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LA2050 Blog

Throughout the past 18 months, the Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative have provided complimentary AI consulting, training, and workshops to the Los Angeles impact community. The work is led on the Foundation’s behalf by Jen García, Goldhirsh Foundation’s 

Below – and in upcoming monthly posts – García shares practical insights, real-world use cases, and emerging research to support nonprofits’ responsible and ethical adoption of AI tools.

First and foremost, in order for nonprofit leaders and staff to begin responsible, ethical AI adoption, they must remember that despite urging to jump in from individual AI champions and some media narratives, it is key to thoughtfully consider three key elements before diving in:

 Yes, generative AI has been on the scene commercially for two and a half years, but that doesn’t mean nonprofit organizations should jump in head-first. We encourage leaders to take a deliberate, steady approach to adoption, especially due to the potential risks.

Ensure that leadership undergoes training first.

 It is vital that leadership have an overview of generative AI tools and learn basic prompting before they make decisions on when and how it can be used for work. This training will also inform writing a working AI policy. We will cover these issues more in-depth in upcoming blogs.

 Once leadership is trained on generative AI basics, they will be able to identify use cases that align with the nonprofit’s mission and values. For example, although generative AI tools are often competent at producing marketing copy, that is not a good use case for nonprofits, who have deep community connections and unique trusted voices to uphold.

 are a useful way to not only group common threads but also upload files for continual context and provide custom instructions each prompt will adhere to within the project. This feature is available in paid subscriptions within ChatGPT Plus, Teams or Enterprise. (In fact, 

nonprofits receive 20% off of ChatGPT Teams

The Goldhirsh Foundation provided support to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation

, who in turn introduced us to LAFD Captain Matthew Sanchez. He told us he found it useful to leverage Google’s 

 to research – or just search – through publicly available information. (NotebookLM is a free generative AI tool that, unlike other tools, focuses solely on the context you provide.) Rather than searching through PDFs individually, Captain Sanchez can upload them into NotebookLM and query through them all at once. Nonprofit leaders may find this useful for grant or donor research, among many research-based use cases.

Photo: Participants at Hands-On AI Training for Nonprofits, a workshop held in March 2025 by the Goldhirsh Foundation and LA2050.

AI For Impact Monthly: July 2025

. The foundation served as the Los Angeles regional convener for OpenAI’s day-long AI Nonprofit Jam. 

OpenAI described the event as, “a one-day, nationwide event bringing together more than 1,000 nonprofit leaders across 10 locations… teams will work with these leaders to explore how generative AI can help scale their impact – and listen to, learn from, and collaborate with those at the center of this vital work."

The AI Nonprofit Jams across the country were hosted by OpenAI in coordination with the 

Goldhirsh Foundation and LA2050 president, Tara Roth, delivered welcome remarks in Los Angeles, kicking off a day that included participation from many of our LA2050 grantees. Among them, Defy Ventures and 

 who received free-of-charge AI training from Goldhirsh Foundation’s AI 

, Jen García. AltaSea also spoke at the event. 

Other speakers included Dr. Robert K. Ross, former president and CEO of The California Endowment, Efrain Escobedo, president and CEO of CNM, and via video, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

AI, especially as related to ethics and community impact, is a topic the Goldhirsh Foundation and LA2050 have been tracking since 2019. For more information, including a 

Goldhirsh Foundation Partners With OpenAI on ‘AI Nonprofit Jam’

LA is home to an incredible array of craftmakers, artisans, small businesses, and social enterprises. It's easy to shop for the holidays in a city with a bustling creative economy, and we've tried to make it even easier! Check out our LA2050 Holiday Gift Guide, where you can find gifts that give back and do good.

, crafted by residents of Skid Row and South L.A.

, recycling purified grease collected from LA restaurants.

, crafted by women transitioning out of homelessness.

, supporting My LA2050 grantee, Lost Angels Children's Project.

, supporting LURN (Leadership for Urban Renewal Network).

, proceeds benefit 826LA's free writing programs.

, supporting a new model to provide affordable healthy meals in South LA and DTLA.

, apparel made by individuals transitioning out of homelessness.

, available with LA Review of Books membership and at retailers including Skylight Books, Chevalier's Books, and Amazon.com.

, supporting Women's Center for Creative Work.

, filled with Homegirl Cafe and Homeboy Bakery goods.

, crafted by the women of the Downtown Women's Center.