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Harvard students and affiliates are gathering to commemorate this year’s Hispanic Heritage month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, through food, performances, and celebrations — even as Harvard is reducing institutional support for affinity groups and spaces on campus.

Funding for Hispanic Heritage Month events hosted by campus affinity groups often came from the Harvard Foundation in previous years. But under the new Foundation — created following a series of diversity office closures this summer — student leaders said the change in grant applications has left them uncertain about funding for events.

This year’s Latinx Convocation, an annual celebration to welcome Latinx members of the Class of 2029 to Harvard, will be held on Friday at First Parish in Cambridge — a shift from Memorial Church, where the event had been held since its inception.

Student leaders from Concilio Latino de Harvard — a student group dedicated to providing campus Latinx organizations with a forum for open inter-group communication — said the change in location was due to financial uncertainties.

Fatima C. Mendoza ’26, co-chair of Concilio, described the convocation as a “celebration of our presence on campus” and “an annual tradition that a lot of people really, really cherish” — but said the group has “definitely had to pivot.”

“A lot of our strategy this year is based around maneuvering financial constraints, and also the fact that we’ve lost a lot of sources of funding that we previously relied on,” Mendoza said.

In April, Harvard announced that it would no longer fund affinity celebrations during Commencement. The cut came after Harvard renamed its main diversity office following demands from the Trump administration to remove all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the University.

As a result, student organizations turned to alumni groups for assistance in organizing unofficial ceremonies in May — a move that has continued into this academic year, as campus affinity groups are bumping up outreach to alumni for funding.

Mendoza said there is concern and uncertainty about the Harvard Foundation’s role in supporting student organizations this year amongst Concilio and other Latino groups.

“There’s the question about the Harvard Foundation, which is in a different spot right now than it was last year,” Mendoza said. “There’s just not a lot of clarity about where they stand in relation to orgs that they previously supported,” she added.

College spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo wrote in an emailed statement that “additional information about funding will be directly relayed to student organizations.”

Despite the funding concerns, student organizations are hosting a slate of events to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month — including Ritmo Latino, an annual cultural fair showcasing the traditions of more than ten Latin countries, which will be held on Oct. 11.

This year’s Ritmo Latino — hosted by Fuerza Latina — will feature dances, cultural performances from student groups, and mariachi singer Veronica Robles.

On Thursday, Fuerza and Latinas Unidas de Harvard College co-hosted an outing to attend the annual Latinx Heritage Night at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, an event featuring live performances and gallery visits to works by Latinx artists.

The Harvard Undergraduate Dominican Student Association and Fuerza have also planned to host a joint study break this month.

“This is not only a way to unite various different Latino-Hispanic communities together — in addition to DSA — but also just to be in community with one another and to learn a little bit about our shared histories,” DSA President Isis R. Rodriguez ’27 said.

Rodriguez said DSA also plans to collaborate with other organizations on campus for events like game nights, as well as extend their outreach to universities in Boston and the greater Northeast area. The group has planned a picnic with students at Brown University in the coming weeks.

“It’s a great way to show that the Dominican community is present within these established institutions, and that we’re here, and that we’re loud and proud,” Rodriguez said.

Concilio Co-Chair Angie De La Cruz ’26 said the group hopes to be supportive of other Hispanic organizations by pubbing their events and creating a central location for information about Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations on campus.

“Although it’s a month of recognition, it’s also a time to celebrate each other’s cultures and diversity at large,” De La Cruz said.

“The message that people are trying to show out is that the Hispanic community is very present on campus,” she added. “There’s a lot to celebrate.”

—Staff writer Alexander W. Anoma can be reached at alexander.anoma@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @AnomaAlexander.

—Staff writer Chantel A. De Jesus can be reached at chantel.dejesus@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @c_a_dejesus.