June 7th is just around the corner and we have the deets on four ways you can #PartyatthePolls
RENT Poet & Melrose Poetry Bureau are bringing poets to your local polling station to write personalized poetry on typewriters in English and Spanish for voters waiting in line. Their goal is to engage the public in the generative, creative process we all know politics can be! Check out #PoetsatthePolls and their #WritetoVote social media campaign.
Venice Arts will serve not only as a polling place for the California Primary Elections on June 7th, they will also be hosting a professionally run photo booth to capture the many different reasons people vote. #VeniceVotes will not only be Venice Arts' first interactive photo booth project, but will become a living album of portraits that speaks to the uniqueness of Venice and the vital importance of civic engagement. Show Venice Arts why #VeniceVotes.
The Unique Space wants you to participate in local elections and is throwing a giant block party on election night to celebrate. After hitting the polls, head over to their space where they'll transform their 5,000 square foot parking lot into an outdoor block party with FREE food, drinks, a DJ, photo booth, games and interactive art installations. Don't forget to wear your “I Voted" sticker to be entered into really great contests, and the first 200 people through the doors get a bag full of swag! RSVP here.
Celebrate Election Day with KPCC's #WhyIVoted party. Bring your "I voted" sticker and join the KPCC In Person team at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate your decision to vote in the election and, we hope, encouraging others to do the same. RSVPs not required but let KPCC know if you can make it here.
Three weeks ago, we asked Angelenos for event ideas to improve voter engagement and turnout in the upcoming primary election. Today, we are excited to announce that eight proposals will receive $3,500 apiece to pilot events between May 17th and June 7th.
These proposals represent a sample of the truly creative voter engagement ideas we received, ranging from using comedy to communicate about elections to conducting direct outreach to first-time voters and immigrants to encourage them to head to their polling locations. In all, these #PartyatthePolls events will spark conversation about civic engagement among thousands of members of our Los Angeles community.
We can't wait to report back on these events, so please stay tuned. You are also welcome to join the events where noted. Be sure to follow these and other great voter engagement activities all across Los Angeles using #PartyatthePolls. And, don't forget to vote! For information about voting in LA County, visit www.lavote.net.
* indicates a public event. Feel free to join!
Together with the Angeleno community, we have outlined a goal to make Los Angeles the best place to connect and to make our region one where every resident is empowered to contribute to our civic processes. Los Angeles can be made better if all Angelenos are enabled and encouraged to use the power of their civic voice to create change in their community.
However, we know that voter participation as a measure of civic engagement has hit historic lows in LA, and the voter population is not representative of the diversity of the region. But you can help change that.
Are there barriers to voting in your community that you can help overcome? Can you help improve outreach and increase awareness of the election in your neighborhood? Or do you have a fun idea to encourage civic engagement that you're excited to test?
Apply for a $3,500 grant to host a #PartyatthePolls event that will promote voter engagement in the upcoming June 7th primary election. The application and additional details can be found here.
The events should be participatory and engaging, but the format and design are completely up to you. From pop-up parties at polling places to providing child care for families waiting in voting lines, the possibilities are endless.
Applications open on April 26th at 9:00 am and are due by midnight Pacific Time on May 10th. Email us at [email protected] with any questions.
Join LA2050 and the California Community Foundation for a twitter party about how we can come together to build the LA of our dreams. Follow #LAtogether on Feb 24th at 1pm to participate! Not sure how to join a twitter party? Check out our handy Twitter party guide--we've got you covered.
Congratulations to the winners of the My LA2050 Grants Challenge! It was a tough process choosing, as we received so many fantastic ideas. We are excited to announce the ten winning proposals to make Los Angeles the best place to learn, create, connect, play, and live.
Winners among the top voted are:
The jury voted winners are:
We are thankful for our partner funders, the Annenberg Foundation and the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation who have committed an additional $600,000 to support ideas submitted via My LA2050. Additional grant winners will be announced in 2016.
After verifying votes for the My LA2050 Grants Challenge, the leaderboards have been updated!
Congratulations to the top 10 voted submissions in the five goal categories, among which one winner will be chosen to receive $100,000. We will also select another winner in each goal category to receive $100,000, irrespective of votes.
We are proud to announce that more than 70,000 voters participated in the challenge. We thank you, My LA2050 submitters, for your inspiring ideas and for engaging your community to help make LA the best place to learn, create, play, connect, and live.
LA is the best place to LEARN
See all submissions in the LEARN category
LA is the best place to CREATE
See all submissions in the CREATE category
LA is the best place to PLAY
See all submissions in the PLAY category
LA is the best place to CONNECT
See all submissions in the CONNECT category
LA is the best place to LIVE
Los Angeles, you answered our call for ideas to make LA the best place to learn, create, play, connect, and live by 2050! Now the voting period for the 2015 My LA2050 Grants Challenge has come to an end, and we're hard at work selecting the winners. Thanks to everyone who participated in various ways:
304 applications were submitted,
Thousands of you spread the word and showed your support by tweeting, commenting, and emailing,
Tens of thousands of you voted!
We would especially like to thank all of those who submitted their ideas to the My LA2050 Grants Challenge this year. Your passion for innovation, opportunity, and change is what drives progress in our region. From climate solutions to college access and from job training to food justice, we are flooded with amazing solutions to tackle our greatest challenges.
Ten winning submissions will be selected based on their impact on the LA2050 goal areas, creativity and innovation, feasibility, and collaborative spirit. Five will be chosen from the top 10 voted of each category, and five more winners will be chosen from each category regardless of the number of votes they received. We cannot wait to announce the challenge winners and celebrate ALL of our submitters on December 8th!
We are grateful for the additional support from the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation which will be providing an additional $500,000 in grant funding to My LA2050 submitters, along with $100,000 from the Annenberg Foundation. The additional $600,000 will be allocated based on feedback from the funders - it could mean extra bucks for larger projects, or divided amounts for more submitters.
In the meantime, we hope you will all continue to stay engaged with LA2050 and the amazing work that different organizations are doing in our community. Follow @la2050 on Twitter and Instagram, like LA2050's Facebook page, and sign up for our newsletter for updates and happenings in the LA area!
In our third year of the My LA2050 Grants Challenge, we are even more confident that Angelenos hold the most creative answers to creating a thriving, equitable, sustainable Los Angeles. Thanks to YOU, we are on our way to a #BetterLA.
Have questions about the My LA2050 Grants Challenge? Let's talk.
Join GOOD Maker and LA2050 for a Q&A about the My LA2050 Grants Challenge
Don't miss it. Two opportunities to participate:
Sept 22nd @ 3 pm: Call-in number: 1-323-556-6784; code 2671
Sept 24th @ 3 pm: Call-in number: 1-650-479-3208; code: 621897747
RSVP and submit questions to [email protected].
Designing the city of our dreams
How startups foster ideation and civic activation
Los Angeles represents opportunity, diversity, and the immense potential to pioneer innovative ideas that drive positive change in our community. Like many others, I moved to Los Angeles and was thrilled by the possibilities and uncertainty of a new beginning in a city that has a robust communications network, booming tech industry, an influential social justice and philanthropic industry.
After years of living in Los Angeles, I've fallen in love with the city, yet much change is still needed. Despite many successes, Los Angeles continues to be affected by issues that include high unemployment rates, low college matriculation rates, and environmental conditions, all of which threaten public health and LA's livability. What makes our city unique, however, is that it allows emerging ideas to manifest into world-changing solutions by fostering a culture of entrepreneurship and collaboration.