Caravanserai Project
Supporting change makers along their journeys
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Caravanserai Project [kar-uh–van–se-ray] strives to provide structure, accountability, supply specialized skills and bring together networks of people to help ideas grow and flourish on their own. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which positions itself as a crucible where ideas and experiences are brought together, exchanged and developed in order to promote social innovation and encourage progress. Our goal is to work both with social innovators and change makers – regardless of the stage they are at (explorers as well as more advanced mission driven entrepreneurs) – and support them along their journeys.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
SEED Lab
The Social Entrepreneurship Engagement & Development Lab (SEED Lab) is a 10-month pre-accelerator for early stage social entrepreneurs in Southern California. It aims to tap the deep reservoir of unrecognized talent within marginalized and under-served communities and support their efforts to identify and develop pioneering paths out of inherited problems that have buried and muffled those voices.
The program is designed to support the implementation of visionary ideas into similarly powerful tools to generate social impact, deepen civic engagement, and bring about empowerment and sustainable change. We tackle together various issues related to social entrepreneurship such as clarifying the entrepreneurs’ vision and mission, their branding and messaging strategies, start-up plans, business plans, budgets etc.
The program is open to mission driven non-profit, for profit and hybrid ventures active in wide variety of sectors: health, education, work force training, social justice, food justice, economic empowerment, LGBTQ+, arts and culture etc.
The selection process is highly competitive and includes multiple in-person interviews and a detailed written application form. It involves working directly with every applicant over a period of 3 months.
six on-campus modules (2 days/module)
individual and tailored mentorship and coaching sessions
access to local leaders, captains of various industries and experts
progress monitoring, benchmarks and deliverables
University of California Riverside – Extension Certificate and credits
free participation (donor money)
$15k total program value
Business Readiness Training Program
In 2021, Caravanserai Project launched its Business Readiness Training Program, a 10-workshop program, small group coaching and showcase sessions, which has been offered in Spanish and/or English. In order to address the needs of the unbanked and underbanked entrepreneurs in the region, Caravanserai Project has adopted a comprehensive approach to financial education that includes four pillars: (1) personal and business financial education, (2) financial therapy to address the entrepreneur’s personal trauma and anxiety related to finance, (3) banking education and developing a personal relation of trust with the banks, (4) access to capital from nonrefundable seed investments and grants to loans. This strategy aims to change the mindset of these entrepreneurs and help them envision and build a mid and long-term pathway towards economic mobility and financial independence.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Orange County Inland Empire SBDC 2023
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of organizations applying for grants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our mission is
- to tap the deep reservoir of change makers’ talents within marginalized and underserved communities
- to identify and support emerging change makers develop and establish sustainable and impactful organizations
- to empower advanced social entrepreneurs and their organizations and equip them with the right tools for the future
- to mobilize mission driven leaders to build ecosystems and change the world
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
- support programs for early stage change makers
- masterclasses for advanced CEOs and organizations
- technical assistance program including publications and webinar series
- development of networks of like minded entrepreneurs
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Access to a wide range go in-house expertise, resources and networks.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Two cohorts of early stage entrepreneurs and one to join SEED Lab in the fall of 2020
Multiple masterclass sessions on organizational survival and sustainability
Regular webinars, op-ed etc
Launch of a technical assistance program for non profits
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Caravanserai Project
Board of directorsas of 10/29/2023
Stephen Bennett
Rhett Wilson
White House Historical Association
Susan Gomez
Inland Empire Community Collective
Armetta Parker
Stephen Bennett
Larry Colton
Christopher "Edwin" Hopkins-Gillispie
Lidl
Craig Dougherty
Foundation for The AIDS Monument
Reverend Lorenzo Lebrija
Virginia Theological Seminary/ TryTank Experimental Lab
Nereyda Rodriguez-Loo
1st Bank
DeeDee Towery
ProActive Business Solutions, Inc
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/21/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.