Rubicon Programs

What Rubicon Programs does

Rubicon Programs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization headquartered in Richmond, California, delivering comprehensive anti-poverty programs to low-income and justice-impacted residents across the East Bay. Founded originally around social enterprise activity in the early 1990s (with Rubicon Bakers launched in 1993 and later divested), the organization now operates nine service locations spanning Contra Costa County (Richmond, Concord, Antioch, Reentry Success Center) and Alameda County (Center of Re-Entry Excellence in Oakland and Hayward, AJCC offices), reaching over 2,000 Bay Area residents annually and reporting 2,728 lives impacted in its most recent annual report.

The organization's service model is built on a four-pillar framework covering Assets, Income, Wellness, and Community Connections, delivered through a Foundations Workshop curriculum and the Impact Coach mentorship model that pairs each participant with a dedicated coach for up to three years. Programs include workforce development, WIOA-funded career services, reentry support, pro bono legal representation (record expungement, license reinstatement, court fines), financial coaching and matched-savings incentives, transitional employment, housing referrals, and peer support groups such as the Men's Group and the alumni-led Participant Advisory Board. The Participant Advisory Board functions as a governance and community-initiative body, including a housing project that placed 8 families in permanent housing.

Rubicon generates revenue from a diversified mix of sources: multi-year foundation grants (e.g., a $1 million three-year Community Progress Makers grant from Citi Foundation awarded June 2024), federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act pass-through funding via co-located America's Job Center of California offices, state grants (AB 628 Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative), municipal contracts (e.g., a $180,000 City of Antioch Mayor's Apprenticeship Program contract funded by the American Rescue Plan Act), criminal-justice pass-through grants via the Holistic Intervention Partnership ($6 million BSCC grant), individual donations (including stock gifts, planned giving, and Facebook fundraisers processed via Classy), and corporate cause-marketing partnerships such as The Prisoner Wine Company's 'Corrections' collection. All participant services are delivered free of charge. Rubicon is led by President and CEO Dr. Carole 'DC' Dorham-Kelly, who succeeded prior CEO Jane Fischberg in early 2021.

Name

Rubicon Programs

Legal name

Rubicon Programs

Website

https://rubiconprograms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rubicon Programs is a Richmond, California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers workforce development, reentry, legal aid, and financial-coaching services to over 2,000 low-income and justice-impacted East Bay residents annually across nine Contra Costa and Alameda County locations, funded by foundation grants, government contracts, and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development and Reentry Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Border Management & Humanitarian Border Assistance (BPADAHAL)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Reentry support programs
• Anti-poverty services
• Job training programs
• Legal aid services

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Multi-year restricted and unrestricted grants from corporate and community foundations. Example: $1 million unrestricted Community Progress Makers grant from Citi Foundation spanning three years to support economic opportunity for justice-impacted individuals.
2. Individual Donations: Online and mailed charitable contributions from individuals, with suggested tiers of $50, $100, $200, and $500; includes planned giving (estates, trusts, retirement beneficiary designations), matching gifts, Facebook fundraisers, and stock donations.
3. Government Contracts: Municipal and county service contracts paid via public funding (e.g., City of Antioch $180,000 contract for the Mayor's Apprenticeship Program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act).
4. Workforce Development Funding (WIOA): Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act pass-through funding administered via the California Workforce Development Board and America's Job Center of California (AJCC) offices, used to pay for participant training, certifications, and supportive services.
5. State Grants: State-level workforce grants such as the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative (AB 628) administered by the Foundation for California Community Colleges and the California Workforce Development Board.
6. Public-Safety / Reentry Grant Partnerships: Indirect funding through criminal-justice and reentry grant programs channeled by county partners, e.g., the $6M California Board of State and Community Corrections grant to Contra Costa County's Holistic Intervention Partnership.
7. Corporate Cause-Marketing Donations: Donations derived from corporate cause-marketing initiatives where a portion of product proceeds are directed to Rubicon, e.g., The Prisoner Wine Company's 'Corrections' limited-edition wine collection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Rubicon Programs is a nonprofit social services organization that delivers free, in-person anti-poverty programs for low-income and justice-impacted East Bay residents, including comprehensive workforce development, vocational training, transitional employment, reentry coaching, pro bono legal services (record expungement, license reinstatement, court fines), financial coaching, savings-match incentives, mental wellness programming, and peer support. Services are delivered through nine neighborhood service centers, two Reentry Success Centers, and co-located presences inside AJCC offices and community colleges, sustained for up to three years per participant.

