RAP Quarterly Newsletter - January 2022 Vol. 33

Hello everyone! Greetings and well wishes for the New Year. The RAP Team is looking forward to 2022 and being able to expand our services to better serve our nonprofit community.   We undoubtedly have challenges still ahead of us with the ongoing pandemic which continues to affect our daily lives. However, we start the new year with the strong resolve that our community will thrive with the lessons we continue to learn experiencing the myriad of events from globally, nationally, and regionally.    Here's some RAP news I would like to share with you:

Recent Grants The RAP Board allocated the following grants to these organizations recently:    Palm Springs Unified School District Coachella Valley Youth Golf Foundation Palm Springs Dance Project Completion of the Tobacco Grant I am proud, but it’s accompanied with a little sadness, of the accomplishments of our one-year grant, the Coachella Valley Coalition Engagement and Desert Tobacco Retail Licensing project (in partnership with Riverside County Public Health Department). As a result of this grant, the cities of Indio and La Quinta have been informed of the relevant issues and are considering making changes to their ordinances to create a Tobacco Retail Licensing Policy which would provide for the monitoring of the sale of tobacco products to minors. We look forward to positive steps by these cities to make this happen in 2022. We appreciate the contributions from Trinidad Arredondo who served as the Community Services Manager for this project. While his departure is the sad part, we wish “Trini” the best in his new position with the Imperial Irrigation District. Strategic Plan Adopted The RAP Board of Directors was able to convene a Strategic Planning meeting in October after choosing to skip the meeting in 2020 due to the pandemic. I invite you to visit our website to review our Three-Year Strategic Plan. It is sometimes challenging for organizations to create or update Strategic Plans due to cost, board members’ availability, or a failure by the public to appreciate the importance of this undertaking. However, prioritizing a session to strategize is extremely beneficial for Boards to address key issues including Mission, Leadership, Governance, Setting Aspirations and Goals, etc.  RAP’s NPO Centric program has experienced and engaging facilitators to assist you in this process if you are interested, feel free to contact SMinor@RAPFoundation.org   Desert Fast Pitch …Targeting Fall 2022  RAP’s signature Desert Fast Pitch event was a casualty of COVID-19 and hasn’t been held since November 2019.  Unfortunately, our plan to host the event in the early Spring of 2022 did not work out due to pandemic concerns.  After a two-year absence, we hope- and believe- Desert Fast Pitch will return with all the resources, networking, and fun activities in the Fall of 2022. Stay tuned for more information. We look forward with great anticipation to the 2022 event at which time nonprofits serving residents in eastern Riverside County will compete for cash grants; $10,000 for Audience Choice, $15,000 for Most Innovative, and $20,000 for Top Prize (according to judges). Each contestant will deliver a 3 Minute Pitch to the judges in front of an audience.  The more compelling the pitch, the better the chance of securing one of the top cash grants.  No group is a loser, though; all participants in the program will receive cash grants and will also have received free instruction on how to improve their “pitch” potential grantors. Be safe, take care; wishing you all good health.  Lety De Lara, CEO  _________________________________________________________________

REGIONAL ACCESS PROJECT FOUNDATION AND THE DESERT HEALTHCARE DISTRICT FOUNDATION RELEASE MENTAL HEALTH REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR NONPROFITS

The Regional Access Project Foundation (RAP), in partnership with the Desert Healthcare District Foundation (DHCD), is releasing an RFP today in response to the ever-growing need for local, accessible, and culturally relevant mental health services in eastern Riverside County.         This initiative is paramount for both RAP and DHCD, and together the organizations will provide a total of $600,000 available to be distributed among qualified nonprofit organizations. The RFP requests that nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organizations who apply for funding through the Mental Health Initiative (MHI) grant offer programs intended to meet, improve, and increase access to mental health services and resources that serve the identified target population (primarily low-income residents with an emphasis on BIPOC family units with children) in eastern Riverside County. Funded programs should have the intention to create a lasting impact on the residents served by the program and help to foster long-term change for residents in need of mental health services. More details can be found at https://rapfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-RFP-Mental-Health-Initiative-Final.pdf Deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is January 28.   The Desert Healthcare District Foundation was originally formed in 1967 to support the activities of the nonprofit Desert Regional Medical Center and had its own separate board of directors. In 2012, the Desert Healthcare Foundation revised its Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation to allow for support of healthcare and wellness services and programs across the entire Coachella Valley. The roles of the Foundation now include fiscal sponsor and incubator of new collaborative projects.  The Regional Access Project Foundation (RAP) Inc. was incorporated in 1992 as a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation in order to address unmet needs in health, mental health , and juvenile intervention for residents of eastern Riverside County through grants and technical assistance to not-for-profit service providers. Funding of the RAP Foundation is primarily through unique cooperative agreements between the RAP Foundation and the County of Riverside; and between the County of Riverside and the City of Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency.

