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 2026 Youth Ambassador Program.

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

Since launching in 2022, the LA2050 Youth Ambassador program has engaged more than 700 young people from across Los Angeles County, representing more than 200 unique ZIP codes, and participants have helped us engage more than 14,500 residents in LA2050 Grants Challenge voting over the past four years.

Young Angelenos can apply to be a member of our Youth Ambassador General Cohort (ages 14 to 24) or our Leadership Council (ages 16 to 24). You can find more details below.

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LA2050 Youth Ambassadors will ask friends, family, and neighbors to share which local issues matter most to them through voting in the 2026 LA2050 Grants Challenge. Voting will take place online from March 18th to April 22nd, 2026 and LA2050 will dedicate $1 million in grant funding to the top-voted issues.

Last year, our fourth cohort of 330 Youth Ambassadors engaged 7,000 Angelenos in Grants Challenge voting and helped to inform $1.6 million in grants through participation in grant committees. Youth Ambassadors spanned 145 ZIP Codes, and, as a result of their outreach, almost 96 percent of residential ZIP Codes in LA County participated in voting.

For their part, all Youth Ambassadors (age 14-24) – including general participants and Youth Ambassador Leaders – will:

• Join three virtual learning modules focused on the following topics:
  • March 16th: Onboarding + Philanthropy: Introduces philanthropy as financial, social, and human capital, and offers an overview of LA2050 and the Grants Challenge
  • April 9th: Community Engagement + Outreach: Covers message development, digital organizing, and outreach metrics
  • May 13th: LA’s Social Impact Landscape: Helps participants evaluate outreach tactics, debrief voting data, and better understand LA’s social impact ecosystem
• Enthusiastically spread the word about the 2026 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)
• Collaborate in location-based outreach teams to support one another and strengthen local outreach

In return, we are excited to offer all 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.
• Highlighted on our the Youth Ambassador page of LA2050.org website

NEW! This year, Youth Ambassadors will have opportunities to build connections with community-based organizations through a volunteer pipeline where participants get connected to organizations in or near their own neighborhoods.

Building on the two-tier model we piloted last year, we’re continuing our Youth Ambassador Leadership Council – a group of up to 20 highly-motivated and community young Angelenos ready to engage on a deeper level. Youth Ambassador Leaders will be selected through an interview process.

In addition to all of the above, Youth Ambassador Leaders (ages 16-24) will:

• Serve as peer mentors and facilitators for the broader Youth Ambassador program
• Participate in the three standard training modules outlined above, plus three additional training modules:
  • March 31st: Demystifying Grantmaking + Social Impact: Explores how the Grants Challenge model works and introduces key elements of grantmaking, like due diligence and evaluation
  • June 3rd: Philanthropy + The LA2050 Youth Ambassador Final Project: Youth Ambassador Leaders will develop their own grantmaking scorecards that reflect young people’s values and perspectives
  • June 24th: Final Project Presentations: Youth Ambassador Leaders present their scorecards, identify shared themes, and create a consolidated Youth Ambassador Scorecard that can be applied to real grant proposals
• Complete the LA2050 Youth Ambassador Final Project, and
• Join this year’s Youth Grantmaking Committee, where Leaders (alongside standout General Cohort participants) review proposals, deliberate with peers, and make funding recommendations that inform real grant dollars (last year’s committee participated in helping to inform more than $1.6 million in grants).

In return, Youth Ambassador Leaders will receive a $500 volunteer gift, in the form of a gift card, as a reflection of the cohort’s increased expectations and time commitment. This volunteer gift is intended to underscore the importance of the Youth Ambassador Leader role. (To be eligible for the volunteer gift, Youth Ambassador Leaders must attend all training modules and Youth Grantmaking Committee meetings, with no more than two excused absences.)

Note: If you choose to apply for the Leadership Cohort and you are not selected, you will automatically be considered for the General Cohort.

The General Cohort program will take place from March through May 2026, with an estimated time commitment of 8 to 12 total hours across the three months. The Leadership Cohort program will take place from March through August 2026, with an estimated time commitment of 32 total hours across the six months.

