Note: Thank you for your interest in this opportunity. As of February 28th, 2024 at 5pm PST applications have closed.

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 LA the best place to LIVE, LEARN, PLAY, CREATE, and CONNECT.

Each year, LA2050 gives $1 million+ to nonprofits and other social impact organizations making a better Los Angeles for all through the LA2050 Grants Challenge. But, we take a different approach to grantmaking: we ask Angelenos to determine the issue areas that will receive funding – from homelessness and income inequality to park access – through voting.

For 2024, we are looking for 12 organizations to host a range of volunteer activations around Los Angeles County from April 2nd to May 8th, during our LA2050 Grants Challenge voting period.

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The volunteer activations will provide Angelenos with meaningful opportunities to impact the issues that matter most to them, as a complement to their online votes. We are looking for engaging in-person and virtual events with space for at least 20 volunteers and limited barriers to participation. The bigger and the more creative, the better!

The 12 selected organizations will be awarded a $5,000 grant and commit to:

• Program at least one volunteer event from April 2nd to May 8th, 2024
  • Virtual or in-person
  • Space for at least 20 volunteers
  • Limited barriers to volunteer participation
  • Engaging and impactful
• Share about their volunteer activation on social media – before, during, and after
• Distribute LA2050 Grants Challenge voting materials to volunteers at the event, and encourage them to spread the word
• Join the LA2050 Grants Challenge as an official Outreach Partner, sharing about voting via social media and other communications
• Complete a brief report on the outcomes of the activation including a 250-word narrative, due May 20th, 2024
• Further details can be found in the FAQs below

If your organization is interested in hosting a Volunteer Activation, apply using this Google Form. The Google Form will not save your progress, so we recommend downloading a reference copy of the grant application, preparing your answers in a separate document, and then returning to the Google Form to input them and submit.

Applications are due February 28th, 2024 at 5:00 pm. You will be notified of the status of your grant application on or before March 6th, 2024.

If you have questions, please register for our virtual information session on February 8th, 2024 at 11:00 am or email connect@la2050.org.

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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.

What is the LA2050 Grants Challenge?

The annual LA2050 Grants Challenge awards more than $1 million in grants to local social impact organizations that are working toward a brighter future for Los Angeles. We take a different approach to grantmaking: we ask Angelenos to determine the issue areas that will receive funding – from homelessness and income inequality to park access – through voting.

Since 2013, we have launched 10 cycles of the Grants Challenge, giving more than $10 million to 140 impactful organizations with the help of hundreds of thousands of people casting votes in support. Last year, we received 80,000 votes from 12,000 people, representing 94 percent of Los Angeles County ZIP Codes. Then, we received a record-breaking 615 grant applications from social impact organizations with ideas to impact those top-voted issue areas and selected 42 winners with our Funding Partners.

What is provided to mini-grant recipients?

LA2050 Volunteer Activation hosts will receive a $5,000 grant from the Goldhirsh Foundation in return for their participation. To prepare for the events, the grant recipients will be invited to an informational webinar and provided with promotional materials.

What is expected of mini-grant recipients?

LA2050 Volunteer Activation hosts will program one or more engaging volunteer events during the LA2050 Grants Challenge voting period, from April 2nd to May 8th, 2024.

Events can be either virtual or in-person and must have space for at least 20 volunteers. We are most interested in opportunities that have limited barriers to volunteer participation and can be made available to the public. The events should be engaging and impactful. We are open to all sorts of volunteer activations, including tree plantings, donation drives, beach clean-ups, after-school tutoring, community festivals, beach cleanups, and much more. You tell us: What does your organization need volunteers to do?

We expect our hosts to share about their volunteer activation on social media and in their communications – before, during, and after – to encourage participation. LA2050 will also help to promote the events to our audience and, in turn, we ask that hosts distribute LA2050 Grants Challenge voting materials to volunteers at the event and join us as official Outreach Partners for the 2024 Grants Challenge.

Finally, we ask that hosts complete a brief report on the outcomes of the activation including a 250-word narrative, due May 20th, 2024.

What do you mean by “minimal barriers to volunteer participation”?

We understand that volunteer activations often necessitate that participants meet specific requirements, whether a minimum age, language, physical demands, training, or expertise. We are hoping to fund events that balance these considerations with offering access to a broad range of people (e.g., no experience or prior orientation required, open to all ages. languages, and abilities).

How are mini-grant recipients selected?

LA2050 Volunteer Activation hosts will be selected according to the quality of their event proposal, including the structure and scope of the event, its reach and accessibility, and its anticipated impact on the organization’s mission and community.

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