Raza Development Fund

We are pleased to share Raza Development Fund's (RDF) new Strategic Framework! The Latino community is brimming with possibility. That’s why we have articulated a mission to unleash the power, promise, and potential of Latino and other under-resourced communities. Building on a solid foundation of community impact and financial strength, RDF will invest with the intention of creating a world where every Latino can achieve their dreams, build prosperity, and live in a healthy, vibrant, and resilient community. To get there, we must close the wealth and opportunity gaps and drive equity. Learn more about the strategic goals that chart our path forward: https://lnkd.in/gw9kWMMk #LatinoCDFI #LatinoCommunity #RDFInvests #Equity #WealthEquity

Empowering immigrants and refugees in #SouthFlorida for over 40 years, Hispanic Unity of Florida, Inc. (HUF), an UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS) affiliate, is ready for more! RDF was thrilled to equip this Latino-serving nonprofit with additional knowledge and skills to amplify its transformative impact through our affiliate technical assistance program - now named Comunidades Fuertes "Strong Communities." Hear from Felipe Pinzon, President & CEO of HUF, describe how our collaboration empowered HUF with a clear roadmap for success. A special thank you to the instrumental support from State Farm to make this possible. #AffiliateUnidos #RDFComunidadesFuertes #StrongCommunities #CommunityDevelopment

Happening Tomorrow: Sima Thakkar, RDF's VP of Health & Climate Equity, will join the Building Power in Place: Culture-Centered Local Investments panel at #SOCAP24 in San Francisco. The SOCAP Global conference brings together industry leaders from every sector to drive urgent change for people and the planet. #ThoughtLeaders #Changemakers #CommunityImpact

#OFN40 Happening tomorrow morning, October 23 at the Opportunity Finance Network conference: Join Annie Donovan, RDF’s President & CEO, and Eugenia Vivanco Duran, RDF’s Sr. Director of Community Impact & Funding, during tomorrow's Breakfast Info Panel as we discuss new research promoting financial inclusion in Community Development Financial Institutions #CDFIs. The report, created by RDF, Deloitte, and OFN, highlights strategies to scale the impact of CDFIs. We are especially proud to share these new insights with OFN’s national CDFI leaders as we learn from each other and collaborate to amplify the voice of the CDFI industry.   Not attending #OFN40? Stay tuned. The report is scheduled for release in early 2025. Thank you to our fellow authors and contributors Jamie McCall, Courtney Davis, Adrienne Smith, Sacha Adorno and Elizabeth Molacek, PhD. #CommunityDevelopment #ImpactMatters #CDFIresearch #CDFILeaders

¡Felicidades Canal Alliance! We were so excited to celebrate last week’s grand opening of Canal Alliance’s new permanent headquarters in San Rafael – ensuring a brighter future for Marin’s Latino community. This UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS) affiliate nonprofit is a champion and guiding light for immigrant families to navigate paths toward stability and success. Last year, RDF worked closely with Canal to help the organization overcome a challenge to its sustainability – a functional and permanent home. We were proud to provide our financial solutions in collaboration and long-standing partnerships to invest this transformational change.  “Thanks in no small part to RDF’s ongoing partnership, Canal Alliance continues to succeed in supporting the Latino immigrant community here in Marin.” – Omar Carrera, CEO of Canal Alliance. #AffiliateUnidos #CommunityDevelopment #GrandOpening #SanRafael

#RDFToursAffiliates Extending our reach in #NYC!  Together, RDF and our partners at UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS) form a powerful alliance with a network of affiliate nonprofits across the country that aim to drive positive change for Latino and under-resourced communities. In our aim to do more, we recently united with the UnidosUS team to explore our collective existing and potential impact in New York City by visiting 9 local organizations (Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens, Acacia Network, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, St. Nicks Alliance, Dominico American Society of Queens, Dominican Women’s Development Center (DWDC), The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Amber Charter School, and URBAN HEALTH PLAN, INC.). These #AffiliatesUnidos provide quality access to housing, education, workforce development, healthcare and more. We toured their facilities to gain a better on the ground view of their incredible work. We heard their success stories. And we sat with them to listen and learn about the challenges they face. These visits allow us to be true partners providing support in the most beneficial ways. As we celebrate #HispanicHeritageMonth, this trip was a reminder of our powerful collective force. !𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙨 𝙢á𝙨! 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚. RDF Team: Ailisa Herrera, Ariel Behr, Ruby Marinez, Natalia Rodriguez-Hilt, MPA, CEcD, EDP, Ally Schmus, Mónica Michelle Ballesteros, Monica Garcia Varela UnidosUS Team: Irene Cuyun, Fátima Sierra Vargas and Mauricio Andres Garcia

