Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your Fourth of July holiday. Summer is here. Again. And at least increasing temperatures are accompanied by decreasing traffic. Come on; the glass is half full!

We have passed the half-year mark and for many nonprofits, the Fiscal Year ended June 30, and I want to share with you some recent Board actions that are effective July 1 (FY July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023). 

First, the RAP Board has decided to increase the maximum amount of Small Grants from $5,000 to $10,000. The primary reason is the Board's acknowledgment that costs are increasing and organizations need higher amounts to deliver services to their clients. 

The Board also decided to increase the maximum amount of Sponsorship Grants from $2,500 to $5,000. Sponsorships requests are limited to community events, excluding fundraising activities. As might be expected, there were very few community events in the last two years, but we are looking forward hopefully to improving conditions regarding the pandemic that will allow community events to resume safely in the months to come.   

If you are interested in these grants, please reach out to Nora Duffy, Grants Director at [email protected].  

Lastly, one other significant decision made by the RAP Board was to authorize the first Request For Proposal (RFP) dedicated to Juvenile Intervention programs in almost a decade. This will be in addition to the plan to release a RFP for Mental Health in early 2023. Board members decided to make this commitment because they recognize the tremendous need for services to assist our communities emerging from the effects of the pandemic.   

2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch Participants Announced!

Without further ado… this year’s organizations selected to participate at the 2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch taking place on October 6th are:

• ACT for Multiple Sclerosis
• Academic Solutions USA
• Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert
• Reynaldo J. Carreon MD Foundation
• Elder Love USA, Inc.
• Food Now
• Learning Different
• Marriagewell
• NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness – Coachella Valley
• Palm Springs Dance Project
• Safe Schools Desert Cities
• Shay’s Warriors Life After Cancer
• United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire
• Virginia Waring International Piano Competition

This year’s number of contestants was increased by two because of the cancelations of the events due to the pandemic. Each chosen organization will receive $1,000 to participate in the workshops leading up to the Semi-Final on September 21, 2022. The six contestants selected to compete at the Final on October 6, 2022, will each receive an additional $1,000 for their participation along with the opportunity to win $20,000 for Top Prize, $15,000 for Most Innovative, and $10,000 for Audience Choice.

Read on later in this Newsletter to learn more about this year’s exciting event. 

Recent Grants

Here's some RAP news of grants awarded to organizations since our last newsletter: 

Earlier this year, RAP partnered with the Desert HealthCare District on an RFP addressing Mental Health gaps.  There were grants for this RFP that were approved a little later than the other organizations funded in April, and we appreciate that they dealt with the delay with patience and understanding.   

2022 Additional Awards for the Mental Health Request For Proposal (RFP) Grants:  

• We Are One United Inc.  $30,000 
• Vision y Compromiso   $50,000 
• Voices For Children      $20,000 
• Inland Southern California 211  $25,000 

Small Grants 

• Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine - $4,500
• United Cerebral Palsy - $3,850
• Palms to Pines Parasports  $5,000 
• Integrated Learning Institute   $5,000 
• Desert Recreation Foundation $5,000 
• Reynaldo J. Carreon MD Foundation  $1500 

Lastly – Gratitude for RAP Team Support

In May, I was fortunate to be recognized by Palm Springs Life Magazine as one of three women, along with Martha Garcia and Tara Lazar, as "Exceptional Women Leaders in the Community." I am proud to be part of the RAP Team as we work to improve the lives of families in our communities by supporting our nonprofits' efforts to serve their clients.   

Be safe, take care, wishing you all an awesome summer.

Lety De Lara, CEO 

Photos of the RAP Foundation Board of Directors (left) and staff (right) attending the Palm Springs Life Magazine's event, "Women Who Lead," at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Coachella Valley residents can now find resources to enhance their health and wellness at their fingertips through https://connectie.org/.

The ConnectIE website lists hundreds of free and reduced-cost resources provided in the region, including in the Coachella Valley. Topics ranging from food pantries and rental assistance to behavioral health counseling and many other medical services can be instantly searched by ZIP Code.

Started by the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), the website includes data from the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation’s Coachella Valley Health Info Plan (CVHIP). The District and Foundation Board voted on April 26 to provide data, marketing, and training support for Connectie.com, receiving $83,000 as payment from IHEP. As a result, CVHIP.com is effectively paused.



To continue building the local resources available through Connect IE, Coachella Valley nonprofit organizations and agencies are encouraged to join the database and electronic referral network. An introduction and training sessions can be arranged with the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation staff. Please email Alejandro Espinoza, Chief of Community Engagement, at [email protected] to learn more.

On May 31^st, the RAP Foundation hosted, along with Supervisor Perez, a Mental Health Summit in the City of Blythe, which was attended by approximately 55 people from throughout the 4th District of Riverside County. The purpose of this Summit was to collectively identify and address mental health challenges in the City of Blythe and Palo Verde Valley and identify and establish partnerships for service delivery in that area.

We were fortunate to have leadership from Riverside University Health Services - Behavior Health (RUHS-BH) attend and present, including Dr. Matthew Chang, Director of RUHS Behavioral Health, and his management team. In addition, six RAP Foundation Board members also attended in support of our efforts. Look for more news to come on the events and possible new services that will be planned as a result of this Summit.

We are happy to announce that the Nonprofit Desert Fast PItch is back! Please join us for this highly anticipated annual event where nonprofit fundraising takes an entrepreneurial spin. 

The Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch is a friendly ‘Shark Tank’ type of event that allows nonprofit professionals to gain important skills for sustainability and to raise money by pitching their ideas and powerfully telling their stories in a live,

3-minute presentation.

The Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch will be held on October 6, 2022, at the UCR Campus in Palm Desert, CA. Hundreds of business leaders, nonprofit professionals, government officials, members of the media, community leaders, foundations, and consultants will be in attendance. We hope to see you there!

Seating is very limited!

Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee built one of the most illustrious athletic careers in the world of track and field. Her performance in the heptathlon and long jump in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Summer Olympics made her a legend. Jackie Joyner-Kersee set over 18 athletic records, received over 24 recognition awards, is a successful businesswoman, respected community leader, and a dynamic motivational speaker who inspires audiences to go after their dreams with passion and commitment. She is widely regarded as "The World's Greatest Female Athlete."

She will be speaking live on stage at the 2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch!

Are you interested in learning more about sponsoring the 2022 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch, click the button below to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

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 [email protected].