TradeUp Rice Opportunity Fund

While skilled building trades offer solid careers, there is limited financial help for people who want to pursue them. Katrina Rice is working to remove this barrier.

Inspired by her husband, Michael, Katrina established the TradeUp Rice Opportunity Fund to provide financial assistance and encouragement to individuals pursuing careers in the skilled trades.

“There are a lot of scholarships for four-year colleges, but not as many for less-traditional paths. Trade school can be expensive with tuition expenses, state tests, license fees and tools,” says Rice.

Rice saw what it took for Michael to become a master electrician on his way to owning his own business, a path that involved two years at community college followed by a 5-year union apprenticeship.

This past Father’s Day, Katrina decided to surprise Michaael by creating the TradeUp Rice Opportunity in his honor. She has developed a strategic plan for the fund that will guide its longtime growth and their grantmaking. The fund’s mission is “ensuring access to the education, resources, and tools needed to achieve professional success.” In addition to working with local organizations, she intends to support a scholarship each year to the school her husband attended in Alabama.

Rice is a long-time member and the current president of the New Haven Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Through the organization and its relationship with The Community Foundation, she has seen firsthand the impact of the scholarship funds the sorority has distributed. With her husband and son, Mitchell, and a strategic goal of “eliminating financial barriers and creating pathways to economic mobility and generational success,” she looks forward to making her own impact in the community.