Hello everyone!

Kicking off 2023, and with the new year comes New Year’s Resolutions and, of course, new employment laws, yikes!

And ongoing Zoom meetings – a sign of changing times – remember fax machines?



The RAP Board approved our two-year Strategic Plan 2023-2025 this month. This Plan lays out our Strategic Initiatives with specific goals that the Board would like to achieve in our grant-making and capacity-building work. One recurring goal is to improve our outreach with community partners to bring awareness of our resources and to develop relationships.

2023 Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch Inspirational Speaker – September 21

You heard it here first! We will be featuring Father Greg Boyle, the founder and director of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, at this year’s event. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to hear from Father Boyle, who will share his experiences and his considerable wisdom.

The 10th Annual Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch will take place on September 21, 2023, at the UCR - Palm Desert Campus from 5 PM- 7 PM. Make sure to Save The Date on your calendar because we will once again be giving cash grants to the deserving nonprofits which deliver the most compelling “pitches.”

The Nonprofit Desert Fast Pitch is a Shark Tank-style, high-energy, quick-fire presentation in which nonprofits powerfully communicate their story and make a 3-minute pitch for funding. Twelve participants are selected to engage in a six-week training and mentoring program, which includes marketing, branding, and public speaking training. The training develops the skills of key staff to help the nonprofit achieve future financial sustainability. Six finalists will be chosen to deliver their pitch at the event.



Contact Connie Golds at CGolds@RAPFoundation.org if you are interested in Sponsorship opportunities for this year’s event.

Board-Approved Grant Opportunities

The RAP Board is kicking off the year doing what they love to do: Create funding opportunities for organizations to better serve our residents. The Board approved the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to organizations providing Mental Health Services for the Coachella and Palo Verde Valleys. The RFP will be released on January 30 and Letters of Intent are due by February 27.

In addition, the RAP Board decided that it was time to release an RFP for Juvenile Intervention services as well. Yes, another RFP with the same timelines but a different focus.



Read more about these funding opportunities later in this Newsletter.

Recent Grants

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

Small Grants:

• Los Medicos Voladores/Flying Doctors - $5,000
• Camp Laurel Foundation $10,000
• Desert Access & Mobility $10,000
• Friends of the Desert Mountains $10,000
• Shay’s Warriors $5,000
• Coachella Valley Housing Coalition $10,000
• Read With Me Volunteers $10,000
• Green Room Theatre Company $9,700

Sponsorship Grants:

• Palms To Pines Parasports Collegiate Community $2500
• About Families - $5,000
• Variety Children’s Charities of the Desert $8,000
• Olive Crest $5,000

Thank you to all who signed up for the Blood Drive scheduled for January 26 from 9 AM-2 PM.

We are happy to partner with LifeStream Blood Bank - Give Hope, Give Life, Give Blood - to host this event. If you weren’t able to join this one but are interested in learning how you can do so as an individual or by hosting a future event, contact LSTREAM.ORG.

Be safe, and take care; wishing you all an awesome 2023.



Lety De Lara, CEO

In addition to the RFP grant opportunities, all RAP applicants will be given the opportunity to request a technical assistance grant as part of their cash grant request. This applies to all RAP grant opportunities. Technical assistance will be offered through NPO Centric, a program of the RAP Foundation. The Technical Assistance Grant includes 15 hours of consulting services and a Premium Local NPO Centric Membership.

It brings me joy to share that we are releasing our first Juvenile Intervention Grant in ten years!

RAP has allocated $300,000 in cash grants and $35,000 available for technical assistance.

RAP's focus for this grant is to fund age-appropriate programs/projects that enable all juveniles, as defined by RAP as young people (age category 0-24), especially those at risk, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens in Coachella Valley and Palo Verde Valley.

RAP is hosting a mandatory Bidders meeting via Zoom on February 6th at 10 AM to go through the grant details. Click on the button below to RSVP.

Each year before announcing the release of the Health/Mental Health Grant, RAP explores new ways to enhance our support of local nonprofits. 

This year, RAP has partnered with Desert Healthcare District & Foundation (DHCD) to increase funding to $800,000 in cash grants and $72,450 for technical assistance.

RAP and DHCD are focused on funding programs/projects that advocate improving the psychological, emotional, physical, and social well-being of residents in Coachella Valley and Palo Verde Valley.

RAP is hosting a mandatory Bidders meeting via Zoom on February 13th at 10 AM to go through the grant details. Click on the button below to RSVP.

RAP and NPO Centric are dedicated to supporting our community by strengthing Coachella Valley and Palo Verde Valley nonprofits.



Be sure to head to www.npocentric.org to learn more about how NPO Centric can support you!

For more information about the new RFPs or other RAP grants, visit our website at www.rapfoundation.org. 

At NPO Centric, We Help Nonprofits Start, Scale, and Succeed.

This past quarter we have been doing just that with a “Mastering Nonprofit Public Relations” workshop, a “Social Media Basics for Nonprofits” training, and a series of classes designed to help all local nonprofits maximize their success on CV Giving Day.

We have a robust and responsive upcoming workshop schedule that includes; Excel Training for all levels of experience and “The Importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Nonprofits,” featuring John Epps as the facilitator. We will also be introducing training for supervisors at the request of our member organizations. 

