LCWB Network and MERIT unite to empower Latine communities in Oregon

Cultivating Prosperity

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2019

In January 2019, the Latino/a/x Community Wealth Building (LCWB) Network initiated a transformative initiative supported by the Oregon Community Foundation and the Meyer Memorial Trust.

The focus areas included land and agriculture, small business, housing, and education.

2019-2022

Through collective efforts, the LCWB Network gained insights into the challenges and opportunities of community wealth-building.

Drawing on this collective knowledge, LCWB Network participants collaboratively formulated a vision and mission to guide their future endeavors.

Diagram titled 'Prosperidad Oregon' illustrating a Venn diagram with two overlapping circles labeled 'LCWBN' on the left and 'MERIT' on the right. The overlapping area contains a stylized flower image, and a vertical line divides the top from the bottom of the diagram.

2023-2024

In the summer of 2023, MERIT and the LCWB Network unified and aligned on their mission and vision.

As part of this unification, members of the LCWB steering committee served on the MERIT board and committed significant financial contributions to MERIT’s general operating budget.

2025

The LCWB Network and MERIT formally unified to become Prosperidad Oregon, marking a significant milestone in the state’s Latino economic justice landscape.

In July 2025, Prosperidad achieved a historic milestone by earning recognition as Oregon’s only Latino Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). To lead this next chapter, Carlos David Garcia was appointed as Prosperidad Oregon’s inaugural Executive Director.

A young woman with long wavy hair holding a white coffee mug, engaged in conversation with an older man with glasses, in a cozy indoor setting.
Women attending a meeting or workshop sitting at tables with laptops, notebooks, and water bottles.
Woman with dark hair and earrings working on a laptop in a discussion or meeting.
Two women hugging warmly indoors near a window.
A man with short dark hair and a light beard sitting indoors, holding a pen, wearing a black jacket over a gray shirt, and speaking.

Our Approach

Together, we are fostering a future where Latino/a/x and Indigenous Mesoamerican Peoples in our community can build wealth, lead with confidence, and shape systems that work for all of us.

Every family and entrepreneur deserves access to the tools that build lasting prosperity. Our approach begins by ensuring our communities can access fair, culturally rooted financial resources — from loans to business support — so entrepreneurs can grow, families can build stability, and wealth remains in community hands.

A vertical strip of four colorful sections, each containing a different stylized flower or geometric design

Focus Areas

  • Money & Tools
    We work to ensure our communities can access fair and culturally rooted financial tools, from loans to business support. Our experienced coaches provide personalized, culturally responsive guidance to help you build financial literacy, strengthen your business plan, and stay accountable to your goals.

  • Strength & Connection
    We invest in relationships, leadership, and shared learning. By strengthening our collective capacity, we create a foundation of trust and mutual support that makes everything else possible.

  • Voice & Power
    We lift up community voices to shape the policies and systems that impact our lives. Through advocacy, organizing, and partnerships, we build power together to drive structural change.

Founding Organizations

  • A circular logo featuring a stylized tree with numerous branches and leaves, and the word "CAPACES" written beneath the tree.
  • Black and white graphic logo featuring a hand with a bracelet, surrounded by stylized decorative elements, with the word 'Centro' in bold capital letters below.
  • Logo for Consejo Hispano, featuring a bright sunburst symbol, with the text "Consejo Hispano" and smaller text beneath.
  • Logo of Farmworker Housing Development Corporation with a stylized house icon and bold text.
  • A black and white logo with a decorative, circular, geometric design above the word 'PLAZA' in bold, uppercase letters.
  • Latin Network logo with a stylized flower icon in black and white.
  • Logo of Meyer Memorial Trust with stylized 'M' and the words 'meyer' and 'MEMORIAL TRUST' below.
  • Text-based logo with the words 'Oregon', 'Community', and 'Foundation' in white, placed inside black rectangular blocks, with white borders around each block.
  • Illustration of a clenched fist inside a ring with radiating lines, with the word 'PCUN' at the bottom.
  • Black background with white text displaying 'The Collins Foundation'.
  • Logo with large bold white text and black background, with smaller text below reading 'Bridging Community'.
  • Merit logo featuring a circular design with a mountain peak and the word 'MERIT' inside

Mission

Our mission is to empower a community of Latino/a/x Oregonians and Indigenous Mesoamerican Peoples united by providing support, access to capital, and opportunities for personal and economic growth. We are committed to building a legacy of intergenerational prosperity driven by trust, empowerment, and a deep connection to our community by working together to build collective community wealth.

A group of ten diverse women and one man standing together outdoors under a garden archway, smiling for a photo on a paved path surrounded by greenery.

Vision

To harness Latino/a/x and Indigenous Mesoamerican Peoples’ collective power to increase our prominence and create wealth-building pathways and lasting community change.

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Join us as we foster intergenerational prosperity within the Latino community and help us build a prosperous future for all.

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