Outreach & Engagement

The CERF outreach and engagement conducted by our 27 grantees will wrap at the end of September. The feedback collected by grantees will be aggregated and analyzed by a CERF consultant team, and a report that summarizes the data will be shared with the HRTC at our Friday, October 27 HRTC meeting.

Looking to help with the outreach and engagement to ensure more voices are heard? We’d welcome it! We’re actively working to push our survey. If you consider yourself a community-based organization, please use this survey: Orange County CERF: CBO Survey (arcgis.com). If you’re not a CBO, please use this survey: Community O&E Survey (arcgis.com). Please feel free to ask colleagues, neighbors, friends, and peer organizations to complete the survey by Friday, September 22. If you’d like to access the survey in another language, please email our O&E Consultant, Sarah Middleton, at sarah.middleton@missionup.co.

Also, we’ve got a ton of CERF promo materials that you can use to communicate and promote CERF within your organization or, better yet, with other organizations not yet aware of CERF. You can access the materials here: CERF Promo Materials - OneDrive (sharepoint.com). Materials include flyers as well as newsletter and social media copy for advertising the survey.

We’re looking forward to sharing the results of our O&E work – some of which started back in June – with all of you later this month.

Stakeholder Mapping

As was shared at our last HRTC meeting, the stakeholder mapping report has been completed and a database developed based on responses to our Stakeholder Mapping Survey. We are now working with our partners at Esri to make the database available to all of you on the Hub. Keep your eye out for an announcement once it is posted! We hope that you will find this tool useful in your collaborative efforts.

Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG)

In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation referred to as the Cleanup In Vulnerable Communities Initiative (CVCI), allocating $500 million to expedite the cleanup and beneficial reuse of contaminated properties, with priority given to properties in historically vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. The Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Office of Brownfields Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (ECRG) will provide more than $250 million in grants to incentivize cleanup and investment in disadvantaged areas of California.

The program gives California communities an unprecedented opportunity to address historic environmental injustices and set a new path for land use that will have immediate and lasting benefits, such as recreational uses (parks and other green spaces), commercial enterprises, and housing. ECRG funding is available to help California public entities, nonprofit organizations, and Tribes.

To learn more about this grant, please visit: Equitable Community Revitalization Grant | Department of Toxic Substances Control (ca.gov).

Please note that applications close on October 9, 2023.

Health Professions Pathways Program (HPPP)

The purpose of the Health Professions Pathways Program is to support and encourage underrepresented and disadvantaged individuals to pursue health careers to develop a more culturally and linguistically competent healthcare workforce.

HPPP is a competitive grant opportunity that is awarded to organizations that will develop and implement health professions pathways programs that can include pipeline programs, summer internships, and post-undergraduate fellowships.

To learn more about this grant, please visit: https://hcai.ca.gov/loans-scholarships-grants/grants/hpcop/

Please note that applications close on October 16, 2023.

Sustain Adult Education & Vocational School Zero-Emission Vehicle Technology Training Project

The California Air Resources Board is directing $1.5 million to Workforce Training and Development projects. Through this funding, California Air Resources Board is seeking multiple grantees that can provide innovative, creative approaches to addressing clean transportation education in adult education and vocational schools.

The goal is to increase priority population, including low-income and disadvantaged communities, awareness of and access to Zero-Emission Vehicle specific training, education, and jobs for individuals opting to follow a non-traditional educational (i.e., not a 4-year university or community college) pathway. This includes connections to apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeships programs based on Overcoming Barriers to Clean Transportation Access to Low-Income Residents (California Air Resources Board’s Senate Bill 350 Guidance Document). California Air Resources Board aims to create opportunities for building and expanding zero-emission skills to support the shift to a clean transportation economy. This funding supports access to relevant clean transportation employers and high-road jobs that prepare students for careers in the clean transportation technology sector.

To learn more about this grant, please visit: Adult Education & Vocational School Zero-Emission Vehicle Technology Training Project

Please note that applications close on October 27, 2023.

