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

By RISE FIRST INC

Powering up First Gen Potential

Building tools for early career attainment

Team Leaderboard

Team Members