Empowering Trans and Queer BIPOC and migrant folks to create independent alternative economies
Dreaming futures where we all get to feast
Dreaming futures where we all get to feast
Our Story
Fruitful Futuros (FruFu) Collective is a Migrant Queer Trans-led, bilingual organization dedicated to the liberation, safety, and thriving of Trans, Queer BIPOC and migrant communities. Founded in 2026 by Ave and Serpentina, FruFu advances LGBTQIA+ liberation by cultivating alternative economies and community-rooted leadership through accessible education, mentorship, and collective care. FruFu was born out of a five-year-long friendship, profound conversations, and a desire to create a platform that supports fellow migrant and queer, trans, BIPOC entrepreneurs. We believe there is enough to go around—we can all feast.
Grounded in a commitment to Queer and Trans justice, we respond to the urgent realities of state-sanctioned violence, economic marginalization, and systemic exclusion by investing in collective power, mutual support, and visionary futures. We believe that economic self-determination is essential to liberation, and we work to close critical gaps in culturally competent, bilingual programming for those most impacted.
Through our free workshops and bilingual fellowship program, we equip Queer, Trans BIPOC and migrant participants with the tools, resources, and support needed to build creative hustles, sustainable businesses, organizations, and economic pathways outside of oppressive systems. We center the lived experiences, creativity, and resilience of our communities, fostering spaces where participants can transform their ideas into impactful ventures while being held in dignity and belonging.
At FruFu, we practice what we teach: sustainability, joy, and balance are integral to our work. We model holistic well-being, community care, and Queer Trans joy as vital components of resistance and liberation. Our mission is not only to support individual growth, but to nurture a flourishing ecosystem of trans-led initiatives that reimagine and build liberated futures for us all.
Our vision
Our Team
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Our Team 〰️
Ave Padilla (they/them/elle) is a queer nonbinary femme who is a Mexican of indigenous and mestizo descent. Ave was born on Tigua territory along the US/Mexico border to a working-class family of Mexican immigrants. Ave is a Master's level Social Worker with more than 15 years of experience as a nonprofit professional and leader, and has served in administrative roles in program management, volunteer management, community outreach, and has expertise in strategic planning, grant writing and reporting, and more. Throughout their career, Ave has been dedicated to building strong collaborative relationships and working with multidisciplinary teams to improve the lives of diverse and oppressed communities. Ave has previously served as a Board Member for multiple nonprofit organizations over the past decade, including the Health Equity Alliance for LGBTQ+ New Mexicans (HEAL Plus NM) and now as co-founder and owner of FruFu. Ave is passionate about imagination work, about nurturing the creativity and resilience of our communities, investing in collective power, mutual aid and visionary futures by cultivating pathways outside of oppressive systems.
Serpentina (Ser/they) is a Peruvian multifaceted herbalist, farmer, full-spectrum doula, and educator. For the past 15 years, they have been dedicated to Flora Pacha (formerly known as La Loba Loca), a project that brings together their many interests and is rooted in empowering people to connect with the land and their bodies as a way to make sense of the world we live in today. For over a decade, Ser has been deeply engaged in food justice, healing justice, farming, herbalism, abortion companionship, and reproductive health education. They have traveled across the continent sharing knowledge through workshops and community spaces. FruFu represents a culmination of 15 years of migrant hustle, and Ser hopes to pour that knowledge into sharing skills with the next generation of people bringing their dreams into reality. Currently based between São Paulo, Brazil, and rural New Mexico, Serpentina draws inspiration from the land—finding joy in hot springs, juniper trees, and vast open skies. Their work reflects a deep relationship with nature, guided by land-based Indigenous technologies that center healing, reciprocity, and collective care.
Our futures
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Host free workshops and a bilingual fellowship program for queer, trans, BIPOC, and migrant participants, providing the tools, resources, and support needed to build creative hustles, sustainable businesses, and organizations.
FruFu’s goals for 2026 are ambitious—here’s what we’re building: