Dear friends,
Spring has officially arrived — and here at REDF, we’re taking the time to plant the seeds now for future growth to rise. This year so far, we have been focused on laying the plans for our next strategic period, and harnessing our 2025 programming to deepen our expertise in several different focus areas.
We’re also celebrating the major wins happening with a different kind of rise: California Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise, or CA RISE, is well underway and passing major program milestones!
Below, explore more of what’s been rising lately at REDF — and get to know some of the incredible organizations we’re collaborating with in 2025.
— The REDF team
Defining “Lived Expertise”
What’s made possible when we learn to recognize the expertise that comes from someone’s lived experience?
Late this fall, our CEO Maria Kim spoke as part of the Impact Spotlight series at the NationSwell 2024 Summit. She shared a clear call to reframe our perception of lived experience as lived expertise. Check out that video now!
CA RISE Grantees Meet with State Legislators
In December, CA RISE distributed its second round of funding to 61 ESEs across 16 counties.
As a part of that distribution, several CA RISE grantee organizations met with their California state legislators, who presented checks to each attending organization, and spent time learning more about the invaluable work these enterprises do in their communities.
Check out the announcement from this second round of funding, and explore the photo gallery of the legislative visits from across the state.
Welcome to our 2025 Cohorts for Growth Portfolio & Accelerator!
We’re delighted to introduce two major programmatic cohorts for 2025: 20 impact-driven social enterprise leaders in our Accelerator, and nine Growth Portfolio grantee organizations.
This year, our Growth Portfolio is focusing on upskilling: our nine 2025 GP grantee organizations offer transformative programs that help individuals earn an income while acquiring advanced skills for quality jobs. Meanwhile, our Accelerator is trialing a new model of leadership support: two leaders were selected from each participating ESE.
We can’t wait to see what we can do in collaboration with these changemaking leaders and orgs! Get to know the cohorts now:
ESEs in the News
- CA RISE partner Center for Employment Opportunities was profiled in Rolling Stone for the organization’s support of New York State’s Reentry Assistance Bill
- RIIF borrower Suay Sew Shop was featured in The Guardian to celebrate the organization’s efforts to upcycle 50,000 pounds of surplus clothing in the wake of California wildfire relief efforts.
- The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program Co-Founder and Chief Royal Ramey recently appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to share his journey from incarcerated firefighter to CEO.
- The Los Angeles Times shared in the celebration announcing the second round of CA RISE funding for 61 California ESEs.
