The Catalyst RFP submission period, which opened October 15 and closed December 15, was a resounding success, with several projects coming in just under the wire to bring the total project submissions to 47. The enthusiastic response means we expect to fully deploy the available funding to the many worthwhile projects that applied in the first round.
To further break down the 47 projects and give you a sense of the broad reach and impact of the Sierra Jobs First initiative, the projects included:
- 20 westside-focused projects
- 15 eastside-focused projects
- 12 regional projects
- 13 projects had tribal participation or a tribal letter of support
Applications addressed the following target industries as their primary:
- 15 Sustainable Rec & Tourism
- 6 Sustainable Ag & Food Systems
- 6 Natural & Working Lands
- 5 Clean Energy & Energy Resilience
- 4 Community Healthcare
*11 focused solely on Foundational Elements (all 6 represented)
Projects addressed the following foundational elements as their primary:
- 17 Workforce Development and Education
- 13 Small Business & Entrepreneurship
- 15 Physical Infrastructure
- 6 Land Use & Tenure
- 6 Social & Civic Infrastructure
- 4 Housing & Placemaking
*Some applications addressed multiple Foundational Elements
Between all the projects, just over $22 million was requested, meaning the Project Identification subcommittee and Governing Council will have their work cut out for them in Q1 of 2025 to determine the best way to allocate the $9M in available funding to best serve the Sierra region.