CJF Catalyst Phase RFP

Grant Opportunity

The California Jobs First Los Angeles Collaborative is an economic development initiative seeking to center disinvested communities in economic development planning. The collaborative is now moving into a new phase of work - The Catalyst Predevelopment Phase - which aims to seed investment into regional strategies and to predevelop projects that drive innovation, growth, and community impact. The LA Collaborative was awarded $9 million by the State of California Employment Development Department for project predevelopment activities that advance strategies set forth in LA Regional Plan Part II. For more information on the LA Collaborative, California Jobs First, and the Catalyst Predevelopment Phase, please see the Preliminary Catalyst Predevelopment Phase Timeline and Criteria document available on the CJF LA Collaborative’s website. 

To be eligible, lead applicants for the Catalyst RFP must have submitted the L.A. County California Jobs First Onboarding Form by Monday, January 27, 2025.  You can view the public list of entities that completed onboarding to the LA HRTC/LA Jobs First Collaborative by the Catalyst RFP deadline. For additional questions about onboarding, including confirmation about whether you have been onboarded with the collaborative, please contact: cerf@laedc.org 

  • Submission Deadline: Monday, March 10, 2025, 5:00 PM 

  • Submission Instructions: Submit application materials via the Catalyst Submission Form 

  • Application Questions: Send questions to CCF-CERF@calfund.org no later than February 6, 2025, 5:00 PM 

  • Award Information: $9 million funding opportunity aligned with the LA Regional Plan for a minimum of 22 projects.

  • Before you submit: Review the Catalyst RFP Check List to ensure your project meets all the eligibility requirements

 

Catalyst Request for Proposal 

The California Community Foundation (CCF), which serves as the LA Collaborative’s Fiscal Agent, is soliciting proposals in response to Request for Proposals (RFP) No. CJF-Catalyst-01 to fund innovative projects that promote economic resilience, equitable growth, and workforce development across high-growth industries. This RFP seeks to support programs that align with CJF’s core goals of creating quality jobs, advancing sustainability, and prioritizing disinvested communities throughout Los Angeles County.  

All proposals must be received via the LA Jobs First Catalyst Project Proposal Submission Form no later than 5:00 PM (Pacific Time), March 10, 2025.  

Technical Assistance for Applicants

Making our procurement process as accessible and friendly as possible is a priority. We want your experience to be clear, efficient, and welcoming, no matter what sector your organization serves. We especially welcome organizations that are new to contracting with CCF - we are so glad you are here. Through individual appointments and weekly office hours, our Sector Investment Coordinator will provide informal opportunities for potential applicants to seek guidance on how they can tailor their proposal to be competitive. This technical assistance will go beyond general RFP compliance and provide an opportunity for applicants from under-represented communities or those with little experience applying for state grant funding to build their capacity for a successful RFP response. Please note that technical assistance will be provided by SIC staff who are not directly involved in the development of the RFP or in scoring responses. The technical assistance will be delivered via two methods:

  • Direct Technical Assistance by Appointment– Applicants may submit a request for a virtual technical assistance appointment by filling out the intake form HERE. The SIC TA team will review submissions and reach out with relevant resources, answers to questions, or schedule a 1:1 appointment. Should you encounter any issues with the form, please email your request to CCF-CERF@calfund.org directly.
  • Technical Assistance Virtual Office Hours – Applicants are welcome to join/drop by weekly office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to seek guidance on their proposals. The SIC TA team will provide a brief overview of RFP requirements and then open the meeting for questions from the group. Please note that office hours are meant to be group sessions open to any and all applicants.
    • Tuesdays starting from February 11 to March 4 2:00-3:00 pm PT – Link to join
    • Thursdays starting from February 13 to March 6 4:00-5:00 pm PT – Link to join

For FAQ and general RFP guidance, please review our Catalyst Q&A's below and submit questions via email to CCF-CERF@calfund.org

Webinar Overview California Jobs First (3)

View recordings and slide deck for the Proposal Conferences

Webinar Overview California Jobs First (4)

You are welcome to submit your questions on the Catalyst RFP via email at CCF-CERF@calfund.org with the subject line “CJF-Catalyst-01 – Question(s)” until 5:00 PM (Pacific Time), February 6, 2025.  

Please include your name and title, the name of your organization and the best telephone number to reach you, if a CCF representative needs to speak with you for further clarification. Please check back regularly for updated questions and answers. Final answers will be posted no later than February 13, 2025, 5:00PM (Pacific Time).  

 

Access the Community Hub

The SIC has created a virtual community hub on Discourse to: 

  1. Enable a virtual platform for collaborative partners to connect with each other, ask questions, and get feedback that will result in the best possible Catalyst Project Proposal 
  2. Centralize the location of various RFP-related resources 
  3. Encourage Catalyst program applicants to join with their peers in discussion on potential collaborations.  

There are four discussion boards which you can find on the navigation pane on the left side of the screen: 

  1. General – Welcome and landing page with rules and guidelines for engagement 
  2. Partner Connections – an interactive forum where applicants can form project partnerships.  
  3. Proposal Development Resources – a resource library and interactive forum where applicants can access additional tools to support their responses and share their own. 
  4. Site Feedback – an interactive forum where members can share suggestions to improve the functionality of the community hub. 

If you have any questions about navigating the community hub, please feel free to reach out by email to CCF-CERF@calfund.org or message the community hub administrators by using the “DM” tool on the Discourse page. 

Please note that it is optional for applicants to join the platform.  

Additional Resources