The path from college to career has never been tougher, especially for First-Generation and Low-Income (FGLI) graduates. While unemployment rises and opportunity narrows, first-gen students keep showing up with grit, heart, and ambition.

Many are building networks and careers from scratch, yet only 44% land jobs that match their degrees within a year.

At Rise First, we believe talent shouldn’t depend on privilege. We’re here to open doors, level the playing field, and help first-gen graduates rise together.

Since our inception in 2018, we’ve reached 260,000+ individuals and curated 1,200+ opportunities on our website. Over the last year, we’ve doubled down on content, growing our online community by 40% through LinkedIn, and our high-impact newsletter has a 55% open rate. Every week, we share internships, jobs, and other resources designed for students who are rewriting their family’s story, one opportunity at a time.

Now, we’re raising funds to expand our impact to reach more students in less resourced, flyover states and universities. Your gift will help us accelerate our tech-enabled platform: AI-powered tools, revamping our newsletter, and doubling down on social content that makes careers more accessible to every first-gen early professional.

If you’ve ever needed a reason to give back to the younger generations, today's your chance to play a part.

Donate. Share. Volunteer.

Together, we’ll make sure no one has to rise alone

Powering up First Gen Potential

Building tools for early career attainment

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