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LA2050 has been honored with multiple awards. 

LA2050 is an award winning initiative! 

The world is here; here is the world. 🌎

Happy 242nd Birthday, Los Angeles!

Across Los Angeles, there are thousands of animals in shelters waiting to find a loving forever home. Adopting from shelters provides an ethical option for those wishing to add a new addition to enrich their lives and gives these creatures a second chance.

16 Animal Adoption Shelters in LA County

For the fourth year in a row, we are proud to have our friends at 

Social Justice Partners Los Angeles (SJPLA)

 facilitate the evaluation process for the LA2050 Grants Challenge.


Community Grantmaking with SJPLA

This year’s LA2050 Youth Ambassador cohort was made up of 140 engaged young people, ages 14 to 24, representing neighborhoods all across Los Angeles County. Together they helped spread the word about voting in the LA2050 Grants Challenge to friends, family, and neighbors, and engaged 3,000+ voters.

140 Youth Ambassadors engage 3,000+ voters in the LA2050 Grants Challenge! 

Join Team LA2050 as Assistant to the President!

As you may have seen, each of the 615 submissions to the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge is now posted live at la2050.org.

Now featuring 615 new submissions on the LA2050 Ideas Hub! 

The sun’s out, our abundant rainfall this year is keeping the grass green, it’s the perfect time for a summer picnic! The LA2050 team has compiled a list of our favorite outdoor natural places to host a picnic in L.A. County this summer.

23 Outdoor Picnic Areas for Summer of '23

LA2050, in collaboration with our funding partners, is granting $2 million to the issues that LA cares about most!

If you have questions, Team LA2050 has the answers! 

After 80,000 votes from almost 12,000 people, our LA2050 Grants Challenge Voting Pop-Ups have come to a close!


Recapping our final seven Grants Challenge voting pop-ups around LA!

In March, we hosted Marisol Bello from the Housing Narrative Lab to lead a storytelling workshop for our 2022 grantee cohort! At the Housing Narrative Lab, Marisol helps uplifts the stories of people facing homelessness and housing insecuirty and the systems that keep them from finding and keeping a home.

"The Stories We Tell Matter": LA2050 x Housing Narrative Lab

Have you been looking to make sustainable changes to your shopping? Want to find your new favorite BYO container store? The LA2050 team has compiled a list of nine Sustainable Refill Stores in Los Angeles to help you combat packaging waste!

Nine Sustainable Refill Stores in LA

"Join the Movement" named a Telly Awards Gold Winner!

We are a winner in this year's Shorty Awards!

LA2050's Newsletter is a winner in this year's Shorty Awards

Hey there graduates! As the school year comes to an end, we wanted to give a big shoutout to all of you amazing achievers out there! To congratulate you all on making it through and reaching this milestone in your lives, here are some words of wisdom from some special speakers who have graced commencement stages in both the LA area, and nearby, that highlight topics we consider essential to postgraduate challenges. We hope you enjoy these remarks from the comic Conan O’Brien, the actor and comedian Will Ferrell, and the former First Lady and lawyer Michelle Obama. So, keep being outstanding; remember to face hardship, grow from failure, and extend kindness to those around you. Here's to all the exciting things that await you in the future!

Three (More!) of Our Favorite LA Commencement Speeches

Want to learn more about this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge applications?


Register Now: LA2050 Grants Challenge Information Sessions and Office Hours!

2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge – These are the issues LA voted to fund!

In collaboration with our funding partners, LA2050 is granting more than $2 million to the issues that LA cares about most.

Introducing the 13 issues we’re funding through this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge! 

Each year, LA2050 gives $1 million to nonprofits and other social impact organizations making Los Angeles better through the LA2050 Grants Challenge. Angelenos determine the issue areas that will receive funding – from homelessness and income inequality to park access – through voting. Voting takes place on 

 from April 6th to May 8th, and is open to all ages and available in 10 languages


LA2050 is Coming to a Neighborhood Near You! 