Fundamentals of E-commerce



What is it?: The Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) is holding a webinar on the fundamentals of e-commerce for small businesses in Korean.

When is it?: Thursday, September 21, 2023, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Where is it?: Held virtually via Zoom, register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K7oMM5uBSGugRcJc-dYC6A#/registration

CIELO Night Market



What is it?: This event experience will bring together 200 clients, partners, supporters, and friends to celebrate entrepreneurship through a unique interactive marketplace featuring clients, decadent cocktails & delicious food tastings, all within a festive open-air and community-building space. It brings entrepreneurship and community to life through the stories and lives of the entrepreneurs behind the businesses.

When is it?: Thursday, September 21, 2023, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Where is it?: The Harper, 1618 Ohms Way, Costa Mesa 92627

To learn more and buy tickets ($70), please visit: CIELO Night Market Tickets, Thu, Sep 21, 2023 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite

Mehregan Fall Festival

What is it?: O&E grantee Orange County Iranian American Chamber of Commerce is hosting this festival, which will celebrate the start of fall and harvest time; it’s a celebration dating back to ancient Iran. There will be music, dance, singing, short plays, poetry, a DJ, a fashion show by a group from Afghanistan, kids’ activities, lots of Persian food and drink – and CERF O&E conducted!

When is it?: Saturday, September 23, 2023, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm

Where is it?: Palm Court Arts Complex at the Great Park, 8000 Great Park Blvd, Irvine 92618

To learn more and buy tickets ($12-15), please visit: Mehregan Fall Festival Tickets, Sat, Sep 23, 2023 at 11:00 AM | Eventbrite

STEAM Ahead Summit 2

What is it?: A summit with the goal of helping underserved and underrepresented communities, children, and young adults easily find and access all the STEAM programs, events, resources, and activities that will spark, nurture, and encourage STEAM study and career paths.

When is it?: Friday, September 29, 2023, from 8:15 am to 10:00 am.

Where is it?: Medtronic's Training Rooms, 5290 California Avenue, Irvine 92617

To learn more, please visit: https://octaneoc.org/program/steam-ahead-summit-2/

Sanando Juntos | "Healing the Community, Together"

What is it?: O&E grantee Abrazar is hosting Sanando Juntos, a free event that celebrates cultural heritage and community hope. The purpose of this event is to bring the community together and both celebrate and lift up health equity. There will be fun activities for kids (including water activities!), a resource fair with 30+ community-based organizations, free immunizations, and free food, drinks, and dessert.

When is it?: Friday, September 29, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Where is it?: Midway Community Center, 14900 Park Lane, Midway City 92655

To learn more, please visit: Sanando Juntos: "Celebrating Cultural Heritage & Community H.O.P.E." Tickets, Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite

OC Grantmakers Summit



What is it?: An event to address and solve issues within the social impact space by starting a conversation about its unique challenges, emerging best practices, and opportunities. It will feature powerful keynotes, compelling Learning Labs, and hundreds of impact agents looking to learn, share, and network among peers.

When is it?: October 5, 2023, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Where is it?: Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa 92626

To learn more and buy tickets ($70-75), please visit: https://ocgrantmakers.org/2023-annual-summit/

OC Sustainability Decathlon



What is it?: An exciting new competition that promises to motivate and empower California’s best and brightest to lead the state’s transition to 100% renewable energy. OCSD23 challenges multidisciplinary teams of students, researchers, architects, engineers, builders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to design and build replicable housing units that aim to accelerate sustainable development throughout the state.

When is it?: October 5-15, 2023

Where is it?: OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa 92626

To learn more, please visit: https://ocsd23.com/

2023 California Economic Summit



What is it?: Produced by California Forward in partnership with the California Stewardship Network, the Summit influences CA FWD's ongoing movement to make the government and economy work for everyone. The three-day Summit is designed to create a shared economic agenda known as the Roadmap to Shared Prosperity and strengthen the Summit network, setting the stage for collective action in the coming year.

When is it?: October 11-13, 2023

Where is it?: Indian Wells

To learn more, please visit: https://cafwd.org/Summit/