‘When Bold Ideas Meet Shared Action’: How Women-Led Philanthropy Is Driving Transformative Change

In a recent Forbes article highlighting several influential women leaders in philanthropy, Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) President and CEO Ana Marie Argilagos offered a compelling vision of collective liberation rooted in trust, community, and equity. Hispanics in Philanthropy is a proud Alliance for Justice Member organization, Speaking to the power of proximity in philanthropy, a transnational organization that strengthens Latinx leadership, mobilizes resources for equity and justice, and builds power in communities across the Americas through trust-based, community-driven philanthropy.

Argilagos challenges traditional notions of giving, calling instead for a model where resources are shifted directly into the hands of those most impacted by injustice. “We have to stop parachuting in with solutions and start listening to the people who live these problems every day,” she said. “That’s where real transformation begins.”

HIP’s approach is grounded in the belief that Latinx communities hold the wisdom, leadership, and resilience needed to drive change from the ground up. Under Argilagos’ leadership, the organization has mobilized unprecedented funding for grassroots movements across the Americas, centering trust-based philanthropy and dismantling the power imbalances that have long defined the sector.

“At Hispanics in Philanthropy, we’re not just investing in programs — we’re investing in people, in movements, in liberation,” Argilagos said. “Because justice doesn’t trickle down. It rises up.”

With fierce commitment and cultural pride, HIP continues to model what it looks like when philanthropy becomes a tool for collective power, not just charitable relief.