December Newsletter: $46M in Grants Deployed in LA County

REDF Partners with LA County to Distribute $46M in Grants to 1,400+ Social Enterprises & Small Businesses

REDF proudly partnered with the LA County Department of Workforce Development, Aging, and Community Services (WDACS) to distribute CARES Act funding totaling $46 million to over 1,400 small businesses, social enterprises, B corporations, non-profits, and Community Business Enterprises (CBEs) in economically disadvantaged areas of Los Angeles.

This critical funding will help community-based businesses retain or hire tens of thousands of employees, implement Covid-19 related safety measures, and comply with local health orders so that they can stay in business. We will be sharing stories of the impact of this grant soon.

REDF’s Impact Investing Fund Secures $2M Program-Related Investment

We’re excited to share that REDF’s Impact Investing Fund (RIIF) has received a $2 million loan from our long-time and valued partner the Annie E. Casey Foundation, representing our largest investment to date. This loan will deepen RIIF’s impact and accelerate the growth of the social enterprise field in new regions of the country. Learn more!

Shop our Social Enterprise Gift Guide

Find unique, thoughtful gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list with our curated guide of impactful goods from employment social enterprise businesses around the country. Gifts are selling out fast so shop now!

Shop the guide

Farber Summer Fellowship Applications Now Open

Applications for the Farber Summer Fellowship are now open through January 19! Farber Summer Fellows spend 10 weeks working on a mission-critical project for one of REDF’s portfolio organizations, while learning from REDF staff and fellow Farbers. If you or someone you know might be interested, join us for an info-session on January 6 to learn more.

Learn more & apply

Employment Social Enterprise Leaders: Join REDF for a Leader’s Lab!

REDF has launched a new interactive and content-rich Lab for Employment Social Enterprise Leaders. If you run an employment social enterprise or know of someone who does, join us in January or February for a virtual Leaders’ Lab to preview the kind of content and peer learning provided through REDF’s Accelerator Program. We can help you reach your goals and connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs! Email connect@redf.org for more information.

An Inclusive Economic Recovery: REDF’s 2021 Federal Policy Recommendations
As our country responds to the COVID-19 pandemic and invests in a large economic recovery effort, we believe that employment social enterprises (ESEs) can be a key partner with the federal government to ensure an inclusive economic recovery. Alongside a strong coalition of partner organizations, REDF is advocating for increased public sector engagement with the work of ESEs across the country.

Read our recommendations

Carla Javits in the News
Read President & CEO Carla Javits’ call for California to invest in a future of work “moonshot” – an investment that would ensure an inclusive economy that leaves no one behind and ends working poverty.

Watch Carla in conversation with U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams during a Well-Being in the Nation (WIN) panel on the role business can play in building a better future (their exchange begins at 47:16).