LA2050 is looking for young Angelenos (ages 14 to 24) who are passionate about making an impact and interested in community engagement, philanthropy, and service to participate in our 2023 Youth Ambassador Program!

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If that’s you – or someone you know – keep reading!

LA2050 Youth Ambassadors will ask friends, family, and neighbors to share which local issues matter most to them through voting in the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge. Voting will take place online from April 6th to May 8th, 2023 and LA2050 will dedicate $1 million in grant funding to the top-voted issues.

Last year, our first-ever cohort of 78 Youth Ambassadors engaged 1,000+ Angelenos in Grants Challenge voting.

For their part, Youth Ambassadors will:

• join three virtual learning modules focused on the following topics:
  • March: Onboarding + Philanthropy
  • April: Community Engagement + Outreach
  • May: LA’s Social Impact Landscape
• enthusiastically spread the word about the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge,
• use creative tactics to encourage friends, family, and neighbors to vote (including but not limited to: social media posts, in-person activations, text messages and phone calls, or presentations at school, club meetings, or other gatherings)

In return, we are excited to offer Youth Ambassadors the opportunity to:

• learn about the social impact and philanthropic landscape in Los Angeles and educational/career opportunities in these areas,
• receive training in community outreach and engagement,
• make a real impact on their communities by helping determine what local issues will be funded through the grants challenge,
• be awarded a certificate honoring their service and naming them an LA2050 Youth Ambassador that can be added to their resume or applications, and
• join a LA2050 Youth Ambassador e-newsletter with job and internship postings, volunteer opportunities, local resources, and more.

The two participants who recruit the most voters will each win a prize package of $500 – a $250 Visa gift card and $250 to donate to the nonprofit organization of their choice on the LA2050 Ideas Hub, with more than 1,800 organizations to choose from.

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For more information, you can also check out our frequently asked questions below.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is LA2050?

LA2050 is a community-guided initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles centered around five goals – to make Los Angeles the best place to create, connect, live, learn, and play by the year 2050.

LA2050 is an initiative of the Goldhirsh Foundation.

What is the LA2050 Grants Challenge?

The LA2050 Grants Challenge awards a total of $1 million in grants to local social impact organizations that are working toward a brighter future for Los Angeles.

Since 2013, more than 2,500 creative and innovative proposals have been submitted to the grants challenge. With the guidance of hundreds of thousands of voters, LA2050 has granted more than $9 million to more than 125 impactful organizations.

This year, we are asking Angelenos to share which ten local issues matter most to them, two in each of the five goal categories. LA2050 will dedicate $1 million in grant funding to the top-voted issues by giving grants to local organizations that are making meaningful progress in those areas.

We’re a youth-serving organization in Los Angeles County – how can we get involved in the Youth Ambassador Program?

We’re excited to engage as many young people across our region as possible and include their voices in this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge. We’d love if youth-serving organizations would help us do that! If you’re interested in a formal collaboration, please email Carla Fuentes at engage@goldhirshfoundation.org.

What is expected of LA2050 Youth Ambassadors?

Youth Ambassadors will commit to spreading the word about the 2022 LA2050 Grants Challenge. During the voting period from April 5th to May 8th, 2022, Youth Ambassadors will use creative tactics to reach out to friends, family, and neighbors and encourage them to vote.

All participants will be expected to attend the three virtual learning modules (tentatively scheduled for the evenings of March 1st, April 3rd, and May 15th). Those that are not able to attend a live session may also watch a recording.

How are LA2050 Youth Ambassadors selected?

Our application form will be open and available from Thursday, January 26th through Friday, February 17th at 5:00 pm. Youth Ambassadors will be notified of their selection via email by Wednesday, February 22nd.

How will you know which participants recruit the most voters?

Each Youth Ambassador will be provided with a customized tracking link that will count the number of voters they refer to the LA2050 Grants Challenge. Voters must use that customized tracking link to be counted toward the Youth Ambassador’s total.

What will LA2050 Youth Ambassadors receive in exchange for their participation?

We are excited that all participating Youth Ambassadors will:

• learn about the social impact and philanthropic landscape in Los Angeles and educational/career opportunities in these areas,
• receive training in community outreach and engagement,
• make a real impact on their communities by helping determine what local issues will be funded through the grants challenge, and
• be awarded a certificate honoring their service.

Participants who are in need of community service hours for school or another program can inquire by emailing engage@goldhirshfoundation.org. To qualify for a certificate and community service hours, Youth Ambassadors must log activity on their provided tracking link.

Furthermore, the two participants who recruit the most voters will each win a prize package of $500 – a $250 Visa gift card and $250 to donate to the nonprofit organization of their choice on the LA2050 Ideas Hub! All participants who recruit more than 50 voters will be entered into a raffle for additional prizes.

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