Back in the 1980s, when Jimmy Smits was known to most Americans as L.A. Law's Victor Sifuentes, he regularly appeared off-screen with his costars, working on voting drives. But the activism never sat quite right with the actor.

"We would always talk afterward and wonder, Was it just a photo opportunity we were there for, or did we actually do something," the Emmy and Golden Globe award winner recalls.

The nagging doubts remained as Smits went from playing a lawyer to a detective, NYPD Blue's Bobby Simone. In 1997, he cofounded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. "My interest has always been education," says Smits, whose mother is Puerto Rican. "It started with voter education, but college was the springboard for my success, and I wanted to support that."

Latinos may be the most underrepresented ethnic group in the arts world (onstage and off) and Smits wants to help change that. "The entertainment medium is supposed to reflect society," he says. "We want to see young Hispanics across the board--actors, directors, writers, producers." The foundation awards scholarships to financially needy Hispanic students at eight premier graduate programs around the U.S. Since 1998, the foundation has given 102 young Latinos $282,500, with Smits personally donating $23,000.

Alberto Barboza, a 27-year-old Chicano filmmaker completing his masters at UCLA, used his grant to pay almost half his fees for the past two years. "But more than the monetary support, there's a community of professionals who care about us," he says. "Strength in our community starts with my family, extends to my neighborhood, and now the support is national." When NYU film student Aurora Maria Aguero thanked the foundation at its annual fundraiser last year for providing that sense of community, she got a standing ovation from the likes of Al Gore and then-Univision president and CEO Henry Cisneros. "It is so magical to have your voice heard," she says.

The magic doesn't stop at graduation. The NHFA arranges internships and supports a network of professionals like 27-year-old Puerto Rican Maria Cristina Fuste. The NYU graduate is lighting designer for the New York-based Teatro Nomada's Kiss of the Spider Woman. "I'm meeting famous people, working on great shows," she says. "It's amazing."

Recipients' families are thrilled by the foundation's support. "It's a difficult industry, and if you're Latino it's that much more difficult," says Barboza. "For my mom, it's a big deal that a celebrity like Jimmy Smits is recognizing my work, that a national foundation is supporting me." But Smits, who most recently wrapped the next Star Wars, doesn't always feel like a big- shot actor. "This fundraising can be daunting," he says. "You're on the phone, writing letters, basically begging for people to get behind you." A whole lot more meaningful than a photo opportunity."