“Music can change the world because it can change people.” – Bono Music is a way to heal.  It’s a tool used to develop creative, collaborative, and communication skills; but more than that, it enhances social awareness and eases anxiety.  But the best thing is when you teach someone music, it’s a gift they’ll have forever. At the Raza Development Fund, we strive to create better opportunities for Latino and poor communities – and especially our youth. Every day we look for new and innovative ways to support our young people by investing in schools, education initiatives, and other programs …

Our Small Business Initiatives team at Raza Development Fund consider ourselves public servants who strive to do everything we can for our clients and our community. Now that the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program is over, we are assisting our PPP clients through the loan forgiveness process. To date, at least 50% of RDF’s 489 PPP clients have either received full loan forgiveness or submitted for forgiveness. For our clients, this allows them to continue stabilizing their business with peace of mind. For us, it brings us a sense of accomplishment knowing we were able to help a small …

Raza Development Fund’s Small Business Initiatives team is committed to supporting our micro and small businesses. Due to recent pandemic closures and constant changes, our small businesses have been hit hard, with many struggling to keep their doors open. According to the Small Business Administration, SBA, small businesses are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy creating two-thirds of net jobs. It’s imperative to support our small business owners, especially during these turbulent times. At RDF, we’ve supported 489 small businesses through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan process. Last year, our Hope Fund provided grants to 111 small businesses. …

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 …