#AffordableHousing Listening and learning to strengthen the affordable housing ecosystem! How can we use federal funding resources to support affordable housing projects? What tools are available for community housing developers to bridge gaps in capital? This week we gathered participants from our J. Tommy Espinoza Fellowship, a component of Wells Fargo Growing Diverse Housing Developers Program aimed to enable the growth of #diversehousingdevelopers, to connect and learn from each other. After a full day tour of projects in #SouthFlorida, we spent day two expanding our knowledge with expert guidance from Annie Donovan (RDF's President & CEO) around environmental justice initiatives, Donna Smith (Smith NMTC Associates, LLC) on New Markets Tax Credits, Sarah Brundage (President & CEO of National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders (NAAHL) on federal policies and priorities on affordable housing, Ashon Nesbitt (CEO of Florida Housing Coalition) on the affordable housing missing middle and James Carras (Carras Community Investment) on federal funding options for affordable housing. We even heard success stories from our #GDHDFellows Carol Ornelas from Visionary Home Builders of CA, Inc. and Alyssa Flores from Madhouse Development Services. Thank you to our partners at Council of Development Finance Agencies for co-creating this impactful convening. And a special thank you to our friends from Black Business Investment Fund for joining us. Together, we can increase #affordablehousingaccess! RDF Team: Annie Donovan, Adrian Ruiz, Ailisa Herrera and Rachel Jimenez GDHD Fellows: Ten North Group (formerly Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation - OLCDC), Smith & Henzy Affordable Group, Elemental Group, Comite de Bienestar, MAAC, The Unity Council, ValCom Development, Canal Alliance, Casa Familiar, Inc.., Visionary Home Builders, Madhouse Development Services and DreamOn Group. #GDHDFellows #affiliatesunidos

#SouthFloridaHousing Together, we can fill the gaps! South Florida faces a significant affordable housing shortage with more than a third of renters in are severely cost burdened. Today, we toured projects from two local community developers Ten North Group (formerly Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation - OLCDC) and Smith & Henzy Affordable Group that aim to fill the gap. They shared their tenacity to find solutions, commitment to create designs with a people first mindset and passion for serving the communities across Miami, Opa-Locka, Delray Beach and Pompano Beach. These organizations are part of our J. Tommy Espinoza Fellowship, a component of Wells Fargo’s Growing Diverse Housing Developers Program intended to strengthen the affordable housing ecosystem by enabling the growth of diverse housing developers through funding, mentorship and training for capacity building. We are proud to gather our GDHD fellows along with our partners at Wells Fargo and Council of Development Finance Agencies as we learn from each other to build sustainable communities. #GDHDFellows #affordablehousing #affiliatesunidos RDF Team: Annie Donovan, Adrian Ruiz, Ailisa Herrera, Rachel Jimenez, Peter McDougal GDHD Fellows: Ten North Group, Smith & Henzy Affordable Group, Elemental Group, Comite de Bienestar, MAAC, The Unity Council, ValCom Development, Canal Alliance, Casa Familiar, Inc., Visionary Home Builders of CA, Inc., Madhouse Development Services and DreamOn Group

Celebrating #HispanicHeritageMonth! The Latino community plays a vital role in shaping the social and economic well-being of the U.S. Together, we can pave the way for a brighter future. !𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙙𝙤𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙨 𝙢á𝙨! 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚.

Join us in welcoming Monica Garcia Varela to the RDF team! We are excited to have her as RDF's Manager of Business Systems.