The National Council of La Raza, a national constituency-based Hispanic organization and a leading voice in Washington, D.C. for the Hispanic community, is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization established to reduce poverty and discrimination and improve life opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Four major functions provide essential focus to the organization s work: capacity-building assistance; applied research, policy analysis and advocacy; public information efforts; and special and international projects. These functions complement NCLR s work in five key strategic priorities including education, assets and investments, civil rights and immigration, education, employment and economic status and health. Founded in 1968, NCLR began as a regional organization concerned primarily with providing grassroots support to Mexican Americans in the Southwest. Headquartered in Washington, DC, NCLR has field offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, and San Juan, Puerto Rico and New York City.