CEO Paul Quintero joins national leaders at the American Museum of Natural History to celebrate Latino impact and the enduring power of doing the work, together
NEW YORK, NY (April 23, 2026) — Ascendus, a national community development financial institution (CDFI) with more than 30 years of experience deploying capital and financial education to small business owners across the country, was proud to attend the Hispanic Federation’s 36th Annual Gala on April 23, 2026, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, one of the nation’s premier gatherings of Latino leaders, advocates, and changemakers.
CEO Paul Quintero represented Ascendus at an evening that brought together elected officials, cultural icons, business leaders, and mission-driven organizations united by a shared conviction: that Latino communities are not on the margins of American life. They are central to it.
What the Evening Reflected
The gala honored four extraordinary recipients whose work embodies the Federation’s 36-year commitment to strengthening Latino communities: Chef José Andrés (Humanitarian Award), Merck (Corporate Leadership Award), Esai Morales (Lifetime Achievement Award), and ourBRIDGE for KIDS (Community Service Award).
Across speeches, tributes, and conversations, several threads ran through the night, each one resonant with Ascendus’ own work and mission.
Service at scale, and at the side of people.
Chef José Andrés, whose organization World Central Kitchen has served one billion meals in disaster zones worldwide, offered a clear framework: food is dignity, hope, culture, economics, environment, and humanity, all at once. And the way you deliver it at scale is not from above, but with the people. That posture, side by side, not top-down, is exactly how Ascendus approaches small business lending and financial coaching. Capital, like food, changes lives most when it meets people where they are.
Be undeniable.
Actor and activist Esai Morales, accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, challenged the room to earn visibility by making their work impossible to ignore. Ascendus has spent three decades focused on financial ascension because the need is undeniable, and so is the impact. In a moment when access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs is more urgent than ever, showing up and delivering results is the clearest statement we can make.
Latinos are America.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, speaking on behalf of the Hispanic Federation, which supports over 800 nonprofit organizations, put it plainly: Latinos are not a constituency to be served. We are America. Ascendus was founded with roots in Latin America and has spent 30 years serving Latino entrepreneurs as a core part of who we are. That is not a program. It is our identity.
We are proud to serve this city.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani noted that one in three New Yorkers identifies as Latino, a statistic that captures the scale and depth of the community that has always been at the heart of Ascendus’ work. From our earliest days to our current national reach, Latino small business owners have not been an afterthought. They have been the reason.
Relationships That Build Wealth
Ascendus attended the gala as a guest of Wells Fargo, a presenting sponsor of the evening, a reflection of the kind of cross-sector partnership that moves capital from institutions to entrepreneurs. During the event, Paul connected with Grace Bonilla, whose research on home-based childcare providers directly shaped Ascendus’ fast-track lending program for that industry, a reminder that good programs start with listening to the people they serve.
Paul also connected with Sabrina Lippman, CEO of Habitat for Humanity NYC and Westchester, at the invitation of Wells Fargo’s Catherine Domenech, a deliberate introduction grounded in a simple insight: owning a small business and owning a home are two of the most proven paths to wealth-building. Finding ways for mission-driven organizations in both spaces to work together is not a coincidence. It is strategy.
And in a moment that captured the full arc of finance, from Wall Street to Main Street, Ascendus Board Member Armando Acosta and Bank of America NYC President José Tavarez, both Columbia Business School colleagues of Paul’s, came together for a photo that said what no press release can fully convey: the people who build institutions and the people who serve communities are often the same people.
A Whale-Sized Vision
The evening closed with a moment that stayed with Paul. Standing in front of the American Museum of Natural History’s blue whale, the largest mammal on earth, alongside Armando Acosta, the image offered a simple provocation: think bigger. Ascendus is pursuing a vision of financial ascension for all, not a niche outcome, not a marginal improvement, but a structural shift in who gets to build wealth in this country. That kind of ambition requires the relationships, the partnerships, and the shared conviction that a night like the Hispanic Federation Gala makes visible.
We are doers. And we are grateful to stand alongside others who are too.
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About Ascendus
Ascendus is a mission-driven, nationwide Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with over 30 years of experience empowering small business owners. We provide access to capital and financial coaching to help entrepreneurs achieve financial health and ascend toward lasting success. Dedicated to building thriving businesses and vibrant communities, we have delivered over $435 million in financial support to more than 62,000 entrepreneurs across the country, building a future of financial ascension for all.
About the Hispanic Federation
The Hispanic Federation is the nation’s premier Latino nonprofit membership organization. Founded in 1990, it supports over 800 Hispanic health and human services organizations serving millions of Latinos in the United States. Learn more at hispanicfederation.org.
Media Contact
Gustavo Banchero
Director of Communications, Ascendus
[email protected] · 646.506.4790
ascendus.org · 260 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016
