For more than 30 years, The Regional Access Project Foundation (RAP) Inc. has been a kind of saving grace for Coachella and Palo Verde Valley residents dealing with unmet needs in health, mental health, and juvenile intervention. Moving deeper into 2025, the non-profit organization is garnering attention for being a vital resource for other nonprofits.
“I think a lot of people know us as a grant maker, but what is more impactful is the services we’re providing to organizations to help them do the work they do,” said Leticia De Lara, CEO of RAP Foundation. “Many smaller organizations don’t have the resources to develop their talent or help their organization grow in a smart way.
“We’re providing the tools to help them grow so they don’t have to worry about things,” she added. “They can just focus on the mission.”
To that end, RAP assists in a number of capacities, particularly through its many programs, which aim to empower nonprofits and communities to not just to “survive,” but thrive.
De Lara noted the nonprofit’s impactful grantmaking and its capacity-building support through NPO Centric, another arm that offers key tools and training, which in turn, allows nonprofits to increase sustainability and maximize their impact.
A recent Women’s Giving Fund grant, awarded through the Inland Empire Community Foundation, will further advance RAP’s efforts. De Lara explains that the funding is being overseen by Stephanie Miner, RAP’s Community Development Director, who is dedicated to helping other organizations strengthen their operations.
“Stephanie’s focus has always been capacity building, which is one of the programs we offer at RAP,” De Lara said. “Utilizing the funding to support our capacity-building services and help nonprofits improve their sustainability was the perfect way to use the grant.” 
To streamline its efforts in capacity building and spark greater results, RAP has developed the Results-Based Accountability (RBA) discipline, which aims to improve intricate and oftentimes complex social problems. De Lara said the nonprofit wants to know how well it and its partners are performing so that they can improve their work and reach.
Since its inception, RAP has garnered $50 million in funding and assisted more than 500 non-profit organizations.
“We do take donations, contributions, and sponsorships to support our programs because we’re all about making sure that we can provide these services,” De Lara said. “We like to do things in a creative, innovative way, such as various workshops. We do whatever it takes to be able to reach organizations, even if it’s by Zoom.
“We need a lot of different resources,” she added. “As a nonprofit, it’s all about reinvesting the work and being able to show that our investment is paying off as well. We can demonstrate to our board and our community that we are making a difference with the funding—that it’s a certain dollar amount, and that dollar amount is actually multiplying in terms of impact in the community.”
Another standout program is Coachella Valley Healthy Living, which is designed to improve the health outcomes of SNAP-eligible residents in Coachella Valley. This is primarily done through direct education efforts—classes for adults and children focusing on nutrition, physical activity, and health-related activities, such as cooking and gardening.
These courses are offered in partnership with other social support and government organizations, including other nonprofits, schools, after-school programs, and county and municipal social services programs.
Additionally, the organization’s website allows organizations to apply for various grants.
“The most fulfilling part of my job is being able to make a difference to support the missions of the organizations that are doing the work,” De Lara said.
Learn more at rapfoundation.org
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, July 2025.
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