Product overview

Rubicon Programs is a nonprofit social services organization that delivers comprehensive anti-poverty programs across the East Bay of California through a portfolio of specialized programs and service locations, rather than a single unified software product. The organization operates multiple distinct service locations including Rubicon Richmond, Rubicon Concord, Rubicon Antioch, the Reentry Success Center (RSC), the Center of Re-Entry Excellence (CORE) in Oakland, Eden Area AJCC in Hayward, Concord AJCC, and Alameda County Community Based Programs. At the program level, Rubicon offers the Foundations Workshop Series as the core entry-point program covering four focus areas (Assets, Income, Wellness, and Community Connections), the Fresh Success Program at Diablo Valley College, the Rubicon Education Partnership (REP), the Restorative Art Program, the Men's Group, the Participant Advisory Board (PAB), and WIOA workforce development support. Together these locations and programs form an integrated service ecosystem that the organization commits to each participant for up to three years. Adjacent social enterprises include Rubicon Landscape and the former Rubicon Bakers (originally founded in 1993 and later sold).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rubicon Landscape: Social enterprise landscaping program operated by Rubicon Programs (rubiconlandscape.com)
• Reentry Success Center (RSC)
• Center of Re-Entry Excellence (CORE)
• Rubicon Education Partnership (REP)
• Fresh Success

