Rise Up Industries

What they do & why we invested

Rise Up Industries supports formerly gang-involved and at-risk individuals in their quest for a better, more meaningful life. They provide free job training and work ethic development through three social enterprises: A machine shop, a venture that roasts and sells fair-trade coffee, and a screen printing and embroidery business. COVID-19 has affected Rise Up Industries’ services and revenue. Rise Up Industries intends to use the SBNLP loan to increase shop capacity, and increase their impact by enrolling and training more people in their re-entry program.

With the first SBNLP loan, Rise Up Industries purchased a CNC lathe for its machine shop social enterprise, which allowed them to fulfill additional contracts and grow revenue. In April 2021, Rise Up Industries, which offers job training to formerly gang-involved individuals, was approved for a second loan through the SBNLP. The organization now seeks to scale its machine shop work so that it can expand wrap-around services and employment development opportunities for more participants. This second loan will enable the organization to employ a machine shop foreman and a development manager, and purchase a laser etching machine.