Nearly $3 Million in Grants Awarded to 60 Nonprofit Organizations in the LA2050 Grants Challenge, at Gathering of 100+ Los Angeles Social Impact Leaders

The Goldhirsh Foundation connected a coalition of nine Los Angeles-area foundations who made the grants. Speakers at the event, dubbed the LA2050 Grantee Showcase, included Michael D. Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps; LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis; and News Not Noise founder Jessica Yellin

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 100 social impact leaders gathered together today at the Hammer Museum in order to honor and encourage 60 outstanding Los Angeles-area nonprofit organizations during the culminating event of the 2024 LA2050 Grants Challenge. The 60 nonprofits were awarded a total of $2,915,000 in grants.

The nonprofits are as different and powerful as Los Angeles itself, offering services ranging from digital literary training to older adults (Bridge The Digital Divide), to mixed martial arts training for at-risk youth to promote physical health while also building resilience and confidence (A Fighting Chance), to three-time grantee The Tiyya Foundation and its Michelin Bib-Gourmand restaurant and catering company, Flavors From Afar, which enabling refugees and immigrants to thrive in their new communities through job placement and workforce readiness.

The nearly $3 million in grants came from a coalition of funding partners: Goldhirsh Foundation, who run the LA2050 Grants Challenge; Annenberg Foundation, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Snap Foundation, John N. Calley Foundation, Elbaz Family Foundation; and joining the Grants Challenge for the first time, both the R&S Kayne Foundation and the Fox Foundation.

Speakers at the event today, known as the "LA2050 Grantee Showcase," included Michael D. Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps; Tara Roth, president of the Goldhirsh Foundation; Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis; California State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas; and Lucia Knell, co-author of the New York Times best-selling book, Upworthy: Good People. Chief Service Officer for the State of California Josh Fryday provided a video message. Jessica Yellin, founder of the nonprofit News Not Noise, served as emcee.

A panel, "Building Community Through Volunteerism," was moderated by AmeriCorps' Smith and featured the insights of a quartet of nonprofit executives: Helen Leung, Executive Director, LA Más; Quan Huynh, Executive Director, Southern California, Defy Ventures; and Romel Pascual, Executive Director, CicLAvia.

"The LA2050 Grants Challenge exemplifies our commitment to creatively and collectively deploying financial, social, and human capital," said Tara Roth, president of the Goldhirsh Foundation. "Year after year, I am impressed by how participatory and collaborative the Grants Challenge is, and by the pathbreaking ideas and strategies Angelenos are undertaking to make positive change."

The LA2050 Grants Challenge is an annual participatory grantmaking program, funding ideas to make Los Angeles the best place to connect, create, learn, live, and play.  The theme of this year's Grants Challenge was volunteerism. The campaign slogan – "Who Can? YOU Can!" – underscored the importance of individuals contributing their time, talents, and resources to collective action.

The 2024 LA2050 Grants Challenge invited the public to vote for the issue areas that matter most to them and determine our funding priorities. Almost 15,000 Angelenos cast more than 105,000 votes in 12 languages, representing 98 percent of Los Angeles County's ZIP codes. For the third consecutive year, housing and homelessness was the top-voted issue. Health care access, and green space, park access, and trees were among other top selections.

"The Annenberg Foundation is proud to support organizations devoted to addressing the critical needs of our time, including food equity and mental health," said Cinny Kennard, executive director of the Annenberg Foundation. "We value this ongoing partnership and the collective impact of our friends and philanthropic leaders at LA2050."

"The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation proudly supports the LA2050 Grants Challenge as we tackle food insecurity, which often precedes homelessness," said Nichol Whiteman, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. "Our collective mission creates a lasting impact that builds a stronger, more vibrant city where everyone has a chance to thrive."

"We are committed to empowering individuals and communities in LA. Our impact is greater when we collaborate with peer funders and community partners," said Sarah Ali, managing director of the R&S Kayne Foundation. "Thank you, Goldhirsh Foundation, and congrats to the incredible organizations recognized through the LA2050 Grants Challenge."

