All people need the chance to work

REDF is gearing up fast to meet the terms of the Social Innovation Fund award we received last month, with plans to issue a first-time ever (for REDF) Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify outstanding nonprofits in California to consider for our portfolio. Watch our website for imminent announcements about the timeline and requirements. Meanwhile, [...]

REDF Leverages First Social Innovation Fund Grant

We are feeling a combination of tremendous optimism and significant responsibility as we gear up to do all we can to launch successful implementation of our Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant. I will be sharing more here about that as we move ahead. Last week I had the chance to write a guest post on [...]

REDF Receives $3 Million Social Innovation Fund Grant

Click here to read REDF’s official press release about the grant. Learn how Ramses turned his life around after being hired at a REDF-supported social enterprise. …………………………………………………………………… Today REDF was elated to receive news of a two year $3 million federal Social Innovation Fund grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The [...]

Hope vs. Optimism

By Carla I. Javits, REDF President From REDF’s June 2010 eNewsletter With unemployment in California stuck around 12%, prospects for increased employment of individuals with significant barriers might seem dimmer than ever. Putting a fine point on it, “I think the unemployment rate will be permanently higher,” noted Mark Sandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, [...]

My Day in Washington: First Lady Michelle Obama Talks Innovation

A White House invitation spurred a quick trip to Washington, D.C. for an inspiring meeting convened by First Lady Michele Obama, with Patrick Corvington, who heads up the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), and Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council. It was heartening to witness the commitment of the First Lady, [...]

Notes from Israel (Part 2)

I’ve been in Israel at the invitation of the Rothschild Foundation (called Yad Handiv here) and Fay Twersky of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who led our Visiting Committee on Evaluation and Performance Measurement, which also included Paul Brest from the Hewlett Foundation, and Martin Brookes of New Philanthropy Capital. Fay’s team at the [...]

Positive change in the new year

Holiday greetings! A resolution for 2010: Make positive change. And the corollary: Focus on the positive. Searching for ‘how to’ …some great guides below: Dan Pallotta’s always interesting blog suggests a new name for the “nonprofit” sector — just about anything is better than a word that starts with “non”. A hot new book coming [...]