55 Los Angeles Nonprofits Receive Nearly $3 Million Through Community-Driven LA2050 Grants Challenge

Fifty-five Los Angeles-area nonprofit organizations have received grants totaling nearly $3 million through the 2025 LA2050 Grants Challenge, an annual demonstration in participatory grantmaking and open call for ideas to build a more vibrant, thriving, and equitable Los Angeles.

The funded initiatives span from firefighting careers for formerly incarcerated individuals (Forestry & Fire Recruitment Program) to adult media literacy workshops (Los Angeles Reporting Collective), a free electric trolley system in San Pedro (Downtown San Pedro Community Foundation), a Magic Soil Bus educating youth about reuse (LA Compost), housing assistance to families displaced by the Eaton fires (Union Station Homeless Services), and after-school culinary education in Compton schools (Lunch Bunch Community Foundation).

LA2050 is an initiative of the Goldhirsh Foundation. This year's LA2050 Grants Challenge theme, "LA, Together," proved especially resonant following the devastating wildfires that struck the region in January. The funded initiatives reflect the same spirit during and since of resilience, communal care, and collective action.

“This has not been an easy year for Los Angeles,” said Goldhirsh Foundation President Tara Roth, whose own family was displaced for seven months by the wildfires. “The Goldhirsh Foundation’s commitment to experimentation, collaboration, and responsiveness to the needs of the community remains stronger than ever.”

In the LA2050 Grants Challenge model, Angelenos drive funding decisions through a three-phase process. First, nearly 140,000 votes were cast by community members on the issues that mattered most to them. Then, a record-breaking 1,182 organizations submitted proposals addressing the 10 highest-priority issues identified by voters. (For the fourth consecutive year, “affordable housing and homelessness” was the top-voted issue.) Lastly, all of the proposals are evaluated in collaboration with SJPLA and Grants Challenge funding partners.

A complete list of all of this year’s grants is available further down in this blog post.

Funders Collaborative

The nearly $3 million in total funding comes from a collaborative of a dozen Los Angeles-area foundations led by the Goldhirsh Foundation (contributing $1,000,000), with additional support from returning LA2050 Grants Challenge funding partners: The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Snap Foundation, John N. Calley Foundation, Elbaz Family Foundation, R&S Kayne Foundation, Fox Foundation, and first-time participants Brunswick Foundation and OpenAI Academy.

Celebration and Recognition

Grant recipients gathered this morning at The Huntington for the LA2050 Grantee Showcase, joined by civic leaders including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who delivered keynote addresses. Bloomberg's Sarah McGregor served as emcee, while Snap Foundation executive director Joel Arquillos moderated a panel featuring previous LA2050 Grants Challenge recipients (Lost Angels Career Center, LA Más, Birthworkers of Color Collective, and Grid110).

The program included presentations by 14-year-old Rummy Goodyear, founder of The Seed Bomb Project, and two LA2050 Youth Ambassador leaders, Keiko Rakin and Samuel Avendano, representing the more than 700 young Angelenos who have participated in this civic engagement and leadership development program. Youth Ambassadors also play a hands-on role in grantmaking for several participant foundations – reviewing proposals, deliberating in committees, and helping to select grant recipients.

Expanding Impact Beyond Grants

The Goldhirsh Foundation also announced a pilot leadership development program, where seven nonprofit executives received week-long residencies in Nosara, Costa Rica, designed to foster innovation and collaborative problem-solving away from daily operational pressures.

The Goldhirsh Foundation further announced that nearly 300 impact organizations have now received free AI (artificial intelligence) consulting, training, and workshops from the Foundation’s AI EIR (executive-in-residence) and our partnership with OpenAI Academy.

Beyond financial support, the Foundation provides grantees with technical assistance, networking opportunities, and ongoing mentorship – recognizing that sustainable impact requires more than funding alone.

Supporting Quotes

"The Broad Foundation is proud to join LA2050's community-powered vision and grants challenge to support innovative projects in civic and media literacy, and to expand accessible pathways to good jobs," said Suzy Jack, chief strategy officer, The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation. "These efforts equip Angelenos – especially young people – with the tools to participate and thrive."

"Congratulations to this year's LA2050 Grants Challenge winners," said Joel Arquillos, executive director, Snap Foundation. "Your bold, purpose-driven work embodies the power of community and creativity to lift up Angelenos across all of Los Angeles County. At the Snap Foundation, we believe that opportunity should be available to everyone, regardless of background, and that supporting underrepresented young people in forging their own creative journeys is how we catalyze a brighter, more equitable future together."