Thousands of Angelenos have cast their votes so far in the LA2050 Grants Challenge, both online and in person at our first-ever pop-up voting experiences.

Recapping our first five Grants Challenge voting pop-ups around LA!

Please join us in thanking our 2023 Outreach Partners for spreading the word about voting across LA County!

Thank You 2023 LA2050 Outreach Partners! 

LA2050, an initiative of the Goldhirsh Foundation, has been named Nonprofit Organization of the Year (Growing).

LA2050 Named Nonprofit Organization of the Year

140 LA2050 Youth Ambassadors, young Angelenos between the ages of 14 and 24, have officially started spreading the word about voting in the 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge to friends, family, and neighbors!

140 LA2050 Youth Ambassadors in Action!  

For Your Viewing Pleasure - LA2050's New Short Film

2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge Launch Celebration at Las Fotos Project Brings Together Friends, Partners, and Grantees 

For our 10th annual #LA2050GrantsChallenge, we are humbled to announce that we launched this year’s cycle with these six outstanding funding partners:

Introducing Our 2023 LA2050 Grants Challenge Funding Partners!

Votes can be cast online at LA2050.org and for the first time at 10 iconic Los Angeles locations

Public Voting Begins Today for the $2 Million, 10th Annual LA2050 Grants Challenge

Six months ago, we proudly announced the winners of our 2022 LA2050 Grants Challenge.

Our 2022 LA2050 Grantees Share Mid-Grant Updates!

The Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative announced today that Gabrielle Garcia has joined the staff of the organization as a social media and communications fellow.

New Fellow Gabrielle Garcia Joins Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 Initiative

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)’s Equity Innovation Program (EIP) is a strategic layer of support for cleantech entrepreneurs from historically marginalized communities within LACI’s small business incubation and acceleration programs. EIP offers founders access to targeted coaching and curriculum, pilot funding, and technical guidance to help secure financing, expand their network, or scale their startups, to help the City of Los Angeles achieve its ambitious climate goals by the year 2050.

LACI’s Equity Innovation Program is Helping LA Achieve its Climate Goals

The Rebel Garden Project: a Food Justice, Art and Urban Gardening Internship for Youth in South LA, is off to a Great Start!

 has been able to vastly improve the services that we offer in Compton. Here at the Corps, we are fortunate enough to operate the beautiful Compton Creek Natural Park (CCNP), which also serves as home to our Compton crew of Corpsmembers. Because of the LA2050 grant, we have been able to expand our Compton-based programming, extend park hours to the public, and provide valuable work experience and on-the-job training to school-aged youth. LA2050 funding helped us to realize a 34 percent% increase in visitors to the park over the past four months.

LA Conservation Corps is Creating a Greener Los Angeles

Education Through Music-Los Angeles is grateful for LA2050’s partnership which has nurtured  our post-pandemic recovery efforts in bringing music education back to under-resourced  schools across LA County. The lack of music and arts education has been a longstanding equity  and access issue; schools serving low-income students, especially students of color, are less  likely to have robust arts programs (edsource.org, January 2022) with only one in five schools maintaining the equivalent of a full-time arts teacher. Since receiving the LA2050 grant in September 2022, ETM-LA is reaching 18,500 students across 42 schools with sequential, comprehensive music education yearlong. We work closely with each partner school to meet their specific needs, and plan to bring on an additional two to three schools this semester.

Education Through Music-Los Angeles Provides Critical Arts Education to 18,500 Students 

 (TPL) creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. The goal of TPL’s Parks for People Program is to ensure that everyone can access a quality park within a 10-minute walk, or half-mile, from home. We use the 10-minute walk as a benchmark because it is a manageable distance for seniors and children, ensuring access for all.

