In 2018, many of our clients committed to increase opportunity for vulnerable populations through innovative education and workforce programs. Here is a look into our work with Los Angeles Unified School District and Contra Costa County to secure funding and collaborate to make these programs possible.

Expanding Afterschool, Before School, and Summer Programs of Los Angeles Unified School District Elementary and Middle Schools

Grant Writing for 21st Century Community Learning Centers 

The 21^st Century Learning Centers (CCLC) initiative is the only remaining federal funding dedicated to support afterschool programs. For the 2017-18 school year, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) contracted RDA to apply to the California Department of Education (CDE) for 21^st CCLC funding to support its extremely high-need elementary and middle schools. To develop a highly competitive grant proposal, we worked closely with District staff to analyze a robust set of data and their planned program design to ensure inclusion of highest need schools and students; cultural competency throughout program activities; and compliance to the Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California. The grant submission resulted in over $1.5 million in expanded learning funds, representing the largest award LAUSD has ever received for the K-5 programs. For the 2018-19 school year, LAUSD again contracted RDA to pursue CDE 21^st CCLC funding, resulting in a larger award than the previous year, bringing in over $2.1 million. We recently completed their application for the 2019-20 school year, and anticipate similar successes to expand before school, afterschool, and summer program opportunities to the most at-risk students in grades K-8 in the District.

An Innovative Model for Workforce Service Collaboration and Delivery in Contra Costa County

Grant Writing and Facilitation of a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Delivery System

Signed into law by President Obama in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)  is designed to help job seekers succeed in the labor market by increasing access to employment, education, training, and support services through the strategic coordination of core federal skill development programs. In 2018, Rubicon Programs engaged RDA to develop a grant proposal to the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County for WIOA funding to coordinate comprehensive employment and supportive services throughout the county. To support the development of a countywide program design, RDA helped a collection of local public and nonprofit entities come together to form the Contra Costa Workforce Collaborative (CCWC) with Rubicon as the lead agency. Their vision was to create a “no wrong door” approach to receiving services by coordinating programs at the America’s Job Center of California in Concord, CA and over a dozen local access points. RDA worked with the CCWC to develop a competitive proposal to develop and implement their collective workforce services model, which was awarded $1.45 million. Equally important, this partnership process fostered innovative public/nonprofit collaborative that has the potential to be a model for efficiently delivering WIOA services in other communities across the state and country.