

By 2006, after decades of steady growth and impact, HDF became a regional affiliate of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation—a testament to the strength of its mission and the community it serves.

Today, HDF carries out our mission and commitment to the Kansas City Hispanic community in four fundamental ways:

  • Advising students and families in the college-going process through the HDF Family College Prep Program.

  • Supporting Latino-serving nonprofit organizations through the HDF Grantmaking Program

  • Increasing philanthropy in the Latino community through our annual Cambio para Cambio fundraising campaign.

  • Removing the financial barriers to college through the HDF Scholarship Program.