Redwood Region RISE Meeting Materials

Upcoming Meetings

Next Quarterly Collaborative Meeting (Q3, 2025): Thursday, August 28 from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Cadence: Every quarter
Location: Zoom (we'll add the Zoom link here closer to the meeting)

Save the Date: We're thrilled to be meeting in person for our Q4 Quarterly Collaborative Meeting on November 5, 2025 in Lake County (venue = TBD). We'll have limited travel & lodging scholarships available and will be reaching out with more information in the coming months.

- Scroll down for meeting recaps & resources -

Tracking Our Progress: Quarterly Collaborative Meetings

The Redwood Region RISE Collaborative, a coalition of 150+ organizations representing communities across Tribal Lands Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties, has transitioned from monthly Planning Phase meetings (March 2023-September 2024) to quarterly Implementation Phase gatherings. These Implementation meetings, alternating between online and in-person formats, are a space for our Collaborative to provide updates on Redwood Region RISE's progress on our equity-focused and climate-forward economic development priorities. Everyone is encouraged to listen in. Meeting recordings, recaps, and materials are available below.

Redwood Region RISE - Calendar

Upcoming Events

See all events

Find RRRISE's Planning Phase Meeting Materials

The Redwood Region RISE Collaborative hosted monthly planning meetings from March 2023 to September 2024, engaging 150+ member organizations and several thousand residents to develop grassroots economic strategies (our 10-year data-driven, community-led "Regional Roadmap") for the region.

How we got there? Check out our Planning Phase meeting recordings, agendas, and slide decks through the button below.

Explore our Planning Phase Meeting Materials

Quarterly Implementation Collaborative Meeting Recaps

Please note that the meeting recordings below include optimized closed captioning. Select the 'CC' icon to enable it.

Third Quarterly Collaborative Meeting (Zoom)

Friday, June 27, 2025 - 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
AGENDA
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Meeting Recap

Redwood Region RISE (RRRISE) held its second quarterly Collaborative meeting of 2025 on June 27th, focusing on the region's Health and Caregiving sector. The virtual session brought together our Collaborative bodies, regional partners, and community leaders to review progress on our Collaborative's implementation efforts, and spotlight innovative workforce development initiatives.

Key Updates and Milestones

Semi-Annual Progress Report Highlights: RRRISE reported significant progress aligned with our Theory of Change through the first half of 2025, including the awarding of $9 million in Catalyst Fund grants to 10 initiatives from 66 applications requesting approximately $57 million. RRRISE's Sector Investment Coordinators 'finalized' Sector Activation Plans as (ever-evolving) collaborative implementation guides and strengthened partnership infrastructure through a RRRISE Resource Toolkit, Partner Directory, and technical assistance for project proponents in the region.

Projects Map Launch: Our brand new Projects Map transitioned from spreadsheet format to a dynamic, interactive platform. The opt-in system allows qualifying regional projects to showcase their work and connect with potential collaborators and funders. 

Explore Projects Map Join the Projects Map

Catalyst Funds Outcomes: RRRISE's $9 million Catalyst Fund awarded 10 innovative initiatives across five key areas: strengthening food systems, climate-forward workforce development, Tribal energy sovereignty, healthcare workforce growth, and arts and culture for resilience. These pre-development awards are designed to help projects build capacity, develop partnerships, and prepare for larger-scale implementation and funding opportunities.

Explore our Catalyst Projects

Health & Caregiving Sector Deep Dive

North Coast Health Improvement and Information Network (NCHIIN), serving as our Health and Caregiving Sector Investment Coordinator team, presented comprehensive data on regional healthcare workforce challenges. Key findings highlighted persistent shortages of nurses, behavioral health professionals, and allied health workers, with healthcare expenses accounting for 43% of median income and 59% of residents reporting inadequate access to childcare.

NCHIIN outlined strategic solutions including expanding educational pathways, workforce development programs, and infrastructure investments. The presentation detailed current and planned educational offerings across K-12, community colleges, and four-year institutions, emphasizing "grow our own" workforce development approaches.

Spotlight: HEART Hub Project

The meeting featured an in-depth presentation on the Healthcare Education and Regional Training Hub (HEART Hub) in Lake County, one of the Catalyst Fund recipients. Led by the Lake County Economic Development Corporation, this innovative project will establish a county-wide learning center serving students from grades 5-8 through adult learners.

HEART Hub has secured $1 million in initial funding, including $650,000 from the RRRISE Catalyst Fund and a $1 million in-kind property donation from Sutter Lakeside Hospital. The project aims to train up to 1,000 high school and adult learners annually while introducing over 4,500 students to healthcare careers.

Learn More About HEART Hub

Looking Forward

Check our Calendar

Second Quarterly Collaborative Meeting (Zoom)

Thursday, March 27, 2025 - 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
AGENDA
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Meeting Recap

Catalyst Awards: Anticipation and Careful Consideration

Our March 27 Quarterly Collaborative Meeting was buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming RRRISE Catalyst Awards. While the announcement is just around the corner, our Voting Members are taking a meticulous approach to selecting a balanced portfolio with the most impactful projects for our region's future.

