Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

Latinos United for a New America

EIN 46-5043077 · San Jose, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong93 out of 100GovernanceWeak46 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE MISSION OF LATINOS UNITED FOR A NEW AMERICA (LUNA) IS TO UNIFY THE LATINO COMMUNITY WITH THE GOAL OF SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OUR FAMILIES AND THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN THROUGH ADVOCACY AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION.

Income
$754,788
Spending
$764,768
Spent on programs
90%
Reserves
15.8 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 78%
Employees
6
Volunteers
90
Highest pay
$85,765, co-director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 78% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 15.8 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 4% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 55% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    90% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Weak: 46 out of 100. Higher than 11% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    7 of 7 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (6)
  1. $144,690 spent. Chapters: Luna is currently working in four neighborhoods on the east side and one on the west side of San Jose. Notably, in this past year, LUNA has begun working on a violence prevention campaign with the Santa Clara County Department of Health in the Cadillac/Winchester neighborhood. LUNA's organizers have established the goal of neighborhood development and creating spaces/campaigns for cross-neighborhood collaboration on issues they share. This includes the housing support system, air quality campaign, and immigration, which will allow community leaders in all our neighborhoods to connect, share ideas and strategies, and build capacity to support each other with the problems that are occurring in their communities. Our central mission remains to empower those in the most vulnerable neighborhoods to be able to act effectively on their behalf. Leadership and organizing expertise can be applied to addressing any challenge a neighborhood faces.
  2. $139,076 spent. CCSPP: the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) is a grant program in collaboration with Sunrise Middle School and it is focus on two separate projects. The first one is creating a mental health awareness campaign that could help fight the stigma that mental health has. The second is know your rights and Family Plans for Undocumented Immigrants. This project was to help create family plans for undocumented immigrants to have in place in case they were arrested.
  3. $116,634 spent. Air Quality: the Air Quality campaign, aims to enhance environmental awareness and foster active participation in local environmental initiatives across several East Side neighborhoods. This cohort of 5 members and 2 organizers participated in Canopy's Canopy Certified Community Forestry School, a ten-week program involving 10 online classes, University of California online coursework, 4 in-person fieldwork days, and 15 hours of hands-on community service applying skills learned during the coursework. All 5 community leaders and both organizers completed the program, receiving UC Climate Stewards and Canopy Certified Community Forester certificates. Additionally, this campaign has actively participated in Tree Planting's hosted by Our City Forest throughout the year. Notably, since November of 2025, this group has participated in 6 community tree plantings, planting 10 trees in parks and park strips across San Jose and 2 in East Palo Alto.
  4. $285,936 spent. See Schedule O.
  5. Housing Support System - Total Expenses: $102,491; Grants: $0; Revenue: $0 The housing support system was established to achieve a multi-platform and interconnected support system led by community leaders from different neighborhoods in East San Jose to build awareness and skills for housing justice. To date, this project has been completed with two cohorts totaling 25 participating community leaders. Next year, the program will shift from organizers developing leaders to leaders mentoring new participants. This will allow program graduates to continue building their leadership skills by mentoring others in their communities. We see this as a logical and critical next step in our focus to develop community leaders in our base. Community Violence Prevention - Total Expenses: $101,639; Grants: $0; Revenue: $0 LUNA partnered with the Santa Clara County Health Department to bring a violence prevention campaign called We All Play A Role (WAPAR) in the Cadillac/Winchester neighborhood. This project is still developing. Notable achievements include identifying key community leaders, connecting with Teatro Vision, a non-profit focused on bringing performance arts to low-income communities, and partnering with Marvin Flores, Foothill College Student Poet Laureate, to bring poetry classes to the youth in the neighborhood. Rapid Response Network - Total Expenses: $81,806; Grants: $0; Revenue: $0 Free, confidential hotline, available 24/7 at 408-290-1144, in multiple languages with the goal of responding to immigration emergencies. Answering calls and directing resources of anyone sees ICE activity, if someone is detained, or if someone has an upcoming check-in. RRN helps verify what's happening, connect people with legal support, and make sure families know their rights. Program accomplishments for 2025: 176 Santa Clara County residents detained by ICE received free, emergency, legal services, 5,499 calls answered through the hotline, 102,604 community members engaged through outreach & education efforts, 43 families supported through case management to stabilize their household after an ICE detention.
  6. (Expenses $ 285,936 including grants of $) See Schedule O.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since July 2014.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.