We’re looking for Outreach Partners to help spread the word about the 2025 LA2050 Grants Challenge – where YOU help decide how $1 million will shape LA’s future! Keep reading to learn more.

As you may know, each year, LA2050 grants $1 million to organizations making LA better through the LA2050 Grants Challenge.

We take a different approach to grantmaking: we ask Angelenos to vote for the issues they want us to fund – from homelessness and income inequality to park access – and then open applications to organizations working in those areas. Voting is open to all ages and will be available in 12 different languages.

This year, Grants Challenge voting will take place online from March 12th to April 18th, 2025. To ensure our process is representative, it is crucial that we engage as many people of all backgrounds across LA as possible.

That’s where our Outreach Partners come in!

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Last year, more than 100 different local groups signed on to help us spread the word including the offices of three Los Angeles County Supervisors, L.A. Works, CicLAvia, Grid110, Zócalo Public Square, Covenant House California, and Michelson 20MM Foundation. With their support, we reached 15,000 voters across Los Angeles.

There are no specific requirements to serve as an Outreach Partner – we trust you to engage in a way that is meaningful to your organization and the people that you serve.

Your responsibilities as an Outreach Partner will include:

• Inviting your community – staff, supporters, volunteers, service recipients, followers, program participants, constituents, neighbors, family, friends – to share what local issues matter most to them through voting in the Grants Challenge online
• Sharing Grants Challenge-related social media content with your network
• Using creative tactics to encourage people in your community to vote

We will ensure that this process is a light lift for you. We provide all Outreach Partners with a full communications kit that includes pre-written social media posts, newsletter blurbs, and graphics. We can also provide paper voting forms upon request.

We also provide exciting perks and benefits to honor your time and efforts as an Outreach Partner, including:

• Recognition for your organization on the LA2050 website and social media, as well as in other Grants Challenge materials
• Highlighting your organization’s creative voting tactics and strategies
• Connections to other LA-based organizations via the LA2050 network
• Most importantly – the opportunity to advocate for the issues that matter most to your organization and your community to receive funding

Plus, a special prize! The organization that engages the most voters will also be awarded lunch for up to 20 staff, on us!

If you would like to learn more, join us for an optional Information Session via Zoom on Thursday, March 6th at 10:30 am or Monday, March 10th at 12:00 pm. During the meeting, We will provide an overview of our 2025 Grants Challenge and the critical role of Outreach Partners.

Sign up to join an Information Session here.

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, almost 4,000 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 $11 million to 155 impactful organizations.

For the fourth year, we are asking Angelenos to share which ten local issues matter most to them, two in each of the five goal categories. Then, we 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.

What sorts of Outreach Partners are you looking for?

We are looking for organizations (whether nonprofits, social enterprises, or government entities) that serve communities here in Los Angeles County and share our vision of working together toward a more successful Los Angeles – one that reaches our region’s incredible potential and is equitable, thriving, engaged, and empowering.

Our ideal Outreach Partners are well-connected and well-respected in their communities, with a unique perspective on the issues facing Los Angeles from their work on the ground.

Confirmation as an Outreach Partner is not guaranteed; the Goldhirsh Foundation reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to decline to partner with organizations, such as but not limited to those with programs, projects, or initiatives that violate the Eligibility and Content Guidelines outlined in our official LA2050 Grants Challenge rules. Individuals, operating in their own capacities, are not eligible to serve as Outreach Partners.

Do I need to commit to a certain level of outreach?

There are no specific requirements to serve as an Outreach Partner – we trust you to engage in a way that is meaningful to your organization and the people that you serve.

Additionally, we will ensure that this process is a light lift for you. We provide all Outreach Partners with a full communications kit that includes pre-written social media posts, newsletter blurbs, and graphics. We can also provide paper voting forms upon request.

I have more questions! Who should I ask?

Please email carla@goldhirshfoundation.org.

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