The Hispanic Federation, which has a reported 100 Latino community service agencies in the United States, is preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

According to Fox News Latino, Hispanic Federation was started by a group of Latinos in New York City in 1990, the same year New York City swore in its first black mayor. At first, the group had just six agencies led by first president Luis A. Miranda Jr. Eventually, however, they spread across the entire state, and then into New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

The Hispanic Federation aims to "advance" Hispanics by providing "grants to a broad network of Latino nonprofit agencies serving the most vulnerable members of the Hispanic community and advocates nationally with respect to the vital issues of education, health, immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement and the environment," according to its official website.

In addition to providing money, the Hispanic Federation also fights for Hispanics rights, Jose Calderon, the current president, told FNL.

"We bring support financially, we are proud to have invested more than $40 million in support of Latino institutions, but we are much more than that," he said. "We advocate for the rights of the community."

According to Calderon, who resides in New York and was born in the Dominican Republic, the Hispanic Federation does three different things.

First, they give grants to nonprofits and "provide other kinds of support such as training and capacitation courses," according to FNL.

The group also fights for Hispanic rights and interests, Calderon said.

Third, Hispanic Federation works to create laws to help the community, such as those regarding Health care and immigration reform, Calderon added.

"We are a platform, a vehicle to reach higher spheres," the president said. "Before we didn't have an institution of our own, created by our own, to be a spokesperson in defense of our interest."

An example of the Hispanic Federation connecting with the community is its public affairs radio show, which airs over 150 times a year. The shows play on three popular Spanish language FM radio stations in New York.

The Hispanic Federation also has television shows, weekly newspaper columns and conducts public hearings.

"We have great needs as a community, but we also highlight the beautiful things we have brought in," Calderon said. "I am extremely happy to be in a position of making a difference, of finding out how we can introduce changes to better ourselves."

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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