Time to celebrate: California Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise (CA RISE) has officially LAUNCHED!

If you haven’t heard yet, CA RISE is the nation’s first-ever statewide investment in social enterprise. California government (through the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA)) has awarded 61 incredible employment social enterprise (ESE) businesses a whopping $25 million in grant funding and capacity-building support. This means thousands more Californians breaking through tough employment barriers are about to experience the power of work and opportunity!

REDF is honored to serve as the program leads for CA RISE, and on August 7 & 8, 2024, we gathered at the California Endowment in downtown Sacramento, just a few blocks from the California State Capitol Building, for a formal CA RISE kickoff event.

These two days were full of collaboration, brainstorming, networking, and conversations around social enterprise. Cohort members had a chance to speak with their peers from all across the state, begin their programming, and hear from government leaders about this innovative opportunity.

For a full overview of the program, and to read the list of grantees, check out our joint press release with CalOSBA.

Below, take a spin through a few photo highlights from the event. We can’t wait to see where we go from here!