Are you interested in having your investment make an impact? Want to see your money help create sustainable change rather than serve as a one-time donation that gets used up by the end of the year?
The not-for-profits we work with are making a difference in their communities by starting social ventures- businesses that both achieve a social goal and bring in revenue- making their organizations more sustainable. Having spent much time researching and designing effective business models, many of these organizations are now launching their social enterprises and in need of seed capital.
Organizations in pre-launch and launch stages are below. If you are interested in investing in any of the organizations, please contact the person listed.
Center for Community Advocacy supports farmworkers in attaining improved housing and health conditions. Based in Salinas, their programs help build links across sectors, and strengthen mutual understanding between farm workers and community decision makers to foster equity in the communities they serve. Center for Community Advocacy is launching a fee-for-service version of their already successful preventative health program ‘Promotores de Salud’.
Contact Juan Uranga: juranga [at] cca-viva.org
The Coastal Watershed Council
The Coastal Watershed Council works to preserve and protect coastal watersheds through community stewardship, education and monitoring. Based in the Monterey Bay region they work in partnerships with schools, community organizations and local government agencies to help community members learn about water quality, riparian and wetland ecosystems and the problems, and solutions, affecting our watersheds. Coastal Watershed Council is launching Watershed Watch, a business helping city and county agencies to be in compliance with new clean water regulations.
Serving the poor and homeless in Salinas since 1984, Dorothy's Place provides hot meals, medical attention, a drop-in day shelter, an emergency night shelter for women, advocacy/social service navigation, after-school enrichment and mentoring for farm worker children, and art as a means of expressing compassion and social justice. Dorothy’s Kitchen is launching ‘Red Artichoke Catering’ pre-school lunch service. This business will provide jobs for six homeless individuals per year, as well as create earned income to fund Dorothy’s Kitchen meals program.
Go Kids enhances the lives of children and families throughout the South Santa Clara, San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Go Kids services include center-based early care services, in-home child care services, as well as community engagement services including outreach, resource coordination, training, community building and community organizing for families and professionals working with young children. Go Kids is creating GK Financial, a fiscal accounting and management service that serves the fiscal needs of nonprofits including budgeting, cost, cash flow and reporting.
Contact Larry Drury: larryd [at] gokids.org
Health Projects Center
Health Projects Center delivers health programs and services to the residents of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. Health Projects Center programs include: the Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center (support services for family caregivers); Central Coast Area Health Education Center (health workforce development and training); and the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (geriatric care management for low income seniors). Health Projects Center is launching a fee-for-service geriatric care management program.
Contact John Beleutz: john [at] hpcn.org
Homeless Services Center
The Homeless Services Center is dedicated to the coordinated provision of services for homeless persons. Established in 1986 in Santa Cruz, Homeless Services Center provides both emergency and transitional services to homeless individuals and families that help enable them to achieve self-sufficiency. Homeless Services Center is creating the “Home Brew” coffee cart to meet the neighborhood demand for coffee as well as provide employment opportunities to struggling adults.
Rancho Cielo is a comprehensive learning and social services center for underserved youth in Monterey County. Bringing together public agencies, community based organizations and concerned citizens, Rancho Cielo’s services include the provision of educational opportunities to students who cannot achieve their academic goals in a traditional school setting, as well as support services, vocational training and job placement services. Rancho Cielo is creating a Property and Community Preservation business. Rancho Cielo will leverage its existing skills and services in providing maintenance to foreclosed and short sale properties.
Contact Susi Brusa: Susie [at] ranchocieloyc.org
Special Kids Crusade
Founded by parents of developmentally disabled children, Special Kids Crusade provides support to children with disabilities and their families. Their goals are achieved through program development, resource networking, media relations, special events, parent & professional trainings, and the provision of support networks and educational advocacy. Special Kids Crusade is developing an IPad &smartphone “App” based on their-already successful curriculum which provides direct adaptive skills coaching for special needs children. Parents will be the target market.
Contact Laura Harris: execdir [at] specialkidscrusade.org
Los Angeles County
California Black Women’s Health Project
California Black Women’s Health Project improves the health of California's Black women and girls through education, policy, outreach and advocacy. “Move, Groove & Grub”, a full service fitness studio offering inexpensive fitness and dance classes paired with healthy food, will help women get in shape and eat better.
Contact Crystal Crawford: crystal [at] cabwhp.org
Community Health Councils
Community Health Councils advocates to increase access to quality healthcare and improve the environment for under-resourced communities through research, policy works, coalition building and community mobilization. CHC will leverage its 20 years of experience in the public health sector by launching a consulting services division for customers such as hospitals and other institutions that require a variety of community assessments.