There’s more! The two Youth Ambassadors who recruit the most voters will each win a prize package of $500 – a $250 gift card and $250 to donate to the nonprofit organization of their choice on the LA2050 Ideas Hub, with more than 2,000 organizations to choose from.

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 5,000 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 $12 million to more than 300# impactful organizations.

For the fifth 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 is expected of LA2050 Youth Ambassadors?

Youth Ambassadors will commit to spreading the word about the 2026 LA2050 Grants Challenge. During the voting period from March 18th to April 22nd, 2026, 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 16th, April 9th, and May 13th). Those that are not able to attend a live session may also watch a recording. Youth Ambassadors will also be placed in location-based outreach teams to support collaboration and local outreach.

In addition, participants can expect optional opportunities to connect with community-based organizations and get plugged into volunteer opportunities close to home, as available.

What is expected of LA2050 Youth Ambassador Leaders?

Youth Ambassador Leaders will meet all the expectations of the General Cohort (detailed above). Additionally, participants will be expected to attend the three additional virtual learning modules, tentatively scheduled for the evenings of March 31st, June 3rd, and June 24th, and participate in Youth Grant Committee sessions in August or September (dates to be determined). Unlike General Cohort participants, attendance at all six virtual learning sessions is mandatory for Youth Ambassador Leaders in order to be eligible for the volunteer gift. No more than two excused absences will be considered, on a case-by-case basis.

How are LA2050 Youth Ambassadors and LA2050 Youth Ambassador Leaders selected?

Our application form will be open beginning on Thursday, January 15th. The form will ask applicants to share about their interest in participating in the Youth Ambassador program, and will also provide the opportunity to apply for both the General Cohort and Leadership Cohort.

LA2050 Youth Ambassador Leaders applicants must submit their application by Thursday, February 12th. Prospective participants will be contacted via email to schedule a group interview by Monday, February 16th. If an applicant is not selected for the leaders program they will automatically be considered for the General Cohort.

Youth Ambassadors interested in the General Cohort will be notified of their selection via email on a rolling basis starting on Monday, February 16th and continuing through the start of the program.

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 for youth-serving organizations to partner with us, whether by helping recruit participants, sharing the opportunity with your community or exploring a more formal collaboration. If you’re interested in sharing opportunities with our Youth Ambassadors (jobs, internships, professional development opportunities, or volunteer opportunities), we’d love to hear from you. Please email Carla Fuentes at carla@goldhirshfoundation.org.

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 has been the impact of the Youth Ambassador Program so far?

Since launching in 2022, the LA2050 Youth Ambassador Program has engaged 700+ young people across Los Angeles County, representing 200+ unique ZIP codes, and has helped mobilize 14,500+ residents to participate in LA2050 Grants Challenge voting.

In 2025 alone, 330 Youth Ambassadors engaged 7,000 Angelenos, represented 145 ZIP codes, and helped drive participation from nearly 96 percent of residential ZIP codes countywide.

Interested in learning more? This past year, one of our Youth Ambassador alums, Marion Noble, produced Uplifting Youth Voice in LA – a report on our 2025 Youth Ambassador Program that explores the program’s purpose, impact, and importance since its inception.

What will LA2050 Youth Ambassadors (ages 14-24) 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 carla@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.

What will LA2050 Youth Ambassador Leaders (ages 16-24) receive in exchange for their participation?

We are excited that all participating Leadership Cohort members will:

• Learn advanced content related to grantmaking, mentoring, and program facilitation
• Make a real impact on their communities by helping determine what local issues will be funded through the grants challenge,
• Gain hands on experience evaluating grant applications and making funding recommendations
• And build deeper relationships with peers, LA2050 staff, and community-based organizations through higher-touch programming

What are the age requirements?

The General Cohort accepts individuals ages 14 to 24* and the Youth Ambassador Leadership Cohort accepts individuals ages 16 - 24*. The slight increase in age requirement for leaders is due to the increased responsibilities and compensation.

*Applicants must meet the minimum age requirement for their selected cohort at the time of application.

In addition to being eligible for the prizes above, LA2050 Youth Ambassador Leadership Cohort members also will receive a $500 volunteer gift – as a reflection of the program’s increased expectations and the substantial time and effort required. This volunteer gift underscores the importance of the role and serious commitment needed to fully engage and succeed in the cohort.

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