The Idaho Hispanic Foundation operates as a trusted Family Resource Center, building connections with Hispanic/Latino and other underserved families across rural and suburban communities. By embedding its programs in schools and community settings, the Foundation ensures that kin caregivers and grandfamilies have access to culturally responsive support. Its approach is grounded in relationship-building: knowing families personally, co-designing services, and ensuring that families feel valued, not like “just another case.”
Organization Profile
The Idaho Hispanic Foundation supports Idaho’s Hispanic/Latino and other underserved community members by connecting individuals to essential resources, fostering entrepreneurial and leadership skills, and empowering families through workforce programs, education, and cultural programming. All programming is co-designed with the families, making kinship/grandfamily services deeply responsive to community needs.
Quick Facts
Founded
The Idaho Hispanic Foundation (IHF) opened in 2018, and the IHF Family Community Resource Center opened in September 2024
Location
Rural & suburban communities in Idaho
Number of Kinship/Grandfamilies Served Annually
Up to 25% of total families served annually are kinship/grandfamilies. Recently, they have served a total of 313 grandfamilies, including 125 kinship foster families and 188 kinship families outside of the foster care system.
Race/Ethnicity of Overall Population Served Annually – 2,500 People
- 1% Asian
- 4% Black
- 11% Hawaiian/Native American
- 63% Hispanic/Latino
- 16% White
- 5% Other – Mixed
Collaborating for Impact
The Foundation partners with:
- Saint Alphonsus l – Offers a monthly mobile health clinic with bilingual staff
- St. Lukes – Supports workshops, provides doctors that can answer immediate concerns and questions from Foundation staff and direct referrals for patients
- Idaho Legal Aid – Offers legal and guardianship support
- Casey Family Programs – Provides meals for family gatherings as well as information and data
- Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children – Offers 4 the Love of Kinship, Grandparents as Parents, and Domestic Violence programs
- Local schools – Migrant and McKinney-Vento staff and other staff identify needs, connect families, and ensure wraparound supports
Program Innovation & Results
Kinship/Grandfamily Services
- Parenting & Caregiver Support – Parenting workshops, co-parenting classes, trauma-informed strategies, and developing peer support groups
- Concrete Supports – Food, clothing, rental assistance, and transportation
- Kinship Navigation – Warm handoffs and individualized follow-up for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Medicaid; the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); and Head Start
- Family Development & Economic Success – Case management, goal setting, and job training
- Legal & Guardianship Support – Workshops and referrals through Idaho Legal Aid and other trusted legal partners
- Education Support & Advocacy – Full circle support, individualized education program (IEP) advocacy, and school communication and enrollment guidance
- Health & Wellness – Screenings, therapy, cooking classes, lactation support, family planning, respite referrals, and wellness workshops
- Community Strengthening – Civic engagement, voter registration, and leadership development
At a Glance
- Annual Program Cost: ≈$75,000
- Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Staff: 0.75
- Duration/Dosage: Ongoing; small group, relationship-centered model
- Evidence-Based / Research-Based: Education advocacy, Protective Factors framework
- Formal Curriculum: Family leadership and advocacy training
- Staff Training Required: Cultural Competency & Language Access, Kinship Navigation Basics, Navigation of Public Assistance Programs, Trauma-Informed Care
Program in Action: Building Trust Through Relationships
When another local kinship program lost its funding, the Idaho Hispanic Foundation absorbed those families into its services. Staff immediately reached out, built trust, and ensured families received food, clothing, case management, and education advocacy. Because the Foundation invests time in knowing families personally—names, stories, and histories—families felt seen and supported. This relationship-centered approach ensured continuity of care and stability for families in transition.
What They’ve Learned
- Relationship- and trust-building are the foundation: staff knowing families by name transforms engagement.
- Small-group, intensive support is more effective long-term than large-scale, transactional services.
- Education advocacy is critical: schools and teachers are key collaborators.
- Co-designing services with kin caregivers ensures programs remain relevant and family-driven.
One staff member reflected:
Families consistently report feeling seen, valued, and supported.
Results & Replication
Evaluation
Evaluation practices are primarily qualitative, based on ongoing feedback during and after programs, with follow-up conversations to adapt services. Families consistently highlight the value of being treated as partners in their own care.
Replication Potential
- A relationship-centered approach, even if time-intensive, is valuable.
- School-based education advocacy is a trusted entry point to reach and serve families.
- A mobile collaboration model with hospitals and legal aid can support families’ health and legal needs.
- When other programs are forced to close, absorbing families from those defunded programs can ensure continuity of care.
This spotlight is part of a national series celebrating innovation in Family Resource Centers serving kinship/grandfamilies. To learn more about how Family Resource Centers support kinship/grandfamilies, see Family Resource Center Services and Supports for Kinship/ Grandfamilies, a resource created by the National Family Support Network and the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network.