Great Beginnings for Black Babies promotes the healthy growth and development of babies, children, youth and families in communities of color through community outreach, social support and educational programs. A fee for service version of a previously successful teen pregnancy prevention program, Healthy Alternatives for Youth, will promote responsible sexual behavior and self-esteem in high school students.
Contact Rae Jones: rjones [at] gbbb-la.org
People Who Care Youth Center
People Who Care Youth Center promote self-sufficiency and empowerment of youth, providing an urban haven where young people receive mentoring and tutoring assistance. The Community Assets Restoration Enterprise (C.A.R.E.) will provide repair and maintenance service for foreclosed properties as well as training and employment opportunities for emancipated youth and other unemployed participants.
Contact Connie Watson: cwatson [at] pwcyc.org
Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation
Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation stimulates economic development in South Los Angeles through commercial projects, affordable housing initiatives and business development. The expansion of VSEDC’s Business Enterprise Center, which offers monthly rental leases for individual office space units, will include smaller blocks of time and a variety space options for local entrepreneurs.
Ward Economic Development Corporation operates several affordable housing facilities in Los Angeles and will soon expand to become an in-home-care provider for senior citizens as well. The venture will help elderly and disabled people remain independent on an affordable basis while offering care-providers a promising career path.
West Angeles Development Corporation helps develop communities through meeting acute emergency needs, offering counseling programs and by providing low- and mixed-income housing. WACDC’s financial management service will help low income clients with poor credit improve their credit score by offering credit counseling, budget planning, and credit advocacy.
Contact Tunua Thrash tthrash [at] westangelescdc.org
Child Care Resource Center
Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) runs three successful social enterprise ventures operating including CPR classes, professional development trainings and The Business Center- a design and print service for not- for- profit organizations. CCRC is developing additional ventures and is need of seed capital.
Connections for Children
Connections for Children runs the Early C.A.R.E. Program, a CPR and First Aid training course, in partnership with American Red Cross. It combines CFC’s extensive expertise in child development with a Red Cross approved, full-day CPR and first-aid course. The Early C.A.R.E. Program fulfills basic CPR requirements for infants, toddlers and children, and also meets the licensing regulations for CPR recertification required of child care providers.
Crystal Stairs
Crystal Stairs, Inc. is launching Crystal Clear Solutions (CCS), a social venture to provide outsourced financial management services to not-for-profit organizations. Crystal Clear Solutions’ mission is to help not-for-profit organizations increase their sustainability and manage their costs through financial planning, reporting, accounting and consulting.
Foothills Family Services
Foothill Family Service has been providing in-home assessment and therapeutic services to children 0-5 for more than three decades. ”Bright Beginnings” will serve paying clients, expanding access to the most effective assessment and intervention expertise and generating earned income. In-home child development experts will create and help families to implement a customized plan to optimize their child’s ability to succeed.
Human Services Association
Human Services Association’s Infant Resource Guide is an easy to use a tool that can be utilized by parents, caregivers, foster parents, grandparents and other family members to help enhance their child’s healthy development throughout their first year of life. The Infant Resource Guide supports parents with their child’s healthy development by providing simple and easy to follow activity ideas that are age appropriate.
The Korean American Family Service Center
The Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) has launched a Korean Supervised Visitation (SV) program for Korean families in Los Angeles and surrounding counties. SV is often ordered in cases where the court feels a professional monitor must be present to protect the child’s interest during the non-custodial parent’s visit with his/her child. KAFSC’s SV program is the only option in the greater LA area for Korean children and parents who need bilingual and bicultural professional SV monitors.
LA Child Guidance Center
The Early Intervention Training Institute (EITI) provides frequent, mental health focused trainings to “gatekeepers” who work with children birth to five. Due to the county-wide shift towards evidence-based practices, the aim is to regularly provide mandatory Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) trainings to therapists from county-funded organizations by partnering with the developers of the CPP model in San Francisco or satellite trainers from Chicago. To reduce reliance on distance programs, the program will also work to build CPP trainer capacity in LA County over three years.
SPIRITT
SPIRITT’s Co-Parenting Center provides weekend and evening classes conducted by certified instructors that have proven effective to help parents communicate and effectively parent for the best interest of the children; understand their rights and responsibilities in shared parenting; reduce stress and negative impact of custody issues, resolve family conflict; expedite court proceedings and minimize court costs.
