Rising Farmworker Dream Fund · 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Farmworker families feed the country. Their kids can run its businesses.

We encourage and support the sons and daughters of U.S. farmworkers to pursue business education, and we develop leaders who channel resources back to the farm working community.

Get in touch See what we do

Our mission

Opening the world of business to farmworker families

2,000,000+ people work as farm laborers in the United States.

Their work feeds the country, yet farmworker families remain among the most isolated from mainstream opportunity, and the cycle of poverty is especially hard to break. Many programs offer legal, health, or social assistance. Very few use the principles of business and finance to build lasting change.

That is where the Fund comes in. RFDF helps U.S.-based farmworkers break the cycle of poverty by encouraging financial literacy, the MBA degree, entrepreneurial ventures, and other business-focused work.

We are a venture philanthropy organization. We invest people, money, and other resources to produce a positive social return for farmworkers and their families.

What we do

Three paths to economic opportunity

Finance

Financial literacy

We help farmworkers and their children learn how money works: budgeting, saving, credit, and investing. Families can then make informed decisions and build wealth over time.

Entrepreneurship

Starting a business

We encourage entrepreneurial ventures within the farm working community and build the business knowledge and confidence it takes to start and grow something of your own.

Careers

Business careers

We open doors to business education and careers, including the MBA, through mentorship from business leaders and financial assistance.

Our story

Founded by a farmworker who became a business leader

The more the farm working community understands and embraces business principles, values, and skills, the more resources will flow to this community.

That belief, from founder Martin Curiel, CFA, guides the Fund to this day. RFDF is his way of paying forward the educational support he received, extending the same opportunity to future generations of farmworker families.

The fieldsGrew up working the fields alongside his parents.
Harvard Business SchoolEarned an MBA.
Chartered Financial AnalystBuilt a career in finance and business.
Rising Farmworker Dream FundFounded to open the same doors for the next generation.

Mentor, partner, or support the Fund

Questions about our programs, mentorship, or supporting the Fund? Email us and we will get back to you.

[email protected]