About Your Application

Organization(s) name(s):

Fallen Fruit from Rising Women, Crossroads, Inc, Scripps College

Organization(s) website(s):

www.fallenfruitfromrisingwomen.org

Organization(s) twitter handle(s):

https://twitter.com/RisingWomenCA

Organization(s) facebook handle(s):

https://www.facebook.com/fallenfruitfromrisingwomen

Describe Your Organization(s)

Non-profit organization

For-profit organization

Government

Other (please specify below):

In one sentence, please describe what your organization does.

:

We are collaborative social enterprise between Scripps College (the women's college of Claremont) and Crossroads (a transitional home for formerly incarcerated women); we make jams and jellies from locally donated back yard fruit.

In one to three sentences, please describe your proposal.

:

Picking local fruit that would otherwise go to waste, Crossroads residents and Claremont college students produce jams from seasonal fruit and use the profits to fund our larger food justice program. We would like to expand our program by establishing a co-op model and developing our pilot Social Entrepreneurs Academy into two concrete program for Crossroads graduates. The programs will help the women build business and financial literacy while offering economic opportunities for graduates.

Where will you be working? Please be specific (e.g. Third Street Middle School; Boyle Heights; LA County).

Central LA

East LA

San Gabriel Valley

San Fernando Valley

South LA

Westside

South Bay

Antelope Valley

County of Los Angeles (countywide)

City of Los Angeles (citywide)

LAUSD

Other (please specify below):

(e.g. Third Street Middle School; Boyle Heights; LA County):

Claremont, CA and the immediate surrounding area

How do you plan to use these resources to make change? (check all that apply)

Conduct research

Engage residents and stakeholders

Implement a pilot or new project

Expand a pilot or program

Mobilize for systems change

Advocate with policymakers and leaders

Implement and track policy

Other (please specify below):

:

Advocate for change with future policymakers and leaders

How will your proposal improve the following “Live” metrics? (check all that apply)

Access to healthy food

Healthcare access

Exposure to air toxins

Number of households below the self-sufficiency index

Percent of imported water

Obesity rates

Housing affordability

Rates of homelessness

Walk/bike/transit score

Acres and miles of polluted waterways

Rates of mental illness

Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (Dream Metric)

Percentage of LA communities that are resilient (Dream Metric)

Percentage of residents receiving coordinated healthcare services (Dream Metric)

Percentage of tree canopy cover (Dream Metric)

Describe in greater detail how you will make LA the healthiest place to live.

:

The number of incarcerated women nationwide has increased almost 650% in the last 30 years; in California alone the women's prison population is almost double what the nationwide women's prison population was in 1970.

Our project directly benefits the larger community of Los Angeles County by helping women who have been recently released from prison to become healthy and engaged citizens and discourage recidivism. Our collaborative program creates opportunities for Crossroads residents, and with this grant we will create opportunities for Crossroads program graduates.

Since 1974, Crossroads has been providing services to women in Los Angeles County recently released from prison. Their primary goal is to empower formerly incarcerated women by teaching new skills and to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency. Crossroads is run by women and for women. In addition, Scripps College is an all women’s college. Empowering women is a core part of the mission of Fallen Fruit from Rising Women. Formerly incarcerated women are a group of homeless women with significant and multi-layered needs. In terms of socioeconomic status, the women who come to Crossroads are generally destitute. In the past five years, almost all of Crossroads residents have served a life sentence. The average length of stay for residents who served a life sentence was 23.4 years. The six-month Residential Program through Crossroads serves about 34 formerly incarcerated women per year. Immediately upon release they are able to participate in Fallen Fruit from Rising Women programs which help the women build job and interpersonal skills. Crossroads graduates continue to work and live in Los Angeles County. Many are able to reunite with family and, as a result of our program, now have significant work experience (even those women who served over 20 years in prison.) With help from this grant, we will expand our services to include more support for the women who have graduated from the residential program. The primary goal of our enterprise is to provide opportunities for formerly incarcerated women. Our enterprise provides valuable job training, acclimates women to society outside of prison, and fosters entrepreneurial thinking. With the development of a co-op model and formal education in entrepreneurship, we are paving the way for those who have been incarcerated to find meaningful employment, create their own opportunities, and see themselves as agents of change.

Please explain how you will evaluate your work.

:

Our main outcome is whether a woman completes the six-month program (and does not return to prison). Through Crossroads, we also measure success by monitoring specific benchmarks which include: length of time in our program, completion of program, discharge from parole, obtainment of employment, length of time maintaining employment, and lifestyle changes (new friends, interests, sobriety). We also pay close attention to other milestones which include a woman re-uniting with her family or continuing her education.

With the establishment of the co-op and Social Entrepreneurs Academy, we will measure success by the number of Crossroads graduates who choose to opt-in to the co-op, participate in the academy, and obtain outside job opportunities. We will also measure our success by evaluating the continued profitability of Fallen Fruit from Rising Women and its ability to sustain lucrative employment opportunities for co-op members.

How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed? (check all that apply)

Money (financial capital)

Volunteers/staff (human capital)

Publicity/awareness (social capital)

Infrastructure (building/space/vehicles, etc.)

Education/training

Technical infrastructure (computers, etc.)

Community outreach

Network/relationship support

Quality improvement research

Other (please specify below):

Discussion

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