Ranjani Mohana - The Certification Lady

FY2025 BUILD_RAISE GRANT AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY USDOT💲💲💲 Interesting results for California, which again did not receive its fair share of federal funding support. What happened and how do we know? 🤔 ➡️ FY25 Round 1 Award Allocations for RAISE = $ 1,320,000,000 (Biden Admin) ➡️ FY25 Round 2 Award Allocations for BUILD_RAISE = $ 488,100,000 (Trump Admin) Awarded Projects: https://lnkd.in/gbd-DjD8 As the state with the largest population (at 11.93% of the U.S.), Californians should reasonably expect to receive roughly 12% of the funding from these grant awards. WHY? 🤔 California pays significantly more in federal taxes than it receives back in federal support, making it a "donor state". California contributes roughly $83 billion more per year than it receives in federal support - which is nearly three times the amount of the next largest donor state, New Jersey.  Source: https://lnkd.in/guW9263E What happened with the FY25 BUILD_RAISE Project Awards? 🤔 ➡️ FY25 Round 1 Award Allocations for RAISE = California was awarded 10 projects totaling $120,369,720 – equal to 9.12% of the total award amounts ➡️ FY25 Round 2 Award Allocations for BUILD_RAISE = California was awarded 1 project totaling $22,480,000 – equal to 4.61% of the total award amounts Even though California continues to be the country’s lead donor state and is now the 4th largest economy in the world, it continues to receive far less than its fair share of federal funding support. 🤷‍♂️ Source: https://lnkd.in/g2iFjb_7 #raisegrants #buildgrants #federalfunding #localgovernments #iija #BILfunding #fairshare #federalgrants #federaladvocacy

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As Chair of the Workforce Development Board’s Performance and Evaluation Committee, it is deeply rewarding to hear directly from our provider partners and to approve funding focused on empowering dislocated workers, youth, veterans, people with disabilities, justice-impacted individuals, farmworkers, and other underserved communities. During our discussion on AI training, I emphasized that as we equip individuals with AI skills, we must also be intentional about how AI is trained to understand and reflect the lived experiences of underserved communities. This cannot be a one-way transfer of technical knowledge. Our goal is not just AI literacy, but ethical, responsible, and human-centered AI adoption. That means teaching eco-prompting, mindful use of AI, and critical thinking about bias, access, and impact. When done well, this approach helps ensure AI becomes a tool for inclusion and economic mobility—rather than one that unintentionally reinforces existing inequities. Human-centered design must remain at the core of workforce development as we prepare people for the future of work. #linkedintopvoices #allyship #ai #tech #humancentereddesign #humanresources #deib #lgbtq #transgender #genderdiverse #gendernonbinary #humanrights #leadership  #healthequity #genderequity #entrepreneurs #inclusiveai

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One resource I consistently recommend to California nonprofits: the California Grants Portal. After almost a decade in grant writing, it stands out as one of the strongest state-centralized grants portal I’ve encountered. It’s intuitive, comprehensive, and genuinely useful, and is highlighted as a core tool in my California-based nonprofit trainings. If your organization is interested in #StateGrants, this is an excellent first stop. #NonprofitLeadership #GrantWriting #CapacityBuilding

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Celebrating this Win for Nevada - Every 1% increase in entrepreneurial activity in a state correlates with a 2% decline in poverty. Shoutout to Evan Haddad and Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development office for sharing this exciting press release! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2025 Contact: Evan Haddad Public Information Officer Nevada Becomes Founding State of “America the Entrepreneurial” Initiative CARSON CITY, Nev. – Today, the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and its Office of Entrepreneurship are announcing Nevada’s inclusion as a Founding State of America the Entrepreneurial, a national movement to celebrate and expand entrepreneurship ahead of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026. The effort, created by the national nonprofit Right to Start, recognizes that every entrepreneur in the nation has the right to forge their own destiny. “Innovation thrives when entrepreneurs have clear pathways, strong support systems, and access to the right resources,” said Melissa Saavedra, director of the Office of Entrepreneurship. “As a Founding State, Nevada is reinforcing the right to start a business by investing in policies and programs focused on removing barriers, expanding opportunity, and empowering entrepreneurs in every corner of the state to turn ideas into lasting economic impact.” “We’re excited to have Nevada as a Founding State of America the Entrepreneurial,” said Kim Lane, executive director of America the Entrepreneurial and chief operating officer of Right to Start. “We’ve worked closely with the Office of Entrepreneurship within the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, which is a national leader in advancing the cause of entrepreneurship. Nevada is now adding yet another key dimension to its national leadership on entrepreneurship.” Small businesses play a significant role in Nevada’s economy, accounting for 99% of all businesses in the state. According to UNLV Center for Business and Economic Research as of 2024, 40% of all businesses operating in the state of Nevada with employees were created after the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2022, small businesses with one to 500 employees made up 45% of total private employment in the state, up from 42% prior to the pandemic. Nationally, new and young businesses create most net job growth in the U.S. Every 1% increase in entrepreneurial activity in a state correlates with a 2% decline in poverty.

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Proud to share big news from Goodwill SoCal! 🙌 We’ve secured two new public grants to expand our impact in the San Gabriel Valley: ✅ SGV Council of Governments Works Program – Connecting adults with transitional jobs, apprenticeships, training, and case management. ✅ City of Rosemead CDBG Funding – Helping unemployed residents find work and hosting 4 job fairs in the year ahead. Grateful to our partners for believing in our mission to transform lives through the power of work. This is what community impact looks like. 👉 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gV7B549c #GoodwillSoCal #SGVWorks #Rosemead #JobPlacement #WorkforceDevelopment #Workforce #CommunityPartnerships #TransformingLivesThroughThePowerOfWork

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