Julián Castro has gotten a few things from his mother: a last name, a twin brother, a general sense of optimism, and a penchant for serving his community.
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Castro → get → community
Her two sons, who were born in San Antonio in 1974, often accompanied her to rallies and meetings when they were young.
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they → bear → rallies
“[She] raised my brother and me with this sense that you should always do well for yourself, but also do good for others,” Castro says.
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Castro → raise → others
For more than a decade, Castro used politics as an avenue to act on that sense.
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Castro → use → sense
(The same goes for his brother, Joaquin, who has been a Texas congressman since 2013.)
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who → go → 2013
His resume includes a stint on the San Antonio city council, five years as mayor of the city, an appointment to President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and a 2020 presidential campaign.
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resume → include → Housing
But Castro, 51, recently started a new chapter in his career.
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Castro → start → career
He’s left politics behind—for now—and has entered the world of philanthropy.
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He → leave → philanthropy
Since 2024, he has served as CEO of the Latino Community Foundation, an organization founded in 1989 that funds Latino-serving and Latino-led nonprofits in the U.S.
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that → serve → U.S.
He says that this opportunity has presented him with “a new way to do good for the community.”
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opportunity → say → community
One in five Americans are Latino, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center report, and the Latino Donor Collaborative found that this group alone was responsible for 28.2% of all U.S. economic growth in 2024.
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group → accord → 2024
But this national impact is not reflected in the amount of philanthropic dollars invested back into the Latino community, which often remains below one percent.
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which → reflect → percent
Castro says that LCF is in the business of disrupting this status quo.
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LCF → say → quo
“The country can only prosper if the community does well.”
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community → prosper → ?
In March, LCF, which primarily funds nonprofits based in California, announced a plan to expand its grant-making efforts nationally and establish a $250 million endowment—a sizable increase from the organization's current, "modest" $35 million endowment.
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which → fund → endowment
Castro says that this new plan would ensure an annual grant-making baseline of $10 million and the ability “to serve many more organizations consistently.”
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plan → say → organizations
Castro says that as the Trump Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue their sweeping, sometimes fatal immigration crackdown across the U.S., the work of nonprofits has never been more important.
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work → say → nonprofits
In February, LCF launched the Community Protection Fund, issuing grants to grassroots organizations in California, Nevada, and Minnesota that are either offering assistance to families impacted by ICE’s actions or challenging detention abuses in court.
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that → launch → court
“Immigrant families and mixed-status families are under attack by an Administration absolutely determined to target both legal and undocumented immigrants, and sometimes even citizens.
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families → mix → immigrants
And so we decided to double down on investing in immigrant-serving nonprofits,” he says.
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he → decide → nonprofits
Though Castro feels deeply disappointed by how changes in immigration and deportation policies have affected Latino communities in the U.S., he hopes that Americans who feel the same will use this time to imagine a diverse, inclusive, and equitable future:
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who → feel → future
“My hope is that the Latino Community Foundation, as it grows, can help accelerate that progress.”
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it → grow → progress
The Aporia
