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Twelve Nonprofits to Compete for $70,000 at ‘Desert Fast Pitch’
Tickets Now on Sale for RAP Foundation’s ‘Shark Tank’-Style Contest on Oct. 2, 2025

Twelve Coachella Valley nonprofits are polishing their best three-minute pitches and getting ready to spar — with kindness, of course — for a share of $70,000 in grants at this year’s Desert Fast Pitch, the RAP Foundation’s fast-paced, ‘Shark Tank’-style showdown.

Every nonprofit will walk away with at least $1,000 and the benefit of a seven-week boot camp in leadership, storytelling, marketing, and fundraising. But the real action begins in September, when the field is trimmed to six contenders who will face the lights and the clock at UCR Palm Desert on Thursday, October 2, 2025, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The top prize? A cool $20,000 and plenty of bragging rights.

This year’s lineup spans causes as diverse as the valley itself: 4ShayJ Foundation, COFEM, Friends of the Children–Coachella Valley, Grandparents Love, Greater Palm Springs Tourism Foundation, HARC Inc., Hanson House Foundation, Integrated Learning Institute, SafeHouse of the Desert, The Exception, Tools for Tomorrow, and We Can Fish.

Presented through the RAP Foundation’s NPO Centric program, Desert Fast Pitch has spent over a decade turning local nonprofits into fundraising heavyweights while giving civic leaders and philanthropists a front-row seat to grassroots passion in action.

On October 2, six finalists will make their case before more than 300 community leaders, philanthropists, and business owners — with only three minutes to prove why their mission deserves the spotlight. Judges will award $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000 for first, second, and third place, while the audience gets its say with a $5,000 “people’s choice” award. Additional cash prizes sweeten the pot, and an inspirational speaker sponsored by First 5 Riverside County Children & Families Commission will round out the evening.

“Desert Fast Pitch equips nonprofits with more than just grant dollars. It gives them the tools to inspire action,” said Leticia De Lara, Executive Director of the RAP Foundation. “This program helps leaders build confidence, strengthen their networks, and refine their message so they can rally the community around their cause and secure the resources they need to grow.”

Tickets are $35 and are expected to sell out faster than you can say “elevator pitch.” They’re available now at Eventbrite.

For more about the RAP Foundation, visit www.rapfoundation.org.