Trust for Public Land’s Parks for People Program Brings Green Space to Angelenos

The Urban Peace Institute (UPI) officially launched our South Park School Safety Collaborative with support from the Goldhirsh Foundation’s LA2050 initiative. Through LA2050’s PLAY category, UPI is reimagining community safety by supporting peacemakers and building community leaders. UPI now convenes the South Park School Safety Collaborative, uniting over 50 stakeholders to come together to strategize on reducing gun and gang violence and improving community health. Stakeholders include school administrators, parents, community leaders, community violence intervention workers, and LAPD Community Safety Partnership Bureau officers.

Urban Peace Institute Launches its South Park School Safety Collaborative

There is no quick fix to homelessness, however, there are ways to stabilize the rapid increase in homelessness in Los Angeles County. The RightWay Foundation’s Operation Housing First cuts off a direct pipeline to homelessness by housing transition-age foster youth (TAY). Fifty percent of TAY will experience homelessness within the first two years of emancipation from the foster care system. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority reports one-third of young people (ages 18-24) experiencing homelessness exited the foster care system. TAY emancipate from the foster care system without a place to call home.

RightWay Foundation’s Operating Housing First Supports Transition-Age Foster Youth

The Anti-Recidivism Coalition is a leading justice reform organization based in Los Angeles and we are proud of our work to empower formerly and currently incarcerated people to thrive. To ensure our communities are safe, healthy, and whole, we provide a support network which includes formerly incarcerated people, comprehensive reentry services, inside programming for those who are currently incarcerated, and opportunities to advocate for policy change. We were honored to partner with LA2050 on our project which is designed to give formerly incarcerated youth access to creative industry employment in music and film. This opportunity addresses the significant income inequality that our participants experience and tailor career opportunities to their interests. We are excited to be able to hire one such young person as Creative Fellow to support these efforts and ensure proper implementation of the rest of the grant. Read on to learn more about our LA2050-funded fellow who will be helping to spearhead this project!

ARC is "Giving Life to Creative Ideas" Through its New Fellowship

Youth Transform Their Futures with the Help of Sharefest

Lost Angels Children’s Project Provides a Path to Sustainable Jobs

Proyecto Avanza Reminds Students: “It’s Not Too Late to Graduate”

Since Homeboy Industries’ founding in 1988, we have become the largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program in the world. We offer an "exit ramp" for those stuck in a cycle of violence and incarceration, helping them develop the strength and skills to transform their lives. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, there are 450 active gangs in Los Angeles, with an estimated membership of over 45,000 individuals. With this high density of gangs, youth who have previously been involved with the criminal justice system are at significantly higher risk of joining at a young age, leading to offending and re-offending. Given that 25 percent of the individuals Homeboy Industries historically served were 14-21 years old, we recognized the need to focus intentionally on juvenile reentry and launched the Youth Reentry Center in 2020.

Homeboy Industries Youth Reentry Center:  Providing Hope and Healing for Formerly Gang-Involved or Incarcerated Youth

For 45+ years, Fulfillment Fund has supported under-resourced students to achieve their life goals, focusing on a path to and through college as a way toward a brighter future. Today, we are seeing that a college degree alone does not guarantee a well-paying job, job security, or the ability to keep advancing your opportunities in life. With careful guidance during college, we can influence a student’s career trajectory and that early exposure to various professional paths, coupled with support to achieve their goals, can have a remarkable impact on upward economic mobility for low-income youth.

Disrupting Cycles of Poverty to Ignite Economic Advancement

Foster Nation is proud to share its progress implementing the CareerX coaching program that helps Los Angeles-area foster youth LEARN life, social and professional skills in order to be self-sufficient after foster care. Youth aging out of the foster care system are at a clear disadvantage when it comes to higher educational attainment and finding a job that pays a realistic living wage with health benefits. Without proper support, 20 percent of foster youth experience homelessness, while only 24 percent of foster youth graduate high school, 10 percent enroll in college, and 3 percent graduate from college.

