 In November 2005, the Institute returned to its independent status and changed its name to the National Institute for Latino Policy.The name change more accurately reflected the national scope and pan-Latino nature of its work.Closed in 2019 shortly after the death of founder Mr. Falcón (2018), the National Institute for Latino Policy focused on developing local as well as national strategies to advocate for Latino community needs, and in this way complemented the work of existing national Latino organizations.