"We are committed to helping youth and young adults thrive in their careers and communities," said Christie Cardenas, program officer of the Opportunity Youth initiative at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. "Partnerships with peer funders like the Goldhirsh Foundation and community organizations are essential to driving meaningful change for young people. Congratulations to the inspiring organizations recognized through the LA2050 Grants Challenge."

Meet the Grantees

Below is information about each of the projects receiving grants from each of the funding partners in the 2025 LA2050 Grants Challenge:

Goldhirsh Foundation

Foster & systems-impacted youth

Children’s Law Center of California, supporting young parents in foster care through legal advocacy, case management, and resource connections to break cycles of separation and build stable, thriving families.

Health care access

Center for Caregiver Advancement, equipping in-home caregivers with multilingual, paid training in emergency and disaster readiness to strengthen support for vulnerable older adults and people with disabilities.

Income inequality

Creating Justice LA, building community wealth in Skid Row through employment social enterprises and a free Peace and Healing Center that fosters dignity, health, and belonging among unhoused residents.

Housing & homelessness

Union Station Homeless Services, preventing long-term homelessness for families displaced by the Eaton Fire through low-barrier housing assistance, care coordination, and direct support services.

Green space, park access, and trees

LA Compost, transforming organic waste into nutrient-rich compost for schools, gardens, and parks while providing hands-on STEAM education in soil science and sustainability.

K-12 STEAM education

CoachArt, transforming the lives of chronically ill children through free, high-quality STEAM programs that blend technology, creativity, and consistent mentorship.

Public transit

Downtown San Pedro Community Foundation, expanding San Pedro’s free electric trolley system with new stops, driver training, and visitor-ready infrastructure ahead of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

Community safety

The Forestry & Fire Recruitment Program, creating career pathways in wildland firefighting for formerly incarcerated individuals while building a diverse workforce to combat Southern California’s wildfire crisis.

Immigrant & refugee support

The Refugee Children Center, supporting refugee and migrant families with legal advocacy as well as culturally-rooted education, enrichment, and community programs that promote healing and resilience.

Access to tech & creative industry employment

Neococo Collective, supporting refugee and immigrant women through flexible textile arts employment, trauma-informed care, and entrepreneurship training.

Additional awards across issue areas

Eastmont Community Center, providing older adults and adults with disabilities in East LA with culinary training, business coaching, and paid opportunities to strengthen food security and economic resilience.

Watts of Power Foundation, building a pipeline of diverse teachers through a teacher village model that integrates subsidized housing, therapy, mentoring, and wraparound support for transitional-age foster youth and young leaders.

Lunch Bunch Community Foundation, expanding after-school culinary education in Compton schools to teach cooking, nutrition, and workforce skills while empowering families with lifelong healthy habits.

Street Company, creating transitional employment for unhoused individuals in the Antelope Valley through coffee roasting and greenhouse farming social enterprises that provide income, skills, and stability.

Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, leading the Restaurant Equity Alliance in partnership with Inclusive Action to raise labor standards, support immigrant-owned small businesses, and strengthen our region’s restaurant industry ahead of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation**

Los Angeles Reporting Collective, launching a news and digital literacy program that helps adults spot misinformation through workshops, multilingual resources, and an online toolkit.

CSUDH Black Resource Center, empowering Black students at CSU Dominguez Hills through the CEED Project, a civic engagement and leadership initiative.

Compton Advocates Coalition, strengthening communities through the RISE program combining civic education, leadership development, block clubs, and job readiness training.

Veterans Supplemental Support Network, guiding justice-involved veterans and military-connected young adults into healthcare careers through stabilization, training, internships, and job placement.

Redeemer Community Partnership, training systems-impacted youth in skilled trades and green energy while providing mentorship and career pathways.

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation**

Better Youth, Inc., linking housing support with mentorship and paid apprenticeships to help foster and systems-impacted youth build stability and creative careers.

California Conference for Equality and Justice, supporting systems-impacted youth with holistic supports including career exploration, mentorship, and social justice leadership.

The Los Angeles City College Foundation, launching FutureReady to connect foster youth and formerly-incarcerated students with coaching, career exploration, and higher education.

Coalition for Engaged Education, supporting systems-impacted girls with leadership workshops in juvenile halls, post-release reentry support, and trauma-informed care.

Pathway to Kinship, equipping formerly-incarcerated youth with workforce training and social-emotional support through its Youth Empowerment and Success program.

Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation

The PLUS ME Project, helping 200 high school students affected by the recent wildfires process their experiences through storytelling, workshops, a published anthology, and a community book launch.

