Raza Development Fund is proud to welcome Fernando Ortega, Jr., RDF’s Loan Operations Specialist, to our team of experts. Fernando brings experience in client relations, loan documentation processing and administration, portfolio management and Small Business Administration lending. He joined the Familia earlier this month with passion to serve his community and contribute to RDF’s mission. Just as RDF invests capital in its community, it invests in its Familia. Fernando looks forward to overcoming obstacles and pursuing his dreams of attaining higher education– with RDF’s support. Join us as we get to know Fernando and cheer on his upcoming education journey …

Throughout my career, I have helped educate and inspire nonprofit organizations to maximize their potential. While working with these nonprofits, I’ve observed a few similar styles in leadership that may limit the nonprofit’s growth, as well as a best practice to strengthen the organization’s ability to fulfill its role in communities. My experience has shown me that a nonprofit’s value and growth trajectory is often linked to its commitment to maintaining a continuous connection to the voice of their communities to inform and shape their work with them. Common Nonprofit Leadership Styles: The Inspirational Leader: They know they have a …

The Raza Development Fund listens to our small business clients and strives to continue to support them. Last May, RDF hosted a series of Focus Groups with COVID-19 Hope Fund grantees and PPP loan recipients where we took the time to listen to their needs and learned from them. In 2020, we realized early on that we had a responsibility to support immigrant and minority business owners overcome the challenges of the pandemic. To meet the need, our Small Business Initiative (SBI) went from a two-person team to a seven-person team in the matter of less than twelve months. After …

The pandemic has exacerbated longstanding issues for organizations serving under-resourced areas. In our commitment to our communities, the Raza Development Fund strives to support nonprofits through these challenges to come out stronger. As a support organization of UnidosUS, RDF has sought to fill this need during and beyond the pandemic. In May of 2020, RDF brought together a select pool of talent to support UnidosUS affiliates and launched the Affiliate Support Program (ASP) initiative – aimed at empowering affiliates to better understand their organizational dynamics (e.g., governance, program-service financial flows, information streams, and community positioning) and unique value proposition to …

The Raza Development Fund was proud to celebrate the 17 students we supported through the Parsons’ Dreamers Scholarship application process with a reception last week. This scholarship, funded by The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, in collaboration with Grand Canyon University, fully covers tuition for these DACA students providing an opportunity that will ultimately change their lives. As the semester began, we gathered at GCU to honor the recipients for their accomplishment of receiving the Parsons’ Dreamers scholarship award. Learn more about their hopes and dreams in the video below. In my journey as an RDF intern, I was given …

We showed up with our bags packed, ready for two full days of bonding, motivation and individual growth. The Raza Development Fund Familia stayed at a local resort together a couple weeks ago to enjoy inspiring speakers, great food and connection. This retreat was part two of our recent in-person staff meeting in June, the first time together in over a year. It gave us a chance to spend even more time together. And this time, many of our out-of-state Familia who support RDF’s East Coast Region, Pacific Northwest Region and South-Central Region offices joined us as well. “It was …

The UnidosUS annual conference creates a meeting ground for participants to discuss and focus on pressing issues that Latinos face daily from all over the United States. Special guests can share their knowledge on topics that impact the Latino community every day. This year, I thought it would be great to add a spin to the blog I wrote last year by including thoughts from RDF staff. Latinos & Homeownership An impactful session during the conference was “The Big Bet: Latinos and Homeownership”, which discussed how gentrification has made housing unaffordable in once predominantly Latino neighborhoods, the gap in homeownership between …

At the Raza Development Fund, we pride ourselves in supporting our youth and education community. We know this support is more important than ever due to the pandemic. With the abrupt changes, social isolations and fears related to the virus, many students experienced learning loss or didn’t fully complete a grade level. That’s why we invested in an education initiative study, with the assistance of our partners at Capital One, to find the best ways of supporting our students, parents, and educators. Adrian Ruiz, RDF’s Deputy Chief Investment Officer, shares the study’s initial analysis with best practices for school in …

Raza Development Fund is proud to welcome Pauline Ugalde, RDF’s Investment Analyst, to our team of experts. She joined the Familia earlier this month with enthusiasm to support community development and expertise in data analytics. After recently receiving her master’s in public policy, and overcoming obstacles along the way, Paulina has spent the last couple of weeks diving in to learn all she can about RDF’s investment projects and our team. As she gets to know RDF, we decided to get to know her as well and share a glimpse into our newest expert with a Q&A. Where are you …