Please save the date for the Spring Social on April 13. We are looking forward to celebrating all of the local nonprofits and the incredible work they do. Read more about this annual event further on. 

We are also in the planning stages for the 10th Annual Desert Fast Pitch competition. For the Diamond Anniversary of this exciting event, we are going BIG! So keep a lookout for more news.

Introducing NPO Centric Program Manager

Kelly Garcia is a highly experienced social media professional with over 11 years of experience in the field. She boasts a proven track record of increased engagement and social reach.

In addition to her extensive social media experience, Kelly holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications and has a lifetime of administrative support experience. She is a skilled "chaos coordinator" and excels at managing multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.

A life-long desert resident, she is thrilled to be focusing on Coachella Valley nonprofits and helping them to start, scale, and succeed. She can be reached at kgarcia@rapfoundation.org

Hello all,

My name is Diane Morales, the new Coachella Valley Healthy Living Project Manager at the RAP Foundation. Born and raised in the Coachella Valley, I attended CSUSB and earned my Bachelor of Science in Public Health. I am currently earning my master’s at UC Berkley in Public Health and Health Policies.

Previously, I was employed at Lift To Rise working on the Rental and Utility Assistance Program, which dispersed $250 million in federal, state, and county-resourced Emergency Rental Assistance funds that kept over 100,000 Riverside County residents housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a member of this community that benefited from scholarships and internships that led me to my career path, I want to use my education and professional experience to bring a new outlook on healthy living in the Coachella Valley and improve the overall health of our community through love and innovation.

The Coachella Valley Healthy Living Project will promote healthy eating, increase regular physical activity, and work towards tobacco preventive efforts. In partnership with the Riverside University Health System-Public Health, the RAP Foundation will work to promote Nutrition Education and Tobacco Prevention Education throughout the Coachella Valley.

Educational materials will include resources on shopping on a budget, preparing healthy meals, rethinking your drink, and much more to promote healthy living.

The tobacco prevention efforts will strive towards partnership-driven collaboration to advance tobacco industry-free communities in the Coachella Valley.

This work will seek to engage residents, public and private partnerships, and other strategic partners in tobacco prevention policy work. We invite you all to participate in this project and help work towards a healthy Coachella Valley.



Please feel free to contact me for any questions regarding the CV Healthy Living Project at dmorales@rapfoundation.org

Sheryl Benoit has lived in the Coachella Valley for over 35 years. She lives in Bermuda Dunes. After retiring from Desert Sands Unified School District, where she worked as an Administrative Assistant for Child Welfare & Attendance for 22 years, she decided to devote herself to volunteering for nonprofit organizations.

Sheryl currently serves on the Cal State San Bernardino – Palm Desert Campus Associates Board where not so coincidentally the John J. and Sheryl L. Benoit Scholarship Fund is available.

There are several other local nonprofits that Sheryl has had a special connection to over the years: The Galilee Center, Angel View, Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, Palm Springs Air Museum, Boys and Girls Club of Coachella Valley, United Way of the Desert, Martha’s Village and Kitchen, Loma Linda Children’s Hospital Desert Guild, Food Now, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission and FIND Food Bank.



“I have been honored to have volunteered with nonprofit agencies throughout our community.” she says, “The RAP Foundation continues to be a visionary partner for these organizations and its future will continue to be powerfully relevant. I look forward to continuing to serve my community in this new role.”

Dr. Ann Dew is not “new” to the RAP Board; she previously served on this board from 1999 to 2016. Ann decided to step down to take a break and let others have the opportunity to serve. The Board recognized Ann’s dedication and commitment to RAP by appointing her as our Ex-Officio member. During this “hiatus”, Ann continued to contribute her time by serving on the Mental Health and Grants Committee as an advisory member.

Ann retired from working as a consultant for the Early Intervention for HIV/AIDS program for Riverside County. In 2019-2020, she volunteered at DAP Center’s COVID-19 clinic.

Ann lives in Palm Springs and enjoys reading, meditating, working out every day, and especially traveling.

“I hope that I can bring my public health background to the board when these issues come up.” she says, “I always like helping others, and I look forward to once again being on the Board.”

RAP is joining efforts to introduce the first ever Coachella Valley Giving Day on March 1st. This philanthropic initiative was created by FirstBank, which partnered with the Desert Community Foundation to increase individual donations to local nonprofits.

RAP has committed $25,000 towards the incentive prize pool, which will reward participating nonprofits for reaching certain milestones during this 24-hour giving campaign.

“The RAP Foundation is providing critical support to ensure that the first CV Giving Day is successful for all of our nonprofit participants,” said Jake Wuest, FirstBank California Market President.

“The incentive prize pool is a fun way to encourage friendly competitiveness among the nonprofit participants and generate interest from potential donors.”

In addition to the $25K contribution, RAP is offering training for over 100 nonprofits already registered through our NPO Centric program to ensure that participating nonprofits are in the best position to take advantage of reaching potential donors. The trainings cover marketing, social media, and other key topics which are needed not only to engage potential donors for CV Giving Day but—just as important--for nonprofits to reach more people on an ongoing basis.

As you probably 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 advantage of being located in the same building with other nonprofits.

Good news: RAP currently has one office and cubicle space available. If you and your organization find this an attractive possibility, contact Mireya Reyes by email at mreyes@rapfoundation.org.