MISSION
Raza Development Fund’s mission is to create financing solutions that increase opportunities for the Latino community and low-income families in the areas of affordable housing, education and health care. But our mission is deeper. RDF truly invests in the dreams and hopes of NCLR Affiliates and other not-for-profit social service organizations building up their communities, and thereby touching the lives of thousands of families.
RDF was formed with the strong conviction that the stewardship of dollars loaned or the technical support given to organizations would have measurable impact on Hispanic families; and that the relationship with our borrowers would be a business partnership with the goal that the borrowing organizations would ultimately become bankable on their own merits. Therefore, we engaged our borrowers with deep underwriting of their projects, focusing on impact on families, management leadership and financial viability - a formula that has allowed the organizations and RDF to fulfill their dreams.
Values
Raza Development Fund adheres to the following core values in everything we do:
Integrity – We affirm the necessity for high ethical and moral standards in fulfilling our mission. We understand that our success is directly related to maintaining these standards in our interactions with all clients and partner organizations.
Honesty – The highest measure of long-term impact can only be realized when services provided reflect honest evaluation and dialogue. We take responsibility for engaging in and inviting open and honest communication with our clients and partners in order to provide the level and intensity of services that are most needed.
Respect – We respect and have compassion for every individual and family regardless of their circumstance or stage of life. Community development is a proven and invaluable method of creating greater opportunity for enriching the lives of many Latino individuals and families.
Trust – We strive to develop mutual trust with our clients and partners. We accept that trust must also be earned. We understand that without trust relationships, the vision and mission of our organization are vulnerable.
Transparency – Service to our clients must bear close scrutiny. We require transparency in our relationships with partner organizations, while fulfilling our obligation to maintain confidentiality.
Accountability – We believe in making commitments to our clients and fulfilling those commitments to the best of our ability. We require individual and collective accountability within our organization and among our partner organizations.
Dignity – We value the intrinsic worth of every individual with whom we interact and commit to treating our clients, partners, and colleagues with dignity.
Professionalism – We insist upon giving our best effort and strive to be respectful and forthright as well as fair and compassionate. We assume responsibility for continuing our individual professional development as an essential expression of organizational professionalism.