Desert Healthcare District & Regional Access Project providing grants to help local non-profits
The Desert Healthcare District and Foundation and Regional Access Project Foundation are partnering to provide grants to help local nonprofits directly affected by the pandemic.
The agencies came together to create a collaborative fund offering grants of up to $10,000 for non-profits. The application process starts on March 1 through 5 p.m.on March 12. Applicants who received funds last year are eligible to apply this year.
Click here to access the grant application process.
Reporting requirements will be minimal, with information collected about the numbers served, impact on the community and/or nonprofit operations, along with the receipts showing how the funds were expended.
The grant time period is three months, beginning April 1 with a project end date of June 30.
For additional information, send an email to info@dhcd.org.
The DCHD & RAP boars approved contributing $100,000 each to go towards the new $200,000 collaborative fund for a COVID-19 recovery effort.
Officials for the organizations said the priority for the collaborative fund is to provide operational/capacity support to the community-based organizations serving vulnerable populations. Examples of vulnerable populations could include, but are not limited to, seniors, children, and families/individuals earning a low income.
"Nonprofit organizations in eastern Riverside County have experienced significant decreases in revenue," said Leticia De Lara, RAP CEO and board President of DCHD. "The Recovery Funds are intended to address funding gaps, which are much higher than a single funder like RAP currently has the capacity to resolve, but we are, most importantly, demonstrating our joint support of our nonprofits' continued efforts to provide much-needed health services."
De Lara also serves as Board president for the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation; she recused herself during the Board's vote on the collaborative fund.
Both agencies came together for a similar collaboration around the start of pandemic.
In early 2020, the RAP and DCHD approved a $1.2 million response to the pandemic. The collaboration included $100,000 in emergency operating support for community-based organizations, which was matched dollar-for-dollar by RAP.
"Since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation has responded to meet the needs of the Coachella Valley, but we haven’t acted alone," said Conrado Bárzaga, District and Foundation CEO. "By combining our resources with the Regional Access Project Foundation, which we also did last year, we’re able to assist the nonprofits that continue to face challenges from this pandemic. Many of these organizations also serve the valley’s most vulnerable and traditionally undeserved residents, which supports the District and Foundation’s mission."
