The Ángel Ramos Foundation on Thursday, November 12, awarded the 2026 Tina Hills Award to the Red por los Derechos de la Niñez y la Juventud de Puerto Rico (Network for the Rights of Children and Youth of Puerto Rico), which received a $200,000 check to continue supporting children in developmental stages, homeless youth and families with multiple needs amid the island’s economic and social crisis. The Network won the 29th edition of the award, named for Argentina "Tina" Hills, who died in September of last year at age 103.
The foundation also gave $20,000 awards to three finalist organizations: Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos, the Office for the Promotion and Human Development (OPDH) and Vimenti. The Network began as a community effort in 2012 and was formally incorporated two years later. Its founder and executive director, Marcos Santana Andújar, a social worker who worked at the Department of the Family and is a human rights advocate, launched the initiative to prevent, address and eradicate child and youth abuse in Puerto Rico.
Its community prevention model integrates three pillars: direct services, public policy advocacy, and training and technical assistance. Last year, the Network directly served 715 families, representing 897 children under age 5. In a prior interview with El Nuevo Día, Santana Andújar estimated that 90% of these families completed service plans, closed active cases or avoided entry into the Family Department’s child protection system.
Eduardo Negrón Méndez, president of the Foundation, said third-sector organizations are fundamental to addressing the country’s needs and generating development opportunities. The ceremony was held in Studio 2 of Telemundo as part of Philanthropy Week and featured a performance by Ballets de San Juan. Last year, the theater collective Agua, Sol y Sereno received the award; that edition’s finalists, including the Network, Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos and OPDH, also received $20,000.