Meet Natalia Rodriguez-Hilt
Raza Development Fund’s newest team member, Natalia Rodriguez-Hilt looks forward to connecting with UnidosUS Affiliates next month at the 2023 UnidosUS Annual Conference in Chicago. She serves as the Sr. Director of UnidosUS Affiliate Support to lead programs and efforts to strengthen the organizational resilience and capacity of affiliates. Get to know her in this Q&A. Where are you from? I am a mix of a few places. I was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. My dad’s side of the family is Colombian (from Espinal, Colombia) and my mom’s side is Southern Illinois. I grew up in Monterrey, Mexico. What …
Raza Development Fund Names Antonio (Tony) Lopez Chief Financial Officer
PHOENIX, AZ.— Raza Development Fund (RDF) is proud to name Antonio (Tony) Lopez as Chief Financial Officer, effective July 1. A part of the RDF team for over 10 years, Lopez will step up from his current position as Deputy CFO. Lopez will succeed Rodrigo Vela who has served as CFO since 2012. “Tony brings extensive corporate and nonprofit financial experience. We are excited to have him in this role as we look to deepen our work and expand the impact of our organization,” said Annie Donovan, RDF’s President & CEO. Tony Lopez joined RDF in 2012. He has previously …
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS AND RAZA DEVELOPMENT FUND ANNOUNCE $3.2 MILLION INVESTMENT TO HELP LATINO-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES
Raza Development Fund Intends to Invest $1 Million for Loans Within Charter’s California Footprint Commitment Increases Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund Investments to $27 million Including Committed Loan Capital, Capacity Grant Donations, and In-kind Contributions STAMFORD, CT – March 16, 2022 – Charter Communications, Inc., which operates the Spectrum brand, and Raza Development Fund (RDF), the largest Latino focused Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), today announced a $3.2 million capital commitment by Charter’s Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund to provide loans to Latino-owned local businesses in financially underserved areas of California, Texas, Ohio, and Florida. RDF intends to use at …
Guest Blog: 3 Investments that will Give your Small Business a Boost
By Don Pearson, Wells Fargo Regional Banking Executive Sometimes you have to spend money to make money and although that may feel like a risky proposition for a small business owner, there are areas where you can get a lot of bang for your buck. Here are three investments you should consider to give your small business a boost: Technology Upgrading or investing in technology can be an area that will enhance your business and create efficiencies. This category can be broad so consider what makes the most sense for your business. Whether it’s adding logistics software to help manage …
Rooted School Vancouver Opens Enrollment for SW Washington’s First Charter Public High School; Announces Executive Director and $1.35M in Funding for Fall 2023 Opening
New school bridges inequality gaps for Vancouver’s underserved students with local workforce demands January 18, 2023–Vancouver, Wash.– Rooted School Vancouver today announced that it has opened enrollment for its Fall 2023 class of 9th graders at SW Washington’s first ever public charter high school. Widely recognized as one of the most innovative high school models in the U.S., Rooted School’s vision is to rapidly close America’s wealth and inequality gap by connecting underserved and talented high school graduates with a college acceptance in one hand, and a job opportunity in the other. The school’s curriculum gives students a proactive role …
Affiliate Support Program: Increasing resiliency at the UnidosUS Fall Convening
In 2021, Raza Development Fund kicked off an Affiliate Support Program (ASP) aimed at helping UnidosUS affiliate non-profit organizations navigate pandemic challenges and increase their capacity for growth. This program was led by Eric Salazar, RDF’s late Familia member who served as our Director of UnidosUS Affiliated Investments. After he passed away unexpectedly in June of 2022, RDF’s partners at the San Juan Diego Institute (SJDI), who had worked closely with Eric providing technical assistance, stepped up to ensure ASP’s impactful work continued. In this capacity, Dr. Ryan Hanning, SJDI Fellow and ASP technical assistance provider, attended last month’s UnidosUS …
It’s Time
ITS TIME Written By Michael Guinn Before we can flow like water. We need moments of clarity that allow for society to challenge popular thinking and status quo solutions. For too long have our cultural narratives enclosed us in the self mutilating story of our alienation from nature. To co-create the possible future of diverse regenerative cultures everywhere we have to come from love and root our being in that love. Because now the intersecting crises of income and wealth inequality and climate change, driven by systemic racism and gender inequality, has exposed the frailty of the U.S. economy and …
RDF’s 4 Emerging Latino Servant Leaders
Count On Us! For over 20 years, Raza Development Fund has proudly provided financial capital to a Latino-serving organizations and Latino-owned small businesses because we know Latinos are a great investment. As we partner with UnidosUS on the Count On Us AZ campaign to share the contributions of Latinos in Arizona, we are highlighting four of RDF’s emerging Latino servant leaders. While we all share a passion for creating better opportunities and equitable access for our Latino and low-income communities across the country, these four are prime examples of the talent and dedication that make up our Familia. Amanda …
RDF is Proud to Partner in the Count On Us AZ Campaign
Count On Us! This month and through October, we not only celebrate our heritage and Latino leaders for Hispanic Heritage Month, but we also have a special message: Arizona counts on Latinos! As a support corporation of UnidosUS, Raza Development Fund is proud to partner in the Count On Us AZ campaign. Together, along with Arizona’s UnidosUS affiliate nonprofit organizations, we’ll raise awareness of Latinos’ contributions to Arizona’s economy and culture while inspiring action to remove barriers that Latinos and others face—in employment, education, housing, and health care. For RDF, this campaign is a perfect alignment with our work …
RDF Familia Wishes Tom Espinoza Farewell
By Melissa McDonald, RDF’s Chief Operating Officer My dearest Jefe (Tom Espinoza), I was given the great honor to write Raza Development Fund Familia’s farewell message as you “Step Up” as co-founder and President and CEO of RDF for the past 23+ years. You must know that I have struggled with this message. How in the world do I convey what you mean to us and the great respect and gratitude we all have for being blessed to serve with you? Jefe, you are an icon, a true servant-leader, and an Architect of Hope. You have shown the world what is …