Products and services

• Rubicon Richmond Service Center

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,728 lives impacted (most recent annual report)
• +8 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rotary Club of RichmondcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2023Lead community partner for the Art of Peace Richmond sculpture project at the Reentry Success Center; Rotary member Tom Herriman supported the Participant Advisory Board's family housing initiative that placed 8 families in permanent housing with one year of rent covered.
• Robby Poblete FoundationminorOthers · 29 April 2023Donated decommissioned firearms for the Art of Peace Richmond sculpture, created from guns sourced through previous Richmond buyback programs and California crime evidence.
• Bridge Storage, Arts and EventsminorOthers · 29 April 2023Provided storage and studio space for the Art of Peace Richmond sculpture project created by RSC's Restorative Art Program members.
• City of Antioch (Natural Supplements cannabis social equity program)minorOthers · 25 January 2023Designated as the recipient of Natural Supplements' cannabis business social equity program under a 10-year Antioch operating agreement, supporting workforce services to justice-impacted job seekers affected by the War on Drugs.
• National Basketball Players Association (NBPA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Partnered with The Prisoner Wine Company to promote the Corrections collection benefiting Rubicon Programs, including Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris and other NBA players (CJ McCollum, Malcolm Brogdon, Donovan Mitchell) in the Game Change Game documentary.
• East Bay Leadership CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2022Presenter of the 12th Annual East Bay Philanthropy Awards at which Rubicon's Participant Advisory Board received the Equity In Action Award.
• The Prisoner Wine CompanycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2022Launched the 'Corrections' limited-edition wine collection (2021 Tempranillo, Malbec and Viognier, priced at $225) with a portion of sale proceeds donated to Rubicon Programs. The collection was promoted with NBA players (Tobias Harris, CJ McCollum, Malcolm Brogdon, Donovan Mitchell) and the NBPA via the documentary 'Game Change Game.'
• Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender & Health, Housing, and Homeless Services DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022Partner in the Holistic Intervention Partnership (HIP) that secured a $6 million grant from the California Board of State and Community Corrections to dramatically expand reentry services over three years.
• City of Oakland / Oakland Police CommissionminorOthers · 28 September 2021Rudy Howell, Impact Coach at the Rubicon Education Partnership (REP), was approved by the Oakland City Council as the third justice-impacted member of the Oakland Police Commission since its 2016 establishment.
• San Lorenzo Adult SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2021Co-hosted the Welcome Back Outdoor Resource/Job Fair on October 5, 2021 with over 30 community partners, the first in-person event at the school since late 2019. The two organizations have collaborated for eight years to provide job skills training and employment resources.
• ACLU of Northern CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2017Co-plaintiff with Rubicon Programs in Rubicon Programs v. Superior Court, the first California lawsuit challenging driver's license suspension for unpaid traffic fines. Settled in August 2017 against Solano County Superior Court.
• Bay Area Legal AidcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 8 August 2017Co-counsel and co-plaintiff with Rubicon in the driver's license suspension lawsuit; represented Rubicon and Henry Washington in litigation against Solano County Superior Court.
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay AreaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 8 August 2017Co-counsel in Rubicon Programs v. Superior Court; published the 2017 report 'Paying More for Being Poor: Bias and Disparity in California's Traffic Court System' supporting the case.
• Diablo Valley College (DVC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRubicon operates the Fresh Success program on the DVC campus, where a Rubicon Impact Coach (LaReese Stitts-Hunt) helps community college students enroll in CalFresh, obtain transportation stipends, and receive free textbooks.
• Contra Costa County Public Defender's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint operator of Clean Slate Day events at the Heart of Richmond Park, providing record-clearing services, government identification, drug rehabilitation referrals, and traffic violation help. Expunged records of 93 people in the April 2022 event.
• Constant & True (artist agency for Chris Burnett)minorOthersIndirect partner providing LA-based artist Chris Burnett whose illustrations appear on The Prisoner Wine Company 'Corrections' labels benefitting Rubicon Programs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing immediate, paid transitional employment and career development to people returning home from incarceration. Operates the same reentry-to-workforce model as Rubicon, making it the closest direct peer at greater scale.
• The Fortune Society: New York-based nonprofit offering comprehensive reentry services including workforce development, housing, health care, and legal aid under a holistic model that closely mirrors Rubicon's four-pillar, multi-year approach to justice-impacted individuals.
• The Doe Fund: New York nonprofit providing paid transitional employment (Ready, Willing & Able program), workforce training, housing, and reentry support. Highly comparable holistic, transitional-employment-plus-wraparound-services model to Rubicon's Ambassador-style transitional employment.
• Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC): California statewide nonprofit supporting formerly incarcerated people through reentry services, policy advocacy, and leadership development. Directly comparable to Rubicon's reentry work, particularly its policy advocacy footprint and Oakland Police Commission-level civic engagement.
• Center for Living and Learning: Northern California nonprofit providing reentry services, workforce development, and transitional employment for formerly incarcerated individuals. Directly comparable to Rubicon's Reentry Success Center in mission, geography, and wraparound service model.
• A New Way of Life: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing housing, reentry support, and advocacy for women exiting incarceration. Comparable to Rubicon's Center of Re-Entry Excellence in offering wraparound reentry services with a justice-impacted leadership and lived-experience model.

Broad incumbents

• United Way Bay Area (SparkPoint Centers): Regional funder and operator of SparkPoint financial coaching and integrated services centers across the Bay Area. Comparable to Rubicon's financial coaching, public benefits enrollment, and savings-match incentive components within a broader regional anti-poverty umbrella.
• Goodwill Industries International: National umbrella for the Goodwill network operating workforce development, reentry, and disability employment programs at much greater scale. Comparable in mission and social-enterprise model (transitional employment) to Rubicon, though far larger and broader in scope.

Regional players

• JobTrain: San Mateo County-based nonprofit offering workforce development, vocational training, and supportive services to low-income residents on the Peninsula. Comparable as a Bay Area workforce development peer, though geographically separate from Rubicon's East Bay footprint.
• Goodwill of the Greater East Bay: Regional Goodwill affiliate operating workforce development, retail-based transitional employment, and reentry programs across the East Bay. Comparable to Rubicon in both geography (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) and service mix, with a larger retail-funded footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RubiconPrograms
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RubiconProgramsInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/RubiconPrograms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rubicon-programs
• Instagraminstagram.com/RubiconPrograms

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rubicon Programs