State Economic Blueprint: A Collaborative Vision

The State launched its Economic Blueprint, a first-of-its-kind 10-year economic plan that includes input from all 13 regional Collaboratives. This innovative blueprint strategically categorizes industries into four key sectors. Check out the visual

State Economic Blueprint at a Glance

Exciting Funding Opportunities

The State launched two California Jobs First funding opportunities:

1. State Implementation RFP

  • Total Funding: $125 million for "shovel-ready" projects
  • Focus Areas: Aerospace & Defense, Clean Economy, and High-Tech
  • Competitive Funding: Targeting Accelerate and Bet sectors

2. Tribal Investment Funding RFP

  • Total Funding: $15 million in competitive grants
  • Grant Amounts: Up to $1 million for individual Tribes, $2 million for Tribal Consortia
  • Focus: Economic development, job creation, and climate resilience
  • Application Deadlines:
    • Round 1: April 30, 2025
    • Round 2: March 13, 2026

RRRISE Catalyst Pre-Development Fund Updates

We're getting very close to announce our Catalyst Pre-Development Fund Awardees:

  • Total Project Proposals Received: 66
  • Total Funding Requests: Approximately $57 million
  • Thorough Review: Top 32 Project Proponents have been invited to showcase their initiatives
  • Decision Timeline: Voting Members to make the final selection in early April

Meet Our Sector Investment Coordinators

Our dedicated team of Sector Investment Coordinators stands ready to support project development across critical sectors:

Financial Snapshot

  • Total RRRISE Implementation Budget: $14 Million
    • Fiscal Administration: $1.5 Million
    • Regional Convener: $2 Million
    • Sector Investment Coordinators: $1.5 Million
    • Catalyst Projects: $9 Million
  • Current Spending: Approximately 4%
  • Stipend Budget: $20,199 spent out of $100,000

Review our new Stipend Policy here

Upcoming Events & Meetings

  • Catalyst Awardees Announcement: Early April
  • April 2: Economic Development Finance WG Expert Session
  • April 11: Equity Council + Tribal Table Joint Session
  • April 16: Economic Development Finance WG Expert Session

Check out our Calendar

First Quarterly Collaborative Meeting (Zoom)

Thursday, November 21, 2024 - 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
AGENDA
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Meeting Recap

At its November 21, 2024 first Quarterly Collaborative Meeting, that was interpreted realtime into Spanish, Redwood Region RISE outlined major developments in their Implementation Phase and announced several key initiatives. At the top of the meeting, the RRRISE Convening Team thanked North Coast Opportunities (NCO) and True North Organizing Network (TNON) for their valuable outreach efforts throughout the Planning Phase. 

Implementation: Shift to Action & Strategies

The Convening Team reminded everyone of changes to its operations as it has moved from Planning to Implementation. The team’s convening budget has been reduced from $5 million during Planning to $2 million in Implementation, reflecting a focus on action-oriented collaboration and strategy resourcing using the Collective Impact Model. RRRISE has set up a regular meeting schedule to support this work. Quarterly sessions will alternate between virtual and in-person formats. Governing bodies will meet quarterly, while the Leadership Team (including the Voting Members' Executive Committee, Sector Investment Coordinators, and the Convening Team) will meet monthly to keep things on track. Take a look at our calendar here.

Catalyst Pre-development Request for Proposal

Central to the meeting was the launch of the $9M Catalyst Pre-development Request For Proposal (RFP) on November 18, focusing on exploratory and near-implementation-ready projects that align with the RRRISE Regional Roadmap.

The RFP process, with applications due January 15, 2025, will be evaluated by up to 30 Project Scorers (compensated $1,500 each) using a rubric developed by the Equity Council and Voting Members (see Appendix B in the Request For Proposal). Scoring emphasizes feasibility, equity, economic development, and environmental impact, with additional points for priority community leadership and partnerships. Technical assistance is available through ccrp@humboldt.edu, with Fiscal Agent North Edge to provide budget guidelines through an FAQ document that will be shared shortly.

Regional Strategies informing a State Blueprint and Activation Plans

The meeting also introduced the State Blueprint 2025-2035, which consolidates strategic priorities from California Jobs First's 13 economic development regions. This comprehensive plan from the State aims to streamline regional economic development efforts to create family-sustaining jobs across California. On our end, four Sector Investment Coordinators (Arts, Culture, and Tourism; Health and Caregiving; Renewable and Resilient Energy; and Working Lands and Blue Economy) are developing Activation Plans to operationalize our Regional Plan Part 2 (our regional strategies). One draft Activation Plan is due January 31, 2025, and final plans for all four sectors are due June 30, 2025.

Last, but not least

Additional announcements included ongoing Public Comment for the Regional Roadmap through December 1, 2024, and the next in-person Quarterly Collaborative Meeting scheduled for February 27-28, 2025, with accommodations and travel support provided. To facilitate ongoing regional collaboration, a new online Partner Directory has been introduced.