Autism Society Inland Empire’s Holiday Event

The RAP Foundation sponsored the Autism Society Inland Empire’s holiday event on Saturday, December 18. The drive-through event was hosted at RAP’s facility and RAP’s staff Nora Duffy and Gracie Montano lent a hand at the event which included fun holiday activities and a Resource Fair.   “The event was wildly successful,” said Nora. “I was impressed to see that the set-up crew included the autistic kids and they did a great job. I was also surprised to see so many families attend and all of the kids seemed to have a great time.”

RAP Space Available For Lease

As you may know, RAP makes space available for nonprofits at below-market rates. Currently, 25 organizations are taking advantage of not only these low rental opportunities but also the ability to be located in the same building as other nonprofits.   Good news: RAP currently has one cubicle space available. If you and your organization find this an attractive possibility—and why not?—contact Mireya Reyes by email at mreyes@rapfoundation.org.

Grants Corner  By Nora Duffy, Grants Director

On January 3, 2022, RAP, in partnership with the Desert Healthcare District Foundation (DHCD), released a Request For Proposal (RFP) in response to the ever-growing need for local, accessible and culturally relevant mental health services in eastern Riverside County. This initiative is paramount for both RAP and DHCD and together the organizations will provide a total of $600,000 available to be distributed among qualified nonprofit organizations.   After extensive research including hosting a community listening forum, extracting information from several sources including the DHCD Community Needs Study on mental health in Coachella Valley and other governmental resources, RAP has developed a strategy that addresses 3 areas of unmet needs:   1)   Improve quality mental health service to remote areas through innovative systems that address policy, access, and delivery channels. 2)   Improve awareness of mental and emotional health resource services through systems that address access, policy and delivery channels.  3)   Support cultural competency of service providers and reduction of language/stigma/cultural barriers to service access for clients.   This RFP requests that nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organizations applying for funding through the Mental Health Initiative (MHI) grant offer programs intended to meet, improve, and increase access to mental health services. These service and resources should focus on needs of the identified target population (primarily low-income residents with an emphasis on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) family units with children in eastern Riverside County.

NPO Centric By Stephanie Minor, Director

Is your nonprofit Board making the most of your stories to connect others to your work? We know the power of stories to build empathy, understanding and connection to others. It’s critical to fundraising and nonprofit success as a whole. Your Board is likely made up of intelligent, successful individuals who care deeply about your work. Chances are, however, their backgrounds are not in storytelling for fundraising. So how do you equip them with the knowledge and skills to share your stories with the world and raise more money for your work?

Tune in at "The Nonprofit Hero Factory" to listen to an exclusive episode in collaboration with NPO Centric Director, Stephanie Minor as she shares her insight on why your Board should be telling your nonprofit's stories to increase your funding. Click the button to listen now! Tune In Now

Start changing the lives of others much more quickly, much more impactfully, and much more affordably by taking courses with and/or becoming a member of NPO Centric. We have some fantastic resources at excellent prices. Click the buttons below to save time, energy and to gain access to tools and resources you will use every day!

Find Funding For Your Nonprofit

NPO Centric is a Funding Information Network partner of Candid. As a training partner, NPO Centric provides free access to the most comprehensive information available on foundation and corporate giving. It features electronic resources, local trainings, and professional staff to assist visitors. For more information on how to access Candid tools at NPO Centric, contact NPOCentric@rapfoundation.org. We are looking forward to connecting you with this valuable service.

www.RAPFoundation.org

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