IAC receives $100,000 endowment from the Neto Foundation. Here’s how it will be used

NEW BEDFORD – The Immigrants’ Assistance Center has received a big boost from the Neto Foundation to help local immigrants attain their U.S. citizenship.

On March 20, the center received an endowment for $100,000 from the Neto Foundation. The check was presented to IAC’s Board of Directors by Neto Foundation Founder and President Manuel Fernando Neto and his family.

Neto is the founder of Neto Insurance Agency and a former New Bedford city councilor.

More: READ MORE: Manuel F. Neto shares life story at UMass Dartmouth

IAC’s President and CEO Helena da Silva Hughes said the endowment earnings are to be specifically used for citizenship support services.

“This is the first endowment in our history, and it is even more special as Mr. Neto is one of the founders of the IAC,” Hughes said. “It is a testament to his vision, persistence, and commitment to the needs of recently arrived immigrants in the Greater New Bedford area that the IAC was created in 1971, and we are thankful that we can continue on with this very important work through his generosity and kindness.”

According to Neto, the non-profit foundation was created by his family in 2022 to support causes they believe in.

“This is a way of helping the center’s mission and citizenship, which is an absolutely necessary service,” he told O Jornal about IAC’s endowment.

He also noted immigrants should be viewed as a strength rather than a burden.

“Anyone who becomes a citizen adds value to the country,” he said.

Neto is a naturalized citizen himself.

He became a U.S. citizen on June 4, 1965, about five years after arriving in this country from Faial, Azores.

In addition to being a successful businessman and public servant, he was instrumental in founding or co-founding many of the organizations and programs that sprang up in the 1970s to meet the needs of the recently arrived Portuguese immigrants in this area, including the movement for bilingual education in Massachusetts, the Immigrants’ Assistance Center, and Casa da Saudade Library.

His success has allowed him to support numerous organizations and causes over the years. His extensive charitable and civic contributions have been recognized by many groups, organizations, and institutions, including the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the government of Portugal, whose President Mário Soares bestowed upon him the Comenda da Ordem do Mérito in 1987.

IAC was the first to receive an endowment from the Neto Foundation, but Neto said other recipients will follow.

“The idea is to engage the [Neto] family – the second and third generations – and support noble causes,” he said. "We've been fortunate and the foundation is our way of giving back and trying to make this world a little better."

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: IAC receives $100,000 endowment to support citizenship services