From “Impossible” to “I’m Possible” with Foster Nation’s CareerX Coaching Program

For almost 30 years, Young Women’s Freedom Center has created a leadership pipeline by and for system-impacted young women and trans youth of all genders to grow their professional and organizing skills in order to transform their lives and communities. Over the last few years, we know that in order to envision a world where system-impacted young women and trans youth of all genders have the resources, support, and economic opportunities to transform their lives and live self-sufficient and resilient lives that we need to expand our work to Los Angeles County.

Young Women’s Freedom Center Pilots Transform Your Hustle

Theodore Payne Foundation Certifies Landscape Professionals in Native Plants

The LA2050 grant partially funds the construction and operation of the Thai Community Development Center’s (Thai CDC) $6 million Thai Town Marketplace (TTMP), a business incubator social enterprise which serves as a new approach to urban revitalization and an innovative “green” community public market as it sits on top of the Metro subway station at the western entrance of Thai Town at Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue making the area a truly equitable Transit Oriented Community. Creating the first “Health/Wealth Zone”, the TTMP will deliberately link health and economic outcomes by helping low-income entrepreneurs start their first business, creating 18 businesses every three years and over 60 jobs, teaching vendors financial and health literacy, hosting monthly health and information booths for visitors and helping the food insecure access fresh produce at our adjacent farmers’ market, and making local organizations’ social services more accessible.

Thai CDC’s Thai Town Marketplace: Making an Impact through Food, People, and Place 

Nature for All Celebrates Developing the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards 

“Environmental Justice is the movement to ensure that no community suffers disproportionate environmental burdens or goes without fair environmental benefits.” Van Jones

Legacy LA: The Natural Park Air Pollution Solution

Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalitions’ abolitionist-immigrant centered movement work, organizing power building, embodied health justice driven, and organizing work have emboldened an immigrant led and centered movement, committed to the collective liberation and social justice of Black Indigenous People Of Color (BIPOC)  undocumented families in Los Angeles County with a focus in Long Beach, the second largest city in the County.

LBIRC’s Organizing and Leadership Power Hubs Create Dynamic, Life-Affirming Transformation for Immigrants in LA County 

Inner City Law Center and The Debt Collective Keep Tenants Housed via the Tenant Power Toolkit

Healing California is proud to report that we have made great progress in serving the dental and  vision needs of the people of the Greater Los Angeles area. Since receiving the grant, we have executed 3 clinics in the greater Los Angeles area. We have served over 250 patients, providing a value of over $77,000 in dental and vision services.

Healing California Provides Critical Dental and Vision Care to Angelenos

 is thrilled to share exciting highlights and plans for 2023.

Flavors From Afar Recognized as Top Restaurant in Los Angeles

Transit commuters in Los Angeles understand that waiting for the bus can be a challenging experience. With little to no protection from the elements, daily commuters are left unprotected during the blistering summer heat, when temperatures can reach more than 100°F. As climate change continues to reshape how we navigate our daily lives, bus shelters with various amenities can be game changers when it comes to mitigating exposure from the summer heat.

Climate Resolve Launches Bus Stop Heat Bracket

Black Women for Wellness and Golden State Opportunity’s Collaborative Pilot Project for CalFresh Education and Outreach

On the occasion of the release of a new report by Christine Beckman and Claire Zhang, 

 to discuss key findings, as well as the roots, practice, and future of social innovation.

A Conversation on Social Innovation: Christine Beckman and Tara Roth

We are elated to share the news that 140 Angelenos between ages 14 and 24 have joined the second cohort of the LA2050 Youth Ambassador program!

Meet The 140 Extraordinary Angelenos Who Are LA2050 Youth Ambassadors

And the prize goes to… ALL of our amazing grantees! 🏆

For Your Consideration: Eight Short Films About Social Impact

The Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative announced today that Lauren Song has joined the staff of the organization, in the role of Design Fellow.

New Fellow Lauren Song Joins Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 Initiative

Are you working on your New Year's resolution to try new things, volunteer more, or get involved in your community?

2022 LA2050 Grantee Newsletter Roundup

Is your organization hosting an event? Share it with the LA2050 community!

NEW LA2050 Events Board! 

