The grant proposal submission period for the Reconnecting Cenla Program Grant is closed.
The purpose of the Reconnecting Cenla Program Grant is to support local anchor organizations with the creation of community-based systems to identify, recruit and navigate Disconnected Youth to education and/or employment opportunities. Disconnected Youth (also referred to as Opportunity Youth) are young adults ages 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor working.
In recognizing that there is no "one size fits all" approach, the Foundation will rely on funded anchor organizations to build their local community-based system. These systems will also heavily rely on partner organizations to address specific barriers that disconnected youth face when reengaging to education and/or employment services.
Each anchor organization will be responsible for the following activities:
The Reconnecting Cenla Program Grant provides grant awards up to $300,000. The grant term will be up to 36 months, beginning April 1, 2023, and ending March 31, 2026. The Foundation will consider only one application per organization. An agency may be listed as a partner organization in multiple applications, but may only submit one application as an anchor organization.
All funded projects must be offered in The Rapides Foundation's nine-parish service area. Applicants are encouraged to partner with other organizations. Applicants should thoroughly review the Request for Proposals and other key documents included in the Key Materials section (in right column) to see full details, application process and proposal requirements.
Anchor organizations are organizations that have a significant presence, reputation and history within their community and the organizational capacity to implement community-wide partnerships. Eligible anchor organizations for this funding opportunity may include, but are not limited to: community-based organizations; faith-based organizations; not-for-profit postsecondary institutions; and governmental organizations.
Primary applicants (anchor organization or grant fiscal agent) must meet all of the following requirements:
The grant proposal submission period is closed. The Reconnecting Cenla Program Grant consists of a two-stage submission process. The first stage is submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) using The Rapides Foundation's online application process only. Letters of Intent that are approved by the Foundation's Board of Trustees at its September 2022 meeting will then be invited to submit a Full Proposal of their project. To see full details of the LOI and Full Proposal stages, please refer to the Request for Proposals.
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact The Rapides Foundation for guidance before submitting their proposal package. Contact information is located in the right column.
An Informational Webinar about this grant opportunity was held on Thursday, June 16, 2022. To view a recording of the webinar, click the button below.
The presentation from the webinar can be found in the Key Materials section below.
Awarded applicants will be notified of selection on March 3, 2023.
Please review thoroughly before applying.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to schedule a call or meeting with Foundation staff to discuss alignment and feasibility of their Letter of Intent or Full Proposal before submission. Please schedule the meeting at least three weeks before the submission deadline.
For questions related to this funding opportunity, contact:
Matt LaBordeProgram Officer