Initiatives
Here’s a glimpse of some of the organizations and specific projects we support.
We invest our capital using three approaches to create systemic change: civic capital, seed capital, and expansion capital.
1. Civic capital
Promoting mobilization and disruption within existing infrastructures.
Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration
Piloting basic income as a mechanism to provide economic security and create opportunity.
Launched by the Economic Security Project, and under the leadership of then-Mayor Michael Tubbs, the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) was the nation’s first mayor led guaranteed income demonstration.
Los Angeles Mayor’s Fund
Developing civic pride by showcasing Los Angeles as a world-class creative capital.
Through the Brand LA initiative, the Mayor’s Fund developed a consistent, revitalized brand identity for Los Angeles. The resulting program, LA Original, celebrates LA as the creative capital of the world and showcases the city’s LA’s manufacturers, makers, and entrepreneurs.
Transportation Technology Strategist Fellow
Designing the future of transportation in Los Angeles.
With our support, Los Angeles became the only municipality in the nation with a staff person dedicated to developing a citywide transportation technology strategy that promoted shared mobility and supported a safe, sustainable, and tech-enabled transportation network.
White House Fellowship in Entrepreneurship and Access to Capital
Advancing sustainable economic growth and creating quality jobs.
This fellowship within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy was designed to support inclusive entrepreneurship and expand business opportunities in the technology field, especially to women and formerly disinvested communities.
Fund for Guaranteed Income
Furthering catalyzing the guaranteed income movement through launching the largest city-based pilot.
The Fund for Guaranteed Income launched Compton Pledge, a landmark guaranteed income initiative distributing recurring cash relief to low-income residents for two years. It marks the largest city-based guaranteed income pilot in the United States.
2. Seed capital
Seeding social innovation in Los Angeles.
Accion Opportunity Fund
Building capacity for women entrepreneurs.
We were proud to support Accion Opportunity Fund, investing in targeted outreach and technology to reach and engage women entrepreneurs who are seeking to build sustainable small businesses.
The Imagination Foundation
Fostering creativity and entrepreneurship in youth.
Inspired by Caine’s Arcade, we provided seed funding to build an organization that would support more kids like Caine. We followed the words of Imagination’s founder, who sought to “help kids not only to learn how to build the things they imagine, but to also imagine the world they can build.”
Crop Swap LA
Piloting microfarms as a solution to food insecurity.
Through the 2020 LA2050 Grants Challenge, we supported Crop Swap LA in piloting the Asanta Microfarm – a front yard microfarm in South Los Angeles that captures and recycles rainwater to grow regenerative, organic, local food.
On The Go LA
Supporting food entrepreneurs in growing and formalizing their businesses.
As a 2021 winner of the LA2050 Grants Challenge, On The Go LA received funding to expand its full-service food truck rental operations and help more local food entrepreneurs take the next step in growing and formalizing their businesses.
Everytable
Transforming the food system to make fresh, nutritious food accessible to everyone, everywhere.
We were early investors in Everytable, a social enterprise seeking to make fresh, nutritious food accessible by offering neighborhood-specific meal pricing at its storefronts. Locations can be found in food deserts, underserved communities with little or no access to nutritious food, and affluent areas.
FAVES
Solving the climate crisis by preventing food waste and upcycling produce.
As an early-stage investor in PurePlus, the company behind FAVES, we supported their vision to transform imperfect fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be food waste into delicious climate candy.
3. Expansion capital
Bringing proven solutions from other regions to Los Angeles.
Peer Health Exchange
Giving teenagers the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy decisions.
We helped Peer Health Exchange launch, expand, and deepen its operations in Los Angeles specifically within USC, UCLA, CSU Northridge, and Occidental College – training more college students to teach its health curriculum to 9th-grade students in public schools that lack health education.
LIFT
Combating poverty and expanding opportunity so all can pursue their life goals.
We worked with LIFT to bring their transformative work to Los Angeles. We provided funding for a feasibility study and organized meetings with public officials, social service organizations, funders, and other local leaders to learn where LIFT could do the most good.
City Year
Leveraging service to make a difference in education.
We led City Year’s expansion to Los Angeles and then supported their growth in local schools. We also provided seed funding for their LA-based education conference on how service can drive education reform.
Homeboy Electronics Recycling
Providing economic opportunity and responsible e-waste recycling.
We provided support for the merger of Homeboy Industries and Isidore Recycling, two nonprofits focused on reducing barriers to employment and recidivism while eliminating e-waste.
SEED School of LA County
Offering an outstanding, intensive, college-preparatory educational program.
Through the 2021 LA2050 Grants Challenge, we funded the SEED School’s expansion to South Los Angeles. SEED is a college-prep boarding school for career readiness in transportation infrastructure, STEM, and the humanities.
We support initiatives in three categories: opportunity, sustainability, and activation. Within each category, organizations deliver the following vital services:
1. Opportunity
Provide skills, programming, and support structures to improve educational and economic opportunity.
People’s Pottery Project
Employing and empowering formerly-incarcerated women, trans and non-binary individuals through paid job training, access to a healing community, and meaningful employment through ceramics.
Defy Ventures
Shifting mindsets to give people with criminal histories their best shot at a second chance through career readiness, personal development, and entrepreneurship training programs offered in prisons and in the community.
Lost Angels Children’s Project
Creating opportunities to empower disadvantaged youth and young adults through innovative vocational training, creation of social enterprises, and traditional outreach programs.
human-I-T
Shrinking the digital divide through increasing access to technology through device donation and recycling, connections to free and low-cost wifi, and digital training.
Las Fotos Project
Elevating the voices of teenage girls and gender-expansive youth from communities of color through photography and mentoring.
2. Sustainability
Pursue environmental health through innovation at both the cause and response sides of the issue.
AltaSea
Bridging gaps in STEM education to grow the Blue Tech economy and investing in sustainable aquaculture.
Heal the Bay
Employing science, hands-on education, and advocacy to improve the quality of life and the health of beaches, ocean, and inland waterways.
Lowercarbon Capital Fund
Backing companies that make money by slashing CO2 emissions, taking carbon out of the atmosphere, and working to slow the effects of climate change.
Collaborative Fund
Providing capital for entrepreneurs pushing the world forward on climate, kids, food and agriculture, health, and money.
Shared Future Fund
Investing $100,00 in 100 startups in one year with solutions aimed at addressing climate change.
LACI
Bringing people together to create an inclusive green economy through empowering startups, convening partnerships, and building community.
3. Activation
Support pro-social platforms and tools for independent expression and individual mobilization.
XPRIZE
Bringing about radical breakthroughs and technological development for the benefit of humanity.
ProPublica
Producing investigative journalism in the public interest.
Social Justice Partners Los Angeles
Amplifying the impact of local non-profit organizations through building social capital, investing in collaboration, and increasing funder engagement.
Kiva
Connecting people through lending; leveraging the internet and a network of microfinance institutions to alleviate poverty around the world.
CicLAvia
Catalyzing vibrant public spaces, active transportation, and good health through car-free street events in Los Angeles.
Unite America and Summit Impact Lab
Launching Democracy Lab to address the structural issues hindering our democratic systems and build a more resilient, representative democracy.