To celebrate, we collaborated with KCRW to release

 The cards are inspired by our love of Los Angeles and feature iconic local sites and scenes – from Griffith Observatory and LAX to Venice Beach rollerskaters.

Share the love! 

Subscribe to the LA2050 Newsletter and receive a 

to send to your sweethearts, friends, and family.



From LA2050xKCRW, With Love

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 2023 Youth Ambassador Program!

Applications open now! 2023 LA2050 Youth Ambassador Program

The Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative announced today that Nicole Tisnes has joined the staff of the organization, as a Social Media and Communications Fellow.

New Fellow Nicole Tisnes Joins Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 Initiative

On the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 

 President Tara Roth reached out to her friend Michael Tubbs to ask a few questions related to the legacy of Dr. King, and Tubbs’ ongoing work with issues such as guaranteed income and ending poverty.

Dr. King and Guaranteed Income: A conversation between Michael Tubbs and Tara Roth

Each January, we celebrate MLK Day and honor the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. In part, we accomplish this through service and giving back to our communities.

Volunteer Opportunities for MLK Day of Service 2023

 opened last autumn seven NEW stations, which connect

the communities of West Adams, Jefferson Park, Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Inglewood, Westchester, and more. 🚆🎊

14 Places to Visit On the new Metro K Line

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Giving Tuesday match a few weeks ago.

This is our fourth year offering a match, and our LA2050 community continues to show up for our local nonprofits. 

We are ecstatic to share that, together, we raised more than $27,000!


$17,000+ donated by 160 individuals
$10,000 match from the Goldhirsh Foundation
169 donations made
62 organizations received donations
23 organizations with two or more donations

Your donations make a real impact. Check out these notes of appreciation from SEE-LA and Al Otro Lado, the two organizations that received the most donations through this year’s match.



"We are so grateful for the generosity of donors and to LA2050 for their match. We are excited to use these funds to provide our unique STEAM culinary education classes to youth and caregivers across Los Angeles and maintain and enhance SEE-LA's food access and equity programs!" – Elizabeth Bowman & Cara Elio, Co-Executive Directors SEE-LA

"We are so grateful to LA2050 for including us on its list of organizations for #GivingTuesday and to the donors who made this campaign such a wonderful success. With your support, Al Otro Lado provides critical legal aid and humanitarian support for migrants, people imprisoned in detention, asylum-seekers trapped at the border and separated families. Thank you!" – The Al Otro Lado Team

That’s not all; with these newest contributions, we have officially raised more than $100,000 via our 

 is a searchable database of great organizations and bright ideas from all of the LA2050 Grants Challenges. The Ideas Hub includes more than 1,700 social impact organizations based in Los Angeles, working on issues from housing and homelessness to domestic violence, environmental protection, and STEAM education. While the Ideas Hub gets the most love during our Giving Tuesday match, it is available for browsing all year long. That means you can donate to your favorite organizations, or discover new ones, at any time.

Thank you to 

 for powering the donation widget that makes the match possible. And, an extra special thank you to all of our donors!


Giving Tuesday Update

We’re closing out 2022 with a look back on all that our community has achieved together over the past 12 months. Here are some of our “LA2050 Wrapped” highlights:

Our 2022 “LA2050 Wrapped"

Are you looking for festive ways to celebrate this holiday season? Look no further! The LA2050 Team has curated a map of 11 Holiday Lights in LA. 💡🤩🌟

11 LA Events to Light Up Your Holiday Season

Today, in honor of Giving Tuesday, we're matching donations made via the 

Double Your Impact with LA2050 this Giving Tuesday!

Join Team LA2050 as a Design Fellow!

This holiday season, shop local and give gifts that make a difference with our annual LA2050 social impact gift guide.

2022 Social Impact Gift Guide — 55 gifts that make a difference!

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

Jake Bishop and Carla Fuentes Promoted to New Positions at LA2050

2022 Volunteer Opportunities for the Season of Giving 

Happy Thursday! For this week’s #FaveFive, we’re excited to feature Tom Burley, Executive Director of 

#FaveFive featuring Tom Burley of Healing California

One key ingredient of success is access to the right spaces and communities.

