The Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative have promoted two team members to new positions within the organization.

LeAnn Kelch Melendez is now Director of Grants and Programs, and Carla Fuentes is now Social Innovation Coordinator. Previously, Melendez served as Social Innovation Manager, and Fuentes as Social Innovation Assistant.

LA2050 is a community-guided initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles. We achieve this through research and reporting, digital and physical engagement, as well as local grantmaking.

In their respective new roles, the pair will continue in part to work on projects such as the annual LA2050 Grants Challenge, which this year granted more than $2.5 million to 42 nonprofit and social impact organizations in the Los Angeles region, thanks to the collaboration of six philanthropic funding partners, and to the more than 12,000 members of the community who voted online for the issues that mattered most to them.

Melendez joined the team in May, 2018. She graduated with a B.A. in International Development Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and received her Master’s in Urban Planning and Master’s in Public Administration from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. She currently serves as Communications Co-Chair for the Los Angeles Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy.

Fuentes joined the team in November, 2021. She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis on Public Policy and Management. She currently is serving on the board of her neighborhood council, is a member of the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy LA Steering Committee, and a part of the LA Civil Rights Volunteer Corps with the Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department.