Pasadena Educational Foundation, supporting recovery for students, families, and educators affected by the Eaton Fire through teacher grants and an expanded Summer Enrichment program.

Altadena Community Garden, rebuilding its historic greenspace after the Eaton Fire with fire-resilient infrastructure, community workshops, and expanded urban gardening programs.

College Access Plan, expanding its College Champions program to support 600 first-generation, low-income, and BIPOC students in Pasadena and Altadena with college readiness after the Eaton Fire.

Snap Foundation

Red Hen Press, expanding its Writing in the Schools program with a summer intensive where students gain skills in writing, publishing, design, and marketing.

National Hispanic Media Coalition, expanding access to creative careers through its Careers in Entertainment Youth Program with workshops and mentorship for underserved students.

Project Invent, reimagining STEAM education by training educators and college-age facilitators to help students invent tech solutions for local community challenges.

The Makers Hub, introducing Compton high school students to creative and trade skills through hands-on workshops, career speakers, and a Maker’s Fair.

Neighborhood Music School, bridging classroom learning and community connection through tuition-free workshops where K-12 students engage with professional musicians.

Museum of Latin American Art, serving 1,000 underrepresented K-12 youth annually with bilingual STEAM and art programs such as STEAM Sundays and STEAM Week.

Color Compton, supporting South LA’s creative community through Developed in Compton, a hub for artist resources and youth career training.

The Hidden Genius Project, fostering youth leadership through community workshops in robotics, app development, AI, and entrepreneurship led by program alumni.

STEM From Dance, transforming STEAM education by empowering girls of color through programs that fuse dance and technology while expanding clubs, pop-ups, and camps.

John N. Calley Foundation

Chicas Verdes, launching a youth-led garden competition that equips students with resources to grow food, lead projects, and create vibrant school green spaces.

Mentor for Change, expanding mentorship and workforce training for systems-impacted youth through a co-created social enterprise coffee shop in East LA.

Lunch Bunch Community Foundation, expanding after-school culinary education in Compton schools to teach cooking, nutrition, and workforce skills while empowering families with lifelong healthy habits.

Ryman Arts, preparing alumni from its arts program for creative careers through pLAtform, a workforce pilot providing mentorship and portfolio development.

The Village Family Services, operating the San Fernando Valley’s only drop-in center for unhoused youth, offering basic needs, trauma-informed care, and connections to housing and jobs.

LA Compost, transforming organic waste into nutrient-rich compost for schools, gardens, and parks while providing hands-on STEAM education in soil science and sustainability.

Elbaz Family Foundation

EmpowHER Institute, sustaining the Social Justice STEAM Initiative combining marine science and technology education to empower 1,000 girls from marginalized communities each year.

All Peoples Community Center, delivering wraparound services to families at risk of homelessness with financial aid, case management, tutoring, and employment support.

Measure of Hearts Foundation, breaking cycles of poverty with job certifications in high-demand careers and housing stipends for mothers in CalWORKs.

Safe Parking LA, providing overnight refuge, hygiene access, and case management for unaccompanied women and women-led households experiencing vehicular homelessness.

Linc Housing, creating and preserving affordable homes for low-income families, seniors, veterans, and people who have experienced homelessness, with supportive services.

Economic Security Project, connecting families to free tax preparation through the Claim Your Cash LA program so they can access millions in unclaimed credits each year.

Fox Foundation

AltaSea, creating a Maritime Labor Training Pipeline to prepare youth from port-adjacent communities for good-paying maritime careers.

Brunswick Foundation

EmpowHER Institute, sustaining the Social Justice STEAM Initiative combining marine science and technology education to empower 1,000 girls from marginalized communities each year.

Garden School Foundation, transforming unused LAUSD blacktop into climate-resilient green spaces with drought-tolerant plants and sustainability workshops.

Los Angeles Reporting Collective, launching a news and digital literacy program that helps adults spot misinformation through workshops, multilingual resources, and an online toolkit.

Adventures to Dreams Enrichment, expanding its youth garden and Adventure Labs that integrate STEAM learning with gardening to build skills and inspire careers.

College Match, helping first-generation college students transition into meaningful careers with coaching, mentorship, and job placement support.

MOSTe, reducing income inequality by supporting young women from middle school through college with mentorship, academic support, and career readiness programs.

OpenAI Academy

Defy Ventures, providing entrepreneurship training, career readiness, and personal development programs that help formerly incarcerated people overcome barriers and build economic mobility.

**Note: These grants are selected and distributed by the Goldhirsh Foundation with generous support from, respectively, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.