"As a foundation dedicated to breaking down barriers people face in reaching their full potential, we jumped at the chance to hear directly from Angelenos what matters to them most and support nonprofits addressing our city's pressing needs," said Dr. Kristen Paglia, executive director of the Fox Foundation.

"Supporting these grants enables local nonprofits to uplift Opportunity Youth, reduce income inequality, and expand employment opportunities for a more equitable future for our young people," said Christie Cardenas, program officer of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

The 2024 LA2050 Grants Challenge also highlighted opportunities to make a tangible impact on those same issues, partnering with 24 nonprofit organizations across Los Angeles County to host diverse volunteer activations. Through the events, more than 3,500 people provided 9,450 hours of service.

Once voting closed, the Foundation opened applications to social impact organizations with ideas to address the top-voted issues. A record-breaking 872 proposals arrived from nonprofits, social enterprises, and government agencies.

The list of grantees from the Goldhirsh Foundation in each individual category voted by the people of Los Angeles County are:

Health care access: Birthworkers of Color Collective
Income inequality: Pueblo Nuevo Education & Development Group
Foster and systems-impacted youth: The California Conference for Equality and Justice, Inc.
K-12 STEAM education: Partnership for Los Angeles Schools
Housing and homelessness: LA Más
Community safety: Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation
Green space, park access, and trees: Destination Crenshaw
Access to Tech/creative industry employment: Grid110
Social support networks: Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore
Public transit: ACT-LA

The below organizations were honored as runners up from the Goldhirsh Foundation:

A Fighting Chance
Adventures to Dreams Enrichment
Bridge the Digital Divide
Creating Justice LA
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

The below organizations were honored by the Annenberg Foundation:

Chicas Verdes
Concrete Queenz
Creative Acts
Fathering Together
Good Habits
Interfaith Food Center
Long Beach Local
Pasadena Village
Street Company
Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore

The below organizations were honored by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation:

Eastmont Community Center
FEAST
Garden School Foundation
Student LunchBox

The below organizations were honored by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation:

Arts for Healing and Justice Network
Coffee With A Cause
Kaimore
New Earth Organization
South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone

The below organizations were honored by the Snap Foundation:

Boyle Heights Beat
Clay Day LBC
Color Compton
Create Now
Dramatic Results
She Ready Foundation
SoLA Robotics
The Makers Hub
The Young Shakespeareans
Young Musicians Foundation

The below organizations were honored by the John N. Calley Foundation:

Adventures to Dreams Enrichment
Centro CHA
Connecting Compton
Growing Roots
Garden School Foundation
Lost Angels Children's Project
Venice Arts
Vision to Learn

The below organizations were honored by the Elbaz Family Foundation:

DignityMoves
Inner City Law Center
PS Science
Streets For All
Tiyya Foundation

The below organizations were honored by the R & S Kayne Foundation:

Anti-Recidivism Coalition
LA Conservation Corps
My Tribe Housing
Youth Business Alliance

The below organizations were honored by the Fox Foundation:

PATH Partners
The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program

Information for Media Members

Videos and still images from the LA2050 Grantee Showcase can be provided upon request.

About LA2050

LA2050 (www.la2050.org) is an award-winning initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles. LA2050 has been named Nonprofit Organization of the Year (Growing) by the Los Angeles Business Journal and various national awards. We are centered around five unique goals that in 2050 Los Angeles will be the best place to learn, create, play, connect, and live. Connect with @LA2050 on Twitter, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and LinkedIn, @LA2050_ on TikTok, and sign up to receive our newsletter, which includes social impact job listings and events. 

About the Goldhirsh Foundation

The Goldhirsh Foundation (www.goldhirshfoundation.org), seeks to advance human life and well-being, and catalyze human potential. We achieve this by connecting the best emerging innovations with the financial, social, and human capital to make them thrive.

MEDIA RESOURCES: https://la2050.org/press

SOURCE Goldhirsh Foundation