Creating Community With Second Home Hollywood

Join Team LA2050 as a Social Media and Communications Fellow! 

We are pleased to have welcomed Nathan Shapiro to our organization. Nathan is a Coro Fellow and as part of his Coro training, for four weeks he has been observing and learning from the work of LA2050 and its team.


LA2050 Welcomed Coro Fellow Nathan Shapiro

Our first-ever LA2050 Grants Challenge Showcase, held September 21st, brought together members of the Los Angeles social impact and nonprofit communities to announce the 2022 LA2050 Grants Challenge winners. 

Celebrating our First-Ever LA2050 Grants Challenge Showcase!

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

Announcing the Winners of the 2022 LA2050 Grants Challenge

, the Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative received a Commendation from the County of Los Angeles presented by 

The Goldhirsh Foundation and its LA2050 initiative receive a Commendation from the County of LA

report examining the record-breaking 480 programs, projects, and initiatives

 submitted to this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge.

2022 LA2050 Grants Challenge Submissions Report

On September 4th, Los Angeles celebrates its 241st birthday. Join us in celebrating with this year's "Happy Birthday, LA!" e-book.

Celebrating LA's 241st birthday!

The Goldhirsh Foundation team and I recently started watching 

 starring Maya Rudolph as Molly Wells, a recent divorcee who jumps into her foundation’s charitable work as an antidote to her pain. Of course, it is a fictional television show – and a very funny one at that – but I appreciate the show's depiction of the social impact sector. In advance of the finale airing this Friday, I am reflecting on three key things that Loot gets right about philanthropy.

The Scoop on Loot: What I think the Apple+ Comedy Gets Right About Philanthropy

For the third year in a row, we’re proud to have 

 lead evaluation for the LA2050 Grants Challenge.


Thank you, Social Justice Partners Los Angeles!

We were elated to receive 480 submissions to this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge across the 12 issue areas chosen through our new public voting process. More than 8,000 Angelenos voted for the issues they cared about most to help us determine our funding priorities. Then, we invited local organizations working to address those top issue areas and apply for funding.

A closer look at this year's LA2050 Grants Challenge submissions

As you may have seen, each of the 480 submissions to the 2022 LA2050 Grants Challenge is now posted live at la2050.org.


2022 LA2050 Grants Challenge Voting Deep Dive

All week, we're taking a look back at this year's LA2050 Grants Challenge vote.

How LA2050 Listens hosts engaged thousands of Grants Challenge voters

Los Angeles is arguably the birthplace of modern skateboarding. (Think Dogtown, Z-Boys, backyard pools, and so much more.) Given that heritage, and with school out and days long, we’ve compiled here a list of some of the region’s numerous free-of-charge public parks for you to sk8 over to this summer!

13 Novice to Gnarly Skateparks in Los Angeles

Calling all bookworms! 📣📚❤️ Check out this two part map with a few of our favorite LA indie bookstores! (Quotes are from stores’ websites.)

20 Indie Bookstores in Los Angeles 

As this school year's commencement season comes to an end, we wanted to congratulate all the accomplished graduates out there, and share some of the powerful words from a number of commencement speakers — including comic actor Ego Nwodim; poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou; and media titan and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey — throughout the years here in the Los Angeles area.

Three of Our Favorite LA Commencement Speeches

LA2050, in collaboration with our funding partners, is granting approximately $2 million to the issues that LA cares about most!

Answering FAQs about this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge

Our first-ever LA2050 Youth Ambassador cohort was made up of 78 engaged young people, ages 14 to 24, representing neighborhoods all across Los Angeles County. Last month, we tapped them to help spread the word about voting in this year’s LA2050 Grants Challenge to friends, family, and neighbors. We are proud to share that, together, they engaged more than 1,000 people in voting – approximately 12 percent of our overall total.

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