A CAMPAIGN TO BUILD LA CASA AT IBA
Welcome to La CASA
Centrally located within the South End in IBA’s Villa Victoria (Victory Village), La CASA is designed to be an inclusive and welcoming space for the community and neighbors. To honor the past and look toward the future, the building blends brick and terra cotta to unite the beauty of our Latin-Caribbean culture with Boston’s 19th-century architecture. Additionally, La CASA’s glass elements communicate transparency and Accessibility.
The heart of La CASA is our main arts performance space, an open, two-story room, that will also allow for large community events and meetings. A large bi-fold glass door will connect this interior space to the adjacent O’Day Playground and amphitheater for larger events. Built in one phase, La CASA’s expected completion is 2025.
La CASA Honoring the Past, Building the Future
About La CASA Campaign
La CASA: The Center for Arts, Self-determination, and Activism is Boston's home for Latinx Arts, Culture and Community Empowerment.
$33M: Total Cost
26.435 square foot, four-story building: Includes performance space, gallery spaces, classrooms, community spaces, accessible roof deck for programming and gathering.
$12.5M: Fundraising goals
$9.5M Raised to Date, including:
$3M Transformation Gift from The Yawkey Foundation
$1M Congressional Earmark
$1M Barr Foundation
$1M Eastern Bank Foundation
$1M Barbara and Amos Hostetter
$1M Challenge Matching Gift (1:1 for every dollar raised)
$1M The Mass Leads Act
Breaking Ground: Q2 of 2024
Completion: Q1 2026
Double Your Impact Make A Gift To Our $1 Million 1:1 Challenge Fund!
Together, we can make a transformative difference! Thanks to the generosity of a visionary donor, La CASA: Center for Arts, Self-Determination, and Activism has the opportunity to amplify your contribution through a $1 million 1:1 matching challenge. Every dollar you give will be matched, doubling your impact and bringing us closer to realizing a vibrant space for creativity, empowerment, and community transformation.
Why Your Gift Matters
La CASA is more than a building—it’s a catalyst for change. By supporting this initiative, you are:
- Investing in Arts & Culture: A hub for creativity and celebration of Latino heritage.
- Fostering Self-Determination: Equipping individuals with tools and resources for empowerment and economic mobility.
- Inspiring Activism & Leadership: Building a community-driven space for education and action.
How the Match Works
For every $1 you give, our generous donor will match it, dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million. That means your $100 becomes $200, your $1,000 becomes $2,000, and your contribution goes twice as far toward creating this groundbreaking center.
Join Us in Building a Legacy
Your support helps us create a space that will benefit generations to come. Together, we can ensure La CASA becomes a beacon of opportunity and a source of pride for our community.
Make Your Matched Gift Today!
Help us meet the $1 million challenge and turn dreams into reality. Click below to give now and double your impact!
Thank you for being a part of this exciting journey. Together, we’re building more than a center—we’re transforming lives.
Aixa Beauchamp and Thomas Melendez, Campaign Co-chairs, said, “We are deeply grateful for the generosity of the $1 million challenge grant, which not only accelerates our goal, but also sends a clear message: when we invest in our community, we invest in real, transformative change. This challenge grant is a powerful call to action, and I encourage others to join us in this mission. By matching this gift, we can amplify our impact and ensure that La CASA becomes a thriving hub for empowerment, creativity, and opportunity. Together, we can create a legacy that uplifts and strengthens our community for generations to come.”
La CASA’S Programmatic and Community Impact
La CASA will have a profound impact on the community in three ways:
Reinvigorate IBA's Arts Program
La CASA will provide a new home for IBA's arts program, which is dedicated to supporting and advancing emerging and established Latinx artists. La CASA will allow IBA to expand its programming and offer more opportunities to artists and audiences alike.
Expand IBA's Education, Social and Economic Mobility Programs
La CASA will provide more space for IBA's education, social and economic mobility programs. This will allow IBA to serve more people and offer a wider range of services.
Strengthen IBA's Services
La CASA will bring most of IBA's programs and services together under one roof. This will make it easier for residents to access the services they need and will help IBA to better integrate its programs and services.
La CASA Artistic & Cultural Impact
- Advance, engage, preserve and share Latinx Arts and Culture, with a particular emphasis on Puerto Rican Art with the Greater Boston and New England Communities
- Provide an affordable space for emerging Latinx artists to grow and develop thorough performance, residency, collaboration, and supportive services
- Ensure Latinx Arts and Cultural programming is accessible to all with free and low-cost events and programs
Learn how you can support La CASA today!
Ways To Give
ABOUT IBA
IBA is the largest Latina-led nonprofit organization in New England. It is an award-winning community development corporation that empowers and engages individuals and families to improve their lives through high-quality programs and services. IBA is also recognized as New England's largest hub for Latinx arts.
IBA is:
- A community anchor institution for economic development and Latinx arts and culture
IBA's Mission:
- To empower individuals and families to improve their lives and achieve socio-economic mobility through high-quality affordable housing, education, financial and residential empowerment, and arts programs.
IBA's Programs
- Affordable Housing
- Arts
- Early Education Program (EEP)
- Financial Empowerment Program (FE)
- Resident Services Program (RSP)
- Youth Development Program (YDP)
PROGRAMS WITH IMPACT
EARLY EDUCATION PROGRAM
The first bilingual Spanish-English preschool program in MA, IBA provides high-quality education and care for infants, toddlers and children ages 4 months to 5 years and 6 months old.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
IBA’s nationally recognized program prepares teens for social, academic, financial, and post-secondary and career success.
FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT
IBA empowers residents of any age to achieve financial stability and mobility through accessible, bilingual financial programs and personalized financial coaching.
RESIDENT SERVICES
Through case coordination, advocacy, and a range of health and wellness programs, IBA supports and empowers residents to achieve housing stability and meet their basic needs.
ARTS
IBA is New England’s largest provider of Latinx arts and cultural programming through affordable and free events like Festival Betances and youth poetry readings.
CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
Aixa Beauchamp and Thomas Meléndez
Campaign Co-chairs
María Vasallo
IBA Board of Directors, Chair
Robert Goldstein
IBA Board of Directors
Janet Frazier
President & CEO Maloney Properties, Inc.
Nancy Levy-Konesky, PhD
Tufts University
Stephanie Shapiro Berkson, PhD
University of Illinois at Chicago
IBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
María Vasallo, President
Javier F. Flores, Vice-President
Pedro Miranda, Clerk
Jennifer Fauth, Treasurer
Cindy Williams
Divya Mani
Héctor Colón
Héctor Cruz
José Fernández
Laurie Gould
Miguel Vazquez
Patrick Greene
Reinelda Rivera
Robert Goldstein
Sharon Bonet
Vadim Kuksin
Wendy Meléndez
CAMPAIGN STAFF LEADERSHIP
Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Mayra I. Negrón-Roche
Chief Operating Officer
Tara McCabe
Chief Development Officer
Campaign Contact
Tara@ibaboston.org
Read the full Case Statement
Learn More