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Transforming Communities

Empowering the Latinx community, enhancing social and economic health, and holding institutional decision-makers accountable.

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Person holding a box of foodYouth walking outdoors

We are La Colaborativa

For over 35 years, La Colaborativa has supported Latinx immigrants in Greater Boston. We partner with the community to provide resources to vulnerable community members, including newly arrived immigrants, undocumented families, non-English speakers, as well as low-income tenants and workers. We are committed to serving, protecting, celebrating, and uplifting our people, ensuring a brighter future for all.

Our Impact on the Latinx Community

We provide vital resources and support through transformative programs and initiatives, empowering Latinx individuals and families. From promoting educational opportunities to advocating for social justice, La Colaborativa is a beacon of hope for many. Our commitment to fostering economic empowerment has resulted in tangible improvements in the lives of our Latinx community members.

100K+

Meals provided

We provide healthy and fresh food to those in need.

Impact at La Colaborativa
$0M+

Stolen wages recovered 

We educate and advocate for those being taken advantage of.

4,100+

Youth leaders developed

We develop our leaders of tomorrow, today. Mentorship is in our DNA.

Youth smiling

Our Supporters

Bank of America Charitable FoundationBarr FoundationBeth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterCambridge Health AllianceCDC FoundationSeal of ChelseaCommunity Labor UnitedCommonwealth KitchenCommonwealth MassachusettsEastern Bank Charitable FoundationEastern BankEOHEDEOS FoundationExecutive Office Energy Environmental AffairsGreater Boston Legal ServicesLawyers for Civil Rights BostonLIFT FundMass DevelopmentMassHireMassHire Metro North WorkForce BoardMass General BrighamMDAR logoMLRI logoNellie Mae Education FoundationSmith Family FoundationThe Boston FoundationUnited HealthCareMassMutual foundation LogoUnited WayWagner FoundationYawkey Foundation

We're Here to Help

We drive lasting change through the development and implementation of our comprehensive programs.
Economic Development Icon
Economic Development
 Supporting the entrepreneurship journey, rapid re-employment, and job search and placement programs.
Education Icon
Education
 Empowering the Latinx community through supporting financial independence, English courses, citizenship guidance, and more.
Community Wellness Icon
Community Wellness
Promoting health through addressing food insecurity, nutrition, and physical fitness.
Policy Change
Policy Change
Achieving lasting change through community organizing, engagement, and legal efforts.
Explore Programs

Norma Escobar's Story

"I am grateful to La Colaborativa for helping me achieve my goals. With their support, I was able to open my own daycare.

Owning my daycare brings me immense joy and through La Colaborativa’s support, I feel prepared for any challenge. I want to thank La Colaborativa’s Early Education and Childcare program. Opening my daycare has been a dream come true, and I hope to inspire other women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.”

Norma Escolar at her daycare

Discover How You Can Make a Difference

Your support goes a long way in transforming lives and creating a better future for all.
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Explore our latest news, stories, and insights on our blog.
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Community Moments

Celebrating our community's achievements and milestones.
Group of people inside the food bank
  • People speaking to the media
  • People wearing masks
  • People painting a mural that says "Levantando al pueblo"
  • Person at the food bank
  • Construction team
  • Teens playing volleyball at the beach

Land Acknowledgment

At La Colaborativa, we believe that building a more just, equitable, and healthy future begins with recognizing the histories of the land and the communities that came before us, while confronting the systemic inequities that continue to shape our society today.

We acknowledge that La Colaborativa is located in Winnisimmet, now known as Chelsea, Massachusetts, on the ancestral and unceded homeland of the Massachusett People, whose deep connections to this land, culture, and community endure today.

We honor the Indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land for generations and recognize the lasting consequences of colonization, forced displacement, dispossession, and systemic injustice. These histories are not simply part of the past. Their legacies continue to influence access to land, housing, healthcare, education, economic opportunity, and the resources that allow individuals, families, and communities to thrive.

At La Colaborativa, we understand that health equity cannot be achieved without addressing the social determinants of health, the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.

Structural racism, poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, and barriers to education, employment, and healthcare disproportionately affect immigrant, Indigenous, and historically marginalized communities, perpetuating cycles of inequality across generations.

This understanding is at the heart of La Colaborativa's holistic, community-driven model. Our work recognizes that the challenges facing our communities are deeply interconnected and cannot be addressed in isolation. By integrating housing stability, food access, healthcare, workforce development, education, economic mobility, and community advocacy, we work to address the root causes of inequity, strengthen community resilience, and create pathways toward lasting social and economic opportunity.

Rooted in our mission of Levantando al Pueblo, we believe that meaningful change begins by centering the voices, experiences, cultural identities, and leadership of the communities most affected by systemic injustice. Just as we honor the resilience and enduring presence of Indigenous peoples, we recognize the strength of immigrant families and historically marginalized communities who continue to shape our collective future.

For us, a land acknowledgment is more than a statement of respect. It is a reminder of our responsibility to turn recognition into meaningful action, challenge the systems that perpetuate inequality, and advance a model of community well-being grounded in dignity, belonging, self-determination, and justice.

We offer this acknowledgment with respect and gratitude to the Massachusett People, their ancestors, elders, and present-day communities, and with a continued commitment to learning, solidarity, and building a future where every community has the resources, opportunities, and power to thrive.