Cultivar Communities Names Founding Class of Activator Leadership Fellows, Sets National Launch in New Orleans

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

AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, Cultivar Communities announced the Founding Class of its Activator Leadership Fellows, a twelve-week, peer-led fellowship that prepares college students to bridge the gap with families in their own communities to claim and activate the 530A child investment accounts created by the U.S. Treasury, commonly known as the Trump Account.

The organization also announced its National Launch, to be held in New Orleans January 14 to 16, 2027, hosted by Bayou District Foundation, with a live activation with families at Educare New Orleans.

The Founding Class includes 17 students: 13 Activator Leadership Fellows, ages 18 to 26, from 8 campuses across the country, with the largest group from Central Texas, and 4 High School Activators starting chapters at their schools. Fellows will begin orientation on October 15, 2026 and meet weekly beginning October 26 under the academic leadership of Dr. Frank Arce, EdD, Cultivar's Academic Advisor and Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In December, Fellows will conduct their first live activations in their own communities, earning full program certification in February 2027.

Under federal law enacted in 2025, the Treasury has created an investment account for every American child under 18. A parent or guardian must claim the child’s account for it to work for the child and to begin compounding funds. Cultivar's model is peer-led and deploys Activator Fellows directly into schools, early childhood centers, workplaces, and community gatherings to deliver Spanish-English support to walk families through 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 National Launch in New Orleans will bring the full Founding Class together for three days of training and a live activation with families at Educare New Orleans. Bayou District Foundation will host the launch.

"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, 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 partners.
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About Cultivar Communities. Cultivar Communities is a peer-led, peer-informed organization that helps working families participate in their children's financial futures. Cultivar trains Activators, young adults from the communities they serve, to help families claim and activate child investment accounts and to keep those accounts growing. Founded by Arellana Barela Levenson, a former bank CFO and nonprofit CEO with more than twenty years in banking, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship. Cultivar Communities Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in formation. cultivarcommunities.com

About Bayou District Foundation. Bayou District Foundation (BDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New Orleans, Louisiana, focused on breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty through a holistic community revitalization model.

Jessica Coronado
Cultivar Communities
jessicac@c4-strat.com
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