Goldhirsh Foundation Announces Winners of the 2022 LA2050 Grants Challenge; Four other Foundations Join Unique Philanthropy Campaign

Total of $2.6 million given to 37 grantees at first-ever Grants Challenge Showcase

The Goldhirsh Foundation named acclaimed restaurant Flavors from Afar, groundbreaking public safety leader Urban Peace Institute and eight other innovative organizations as the winners of the reimagined LA2050 Grants Challenge. Each of the winners received $75,000 from the Goldhirsh Foundation, while five runner-up organizations were given $50,000 each.

To commemorate its new format, as well as a transformative partnership with the Hilton Foundation, the Goldhirsh Foundation officially revealed and celebrated the winners and runners-up at the first-ever Grants Challenge Showcase held outdoors at Second Home Hollywood. The Showcase brought the grantees together to learn from each other and connect with key supporters of the Challenge as part of a program that also included a panel discussion about ideas for a better Los Angeles featuring four past LA2050 grantees moderated by Spectrum News 1 journalist Zarina Khairzada.

“We could not be more excited to support 15 truly special organizations that have stepped up during a challenging time for Los Angeles County and made it a meaningfully better place,” said Tara Roth, President of the Goldhirsh Foundation. “Our partners have allowed the LA2050 Grants Challenge to expand its impact, and I am extremely grateful for their support. I am also thrilled to celebrate with everyone in person at our first-ever Showcase and honor a group of people who truly deserve it.

This is the ninth LA2050 Grants Challenge, which has always let people decide through an online voting system which organizations are making Los Angeles County the best place to connect, create, learn, live, and play—and reward them accordingly through their votes. For the first time, this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge gave voters the choice of issues, not just organizations, letting them select from more than 30 key issues before soliciting nominations from relevant organizations. The Challenge received a record 480 submissions, and the judging committee—made up of social impact leaders and experts in the field—chose the 10 winners and five runners-up.

The LA2050 Grants Challenge is largely funded by the Goldhirsh Foundation, with additional prizes provided by Snap Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation and the John N. Calley Foundation. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation joined the Grants Challenge this year, contributing $500,000. Funds from these partners, totaling more than $1.6 million, were given to 22 additional organizations. Second Home Hollywood is offering select organizations complimentary access to its creative coworking space. Combined with the $1 million in prizes given to the 10 winners and five runners-up, $2.6 million was provided to 37 organizations that are truly solving some of Los Angeles’ biggest problems.

"We are excited to be part of the innovative LA2050 Grants Challenge for the first time, and proud to be supporting a group of truly remarkable and essential Los Angeles nonprofit organizations," said Marc Holley, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's Vice President of Strategy and Programs. "These grantees are proof of the power of working together for a common cause, and we are honored to be invited to join organizations such as the Goldhirsh Foundation, Snap Foundation, Annenberg Foundation and John N. Calley Foundation to give these much-deserving organizations more support. It is also wonderful to be here at the first-ever Grants Challenge Showcase, where so many impressive leaders have come together and are undoubtedly having conversations that will change lives."

The Showcase was attended by representatives from all grantee organizations and funding partners, as well as representatives of the City and County of Los Angeles.

“I’m honored to be here with these remarkable leaders who are truly making a difference in Los Angeles County,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair, Holly J. Mitchell. “The LA2050 Grants Challenge has helped hundreds of organizations over the years build on their momentum, and today’s Showcase is a worthy celebration of grantees past and present. These individuals and organizations contribute to the social service network of Los Angeles County

The list of organizations being funded by LA2050 / the Goldhirsh Foundation in each individual category are as follows, with each organization receiving $75,000:

BIPOC- and Women-Owned Businesses

• Thai Community Development Center, operating the Thai Town Marketplace, a new approach to urban revitalization that helps low-income residents start their first business while also protecting the neighborhood’s cultural diversity and combating gentrification.

Climate and Environment

• Theodore Payne Foundation, growing independent landscaping businesses and enabling residents of Los Angeles County to save water and restore habitats through the California Native Plant Landscaper Certificate Program.

Community Safety

• Urban Peace Institute, expanding its violence reduction programming to South Park, creating safe routes to school for students and training local residents to lead community safety solutions

Support for Foster and Systems-Impacted Youth

• Young Women’s Freedom Center, launching Transform Your Hustle, a job training and life coaching program to meet systems-impacted young women and trans youth of all genders where they are at and build the skills needed for economic empowerment

Green Space, Park Access, and Trees

• Legacy LA Youth Development Corporation, engaging local youth leaders in the campaign to build the Ramona Gardens Natural Park, a green buffer that will protect Ramona Gardens residents from transit-related air pollution

Housing and Homelessness

• Inner City Law Center, in partnership with the Debt Collective, preventing homelessness by helping low-income tenants stay housed through the Tenant Power Toolkit, a web-based platform that will inform them of their rights and connect them with an eviction-defense attorney, free of charge

Immigrant and Refugee Support

• Flavors from Afar, providing refugees and asylum seekers an opportunity to showcase their traditional cultural dishes at a one-of-a-kind restaurant while also gaining valuable work experience and receiving a portion of gross sales

Income Inequality

• Black Women for Wellness, launching a collaborative pilot project with Golden State Opportunity to increase access to healthy, nutritious food for 35,000 Black women and their families through sharing much-needed information about CalFresh

K-12 STEAM Education

• Education Through Music, providing high-quality, comprehensive music education to students in low-income area elementary and middle schools as part of a well-rounded education

Public Transit

• Climate Resolve, organizing an interactive bus stop heat bracket to identify the hottest, most-used bus stops in Los Angeles County and create digital renderings of suggested improvements

The below organizations were honored as runners up, receiving $50,000:

• Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition, building power amongst the immigrant community to advance bold protections, ignite advocacy on a local level, and disrupt oppressive systems while also providing critical resources through its mutual community care hub
• Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, piloting a new Equity Innovation Program to support underrepresented cleantech entrepreneurs through access to targeted coaching and curriculum, pilot funding, and technical guidance
• Healing California, helping those experiencing homelessness by providing free quality dental, vision, and medical care through mobile and pop-up clinics
• Nature for All, empowering community members to better understand the environmental issues that affect their neighborhoods, including climate change and water resiliency, and preparing them to engage in decision-making processes
• Trust for Public Land, ensuring that all people can access a quality park within a 10-minute walk from home by transforming abandoned lots, asphalt-covered schoolyards, and neglected alleys into vibrant outdoor spaces

Since the first Grants Challenge in 2013, LA2050 has awarded more than $9 million to 125 organizations and inspired more than $6.5 million in indirect giving through third-party donors, making a significant impact in boosting social impact organizations that are making an impact in Los Angeles. More than 600,000 individuals have cast their votes from the start of the process, helping direct grant funding to innovative organizations including CASA of Los Angeles, CicLAvia, and Homeboy Industries.

Social Justice Partners LA (https://www.sjpla.org/) served as this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge evaluation partner.

About LA2050

LA2050 (www.la2050.org) is an initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles. We are centered around five unique goals that in 2050 Los Angeles will be the best place to learn, create, play, connect, and live. Connect with @LA2050 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and sign up to receive our newsletter, which includes social impact job listings and events.

About the Goldhirsh Foundation

At the Goldhirsh Foundation, (www.goldhirshfoundation.org), we connect the dots between the best emerging innovations and the financial, social, and human capital to make them thrive.