With the U.S. Treasury now holding investment accounts for every American child under 18, a new nonprofit is betting that peer-led, community-based outreach is the missing link between federal policy and family financial security. Cultivar Communities announced today its Founding Class of Activator Leadership Fellows — 17 students across Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana — along with plans for a national launch in New Orleans next January.
College students across Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana to train families to claim investment accounts from U.S. Treasury Department for every child under 18
We are turning public policy into an active instrument for intergenerational wealth.”— Arellana Barela Levenson, Founder and CEO of Cultivar Communities
The twelve-week, peer-led fellowship is designed to prepare college students to work directly with families in their own neighborhoods, helping them claim and activate the 530A child investment accounts created by the U.S. Treasury — commonly referred to as the Trump Account. The program trains fellows to bridge the gap between federal policy and everyday families who may not know the accounts exist or how to access them.
Cultivar also announced its National Launch, scheduled for January 14 to 16, 2027, in New Orleans. The event will be hosted by Bayou District Foundation and will feature a live activation session with families at Educare New Orleans, giving fellows hands-on experience before they return to their own communities.
The Founding Class comprises 17 students: 13 Activator Leadership Fellows, aged 18 to 26, representing 8 campuses nationwide, with the largest contingent hailing from Central Texas. An additional 4 High School Activators will start chapters at their respective schools. Fellows begin orientation on October 15, 2026, and will convene weekly starting October 26 under the academic direction of Dr. Frank Arce, EdD, who serves as Cultivar’s Academic Advisor and Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. By December, fellows will lead their first live activations in their home communities, with full program certification expected in February 2027.
Under federal law passed in 2025, the Treasury established an investment account for every American child under 18. However, a parent or guardian must claim the child’s account before it can begin accumulating funds. Cultivar’s model relies on peer-led engagement, deploying Activator Fellows directly into schools, early childhood centers, workplaces, and community gatherings to offer bilingual Spanish-English support throughout the claim process. “The account already exists for every eligible child. What does not exist is a trusted partner who sits down with the family and walks through it. That is the job we are training these twenty young leaders to do, in their own communities, with people who trust them,” said Arellana Barela Levenson, founder and CEO of Cultivar Communities. “We are turning public policy into an active instrument for intergenerational wealth.”
The New Orleans National Launch will assemble the entire Founding Class for three days of intensive training, culminating in a live activation with families at Educare New Orleans. Bayou District Foundation will serve as the host organization for the event.
“At Bayou District Foundation, we foster holistic community development and long-term economic vitality. Hosting Cultivar’s National Launch in New Orleans allows us to connect federal wealth-building policy directly to local families, turning child investment accounts into an engine for intergenerational financial mobility,” said Jacob Peters, Executive Director of Bayou District Foundation.
“We are preparing these Fellows to lead in the communities they know and care about. By connecting financial education with trusted relationships, they can help families build their children’s financial futures,” said Dr. Frank Arce, EdD, Cultivar’s Academic Advisor and Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Following the New Orleans launch, Cultivar plans to expand the Activator model to additional cities in partnership with local community organizations.
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About Cultivar Communities: Cultivar Communities is a peer-led, peer-informed organization dedicated to helping working families participate in their children’s financial futures. The organization trains Activators — young adults drawn from the communities they serve — to assist families in claiming and activating child investment accounts and maintaining their growth over time. Founded by Arellana Barela Levenson, a former bank CFO and nonprofit CEO with more than twenty years of experience across banking, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship, Cultivar Communities Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in formation. More information is available at cultivarcommunities.com.
About Bayou District Foundation: Bayou District Foundation (BDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in New Orleans, Louisiana, focused on breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty through a holistic community revitalization approach.
Jessica Coronado
Cultivar Communities
jessicac@c4-strat.com
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Why it matters: With federal child investment accounts now law, millions of families may be missing out on a wealth-building tool simply because they don’t know how to claim it. Cultivar’s peer-to-peer model could become a blueprint for how nonprofits translate federal policy into tangible financial gains for underserved communities — and whether these accounts actually reach the families they were designed to help.
