Public Voting Begins Today for the $2 Million, 10th Annual LA2050 Grants Challenge

LOS ANGELES (April 6, 2023) – Today, voting begins for the innovative 10th annual LA2050 Grants Challenge, which will award more than $2 million to at least 15 organizations addressing the issues most important to Los Angeles—as voted on by the people of Los Angeles. In celebration of these ten years, LA2050 is conducting widespread in-person voting for the first time, in addition to online voting, held at ten of Los Angeles County’s signature sites.

Voting for the LA2050 Grants Challenge can be done online at https://la2050.org/grants-challenge/vote or at 10 iconic real life locations, with pop-up programming set for the Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Park Observatory, Mariachi Plaza, Leimert Park Plaza, Hollywood Farmers’ Market, Museum of Latin American Art - MOLAA, Theodore Payne Foundation, Los Angeles Central Library, Los Angeles Zoo, and Randy’s Donuts—in addition to the online voting portal that has been available for previous Grants Challenges. Voting is also available for the first time this year in 10 of Los Angeles County’s most popular languages, both online and in-person.

The voting period for this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge, built around the theme “Join the Movement: Vote For A Better LA,” lasts until May 8. After that, nonprofit organizations, social enterprises and government agencies that focus on the issues chosen by fellow Angelenos as top priorities can submit their proposals to LA2050 between May 15 and June 23. Online and in-person votes will determine the issues and eventually organizations that receive $1 million from the Goldhirsh Foundation, while the LA2050 Grants Challenge’s funding partners will provide more than $1 million in additional grants and prizes.

These LA2050 Grants Challenge funding partners include the Annenberg Foundation, now in their eighth year collaborating with LA2050; Snap Foundation, now in their fourth year; Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and John N. Calley Foundation, each for the second consecutive year; and each for the first time, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, and the Elbaz Family Foundation. Social Justice Partners LA will evaluate the submissions for the fourth consecutive year. Winning proposals will be awarded grants in September.

For many impactful past winners, the LA2050 Grants Challenge serves as the first funding they’ve received, or the first significant public airing of their ideas. “At LA2050, we are committed to sensing opportunity early on by seeding promising organizations that are just getting started,” said Tara Roth, President of the Goldhirsh Foundation. “Every year through the LA2050 Grants Challenge, new people emerge with creative, innovative approaches to addressing some of the biggest issues facing the region. They represent exactly the types of leaders we want to help propel on their journey. I am looking forward to seeing what issues the public selects this year, then fostering more collaboration among organizations working toward a future we all want to realize.”

LA2050 catalyzes the work of leaders making an impact on their communities by supporting, promoting, and amplifying their projects and initiatives. Together, LA2050’s partners have impacted every zip code in Los Angeles County. LA2050 differs from many other philanthropic entities in that the organization focuses on transparency, engagement, long-term collaboration and being a true social impact connector and online hub. Its mission is to work together to make a better Los Angeles now and until 2050, which is reflected in its grassroots, bottom-up approach to sourcing the issues to direct resources toward as part of the Grants Challenge.

Reflective of the organization's commitment to amplifying often overlooked voices, the LA2050 Grants Challenge also features Outreach Partners and Youth Ambassadors, each of whom is committed to sharing in their respective communities information about the voting process. The Outreach Partners will include social impact organizations, family foundations, and the offices of local elected officials. (Last year, 30 different groups participated.) The LA2050 Youth Ambassadors are aged 14-24, and a record-breaking 140 have already signed on, representing neighborhoods across the County from Pomona to Compton.

Last year, in the 9th LA2050 Grants Challenge, more than $2.8 million was granted to 37 nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs. Then-Mayor Eric Garcetti joined Roth and the grantees to speak at the first-ever LA2050 Grantee Showcase, held on September 21, along with County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and entrepreneur Natasha Case, co-founder of Coolhaus.

Since the first LA2050 Grants Challenge in 2013, LA2050 has awarded more than $9 million to 117 organizations and inspired more than $12.3 million in additional giving from both official Grants Challenge partners and other third-party donors, providing a significant boost to social impact organizations in Los Angeles. More than 600,000 individuals have cast their votes from the start of the process, helping LA2050 direct funds toward organizations including Homeboy Industries, Crop Swap LA and Tiyya Foundation. The complete list is here.

About LA2050

LA2050 (www.la2050.org) is an initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles. 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, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and sign up to receive our newsletter, which includes social impact job listings and events.

About the Goldhirsh Foundation

At the Goldhirsh Foundation, (www.goldhirshfoundation.org), we connect the dots between the best emerging innovations and the financial, social, and human capital to make them thrive.

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