"New Orleans is handing out millions in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to 10 local nonprofits as part of a new economic mobility project, the city announced Wednesday.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration will direct $5 million to 10 community-based organizations s as part of the city’s Economic Mobility in Motion project.
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El Centro - $450,000 for wealth-building programs for 400 Latino residents of New Orleans each year. The programs provide language-accessible and culturally competent education on financial wellness, small business development, tax preparation and first-time home buyer training."

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La Organización sin fines de lucro, El Centro, realizó su evento mensual de "Las Musas" para celebrar a Las Madres en su mes, con un evento de pijamas en que las invitadas aprendieron de panelistas en el área de Salud, belleza y estilo para empoderar a la mujer latina en Estados Unidos. 
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El Centro, a Louisiana-based non-profit organization (501c3) founded by Lindsey Navarro in 2018, provides coaching and entrepreneurial training in Spanish with the mission to empower the Latinx community through culturally relevant and competent financial capability.
El Centro has served more than 3,000 individuals and entrepreneurs through its in-person entrepreneurship education, advisory services, and access to capital programs. Using virtual education, they have reached approximately 68,000 customers through live lectures and educational and instructional videos with topics such as how to start a business, purchase a home, and credit counseling services.  Click to read the full article...

The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in this community. “There are lots of informal businesses that are now looking to get formalized and access more opportunities,” said Navarro. “But there are many barriers, starting with cultural barriers. Things are done differently in their countries. Everything is regulated here. There are tax implications in everything they do. We have to start by educating them on what they need to become official.”
El Centro starts by helping business owners with the basics: registering with the Secretary of State, getting a federal tax ID number, getting occupational licenses and other necessary permits, opening bank accounts. But the organization’s services go beyond that into broader areas of financial literacy and building wealth.
“We help them build credit, buy homes, access business loans, and generally understand the American financial system,” explained Nararro. “We also talk about business strategies and marketing. We help them organize their taxes. Ultimately, the goal is to build wealth and community.”
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We were honored to receive this acknowledgment for our outstanding service to the Hispanic community and impact in 2020.

This article was original published in the November 2018 Qué Pasa Magazine. 

Lindsey Navarro was born in Houma, Louisiana to Panamanian parents. She spent every summer with family in Panama, and after college continued to visit regularly. When she completed her MBA from Loyola University of New Orleans in 2010, she knew she wanted to work with Latino businesses. She was offered a great position with Accion Louisiana as a business advisor and quickly found her niche working in the Latino community. She educated business owners about entrepreneurship and eventually the role morphed into a national position with the network office on a national level. 

It was at this moment that she witnessed the limited amount of entrepreneurial support that was available to our community both nationally and locally. She knew then that she wanted to be a part of the solution and support system for local entrepreneurs. 

Read the full article on the Qué Pasa website.