Previous winners
2019 Winner
Defy equips program participants (whom we call Entrepreneurs in Training, or EITs) with the skills and tools to become productive and committed employees, business owners, and community members. Defy operates its core program, CEO of Your New Life (CEO YNL) in six SoCal prisons (where nearly 50% of our current EITs will release to LA County), and in two transitional facilities in LA County. After EITs are released, they can enroll in our post-release programs, including a business incubator.
Learn moreAvalon Green Alley Demonstration Project
2014 Winner
The Trust for Public Land transformed trash-filled alleys in South Los Angeles into walkable, bikeable, beautiful green alleys.
Learn moreInspiring Community Action to End Gun Violence in L.A. by Stopping “Bad Apple” Gun Dealers
2018 Winner
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence will educate and empower Los Angelenos to take meaningful action to stem the flow of crime guns and end gun violence in the community.
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2013 Winner
1,000 Mentors for Students:...
826LA inspired over 1,000 Angelenos to volunteer and help students across Los Angeles to make great leaps in learning.
2016 Winner
Big Citizen HUB: Building a...
Over the course of 22 Saturdays, Big Citizen HUB will build a pipeline of social changemakers by bringing together 236 diverse young people, ages 1...
2019 Winner
YouthCare (in-home)
YouthCare is an intergenerational respite and memory care program. For three hours, twice a week, student-senior pairs play games, participate in a...
2013 Winner
Transforming Empty Space Th...
Community Health Councils, C-Lab (Columbia University), and 596 Acres’ LA Open Acres Project built a web portal to transform thousands of acres of...
2013 Winner
Hope Has An Address
Homeboy Industries deployed an integrated curriculum of ten classes that help end the intergenerational cycles of violence.
2015 Winner
Los Angeles Bioscience Hub
Los Angeles Bioscience Hub, in collaboration with East Los Angeles College (ELAC), will create the Biotech Leaders Academy, establishing a pipeline...
2014 Winner
Streetcraft LA
StreetCraft LA will empowered low income, at risk, and unemployed youth to improve their economic future through creative economy entrepreneurship.
2013 Winner
LA Street Vendors: A Better...
ELACC & LURN led a campaign to support LA’s approximately 10,000 street vendors.
2014 Winner
We Are All LA: a socially c...
Downtown Women’s Center leveraged the power of for-profit/non-profit partnerships to work toward ending homelessness for women in Los Angeles throu...
2016 Winner
Theraputic Ocean Engagement...
Surf Bus partners with LA City Department of Recreation and Parks to connect LA's low-income, at-risk youth with the ocean and provides transportat...
2019 Winner
Community Science Connects ...
NHM works with underserved communities to reimagine their environments as vibrant spaces for play through inspiring programs that encourage everyon...
2019 Winner
Inspiring Student Action to...
Even with significant financial aid, many college students in Los Angeles are without stable shelter (20% of community college students) or food in...
2019 Winner
Empowering LA Youth to Enga...
Rock the Vote will help build a new generation of Los Angeles civic leaders and volunteers through: 1) Democracy Class, a fun, interactive high sch...
2013 Winner
Get Connected LA
CicLAvia facilitated events where the streets are “owned” by the pedestrians and cyclists.
2013 Winner
The Salamander Project: Re-...
No Right Brain Left Behind and Green Dot Public Schools’ Salamander Project transformed a neglected library at Locke High School into an Innovation...
2015 Winner
A Peaceful Los Angeles: Dev...
Citizens of the World will develop a model incorporating social-emotional learning into everyday curricula, emphasizing self-regulation and social ...
2013 Winner
Affordable Homes, Sustainab...
TRUST South LA developed a plan to create affordable homes for local families, with a plan to make better use of the 3000 acres of underutilized la...
2015 Winner
Be a Voice for LA's Foster ...
CASA of Los Angeles will recruit and train 250 new volunteers who will serve as court-appointed advocates on behalf of abused and neglected youth i...
2015 Winner
LA Veterans in Need: IAVA’s...
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) will provide at least 180 of LA's 320,000 veterans and their families with support as they transiti...
2018 Winner
Next Generation Science Sta...
We empower teachers to prepare and inspire students for the future of STEM through dynamic training and mentoring on the state adopted, industry re...
2018 Winner
Welcome, Neighbor: Making L...
"Welcome, Neighbor" is a campaign to activate Angelenos across the city through their Neighborhood Councils to welcome and support their newest nei...
2014 Winner
Kids Play at Pershing Square
The Pershing Square Park Advisory Council installed two playgrounds at the corner of 6th and Olive.
2016 Winner
Pathways to Employment thro...
Tierra del Sol Foundation will work with 500 adults with developmental disabilities, connecting them with volunteer opportunities at 120 nonprofit ...
2016 Winner
The Man2Man Project: Preven...
The Man2Man Project will connect multiple generations of men and boys for the dual purpose of helping young dads to become great fathers and preven...
2014 Winner
Dream Big With @movelatransit
MoveLA seeded a countywide public conversation around public transportation with a digital media platform and strategy.
2018 Winner
EVERYONE IN: Preventing 30,...
“EVERYONE IN: Preventing Homelessness” will help 30,000 people avoid homelessness by creating affordable housing & helping Angelenos keep their homes
2014 Winner
City Year Los Angeles Expan...
City Year Los Angeles and Partnership for LA Schools expanded by offering one-on-one mentorship to Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights and Jorda...
2019 Winner
La Troka — Mobile Garden an...
LA Troka takes health, nutrition, and urban gardening education to the streets of LA. Visiting schools, libraries, and other community centers and ...
2015 Winner
Los Angeles Review of Books...
Los Angeles Review of Books will profile an LA writer or artist each day of the year, bringing exposure, locally and globally, to the vibrant creat...
2014 Winner
Thriving in a Hotter Los An...
UCLA Grand Challenges will publish a draft work plan to transform the LA region to 100% sustainability in water and energy by 2050.
2014 Winner
Incubator School Programs +...
The Incubator School built an open source entrepreneurial education for the 21st century.
2016 Winner
Cleantech 2 Edtech: LA scho...
Via its Cleantech 2 Edtech program, Caltech aims to explore promising, new clean energy and water technologies, work with LAUSD and LADWP to pilot ...
2019 Winner
Bring Art Back to Venice
Venice Community Housing (VCH) kindly requests support for its art installation project, an activity of the organization’s Arts Community Collectiv...
2015 Winner
Dropping Knowledge Project ...
Heal the Bay, in partnership with Pacoima Beautiful and the Pacific American Volunteer Association, will launch a multi-language conservation proje...
2014 Winner
75 School Gardens in Los An...
EnrichLA built 75 school gardens, and will offer their Garden Ranger Program to at least 5,500 additional students.
2019 Winner
Get Coding: Building a CS E...
9 Dots is seeking a $100,000 LA2050 grant to support a high quality K-6 computer science (CS) education for 6500 elementary school students and to ...
2016 Winner
If She Can See It, She Can ...
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media is a research-based organization working with the entertainment industry to improve gender balance in ...
2019 Winner
Help Keep Youth in Foster C...
Los Angeles County is working to keep young people out of the juvenile delinquency system by providing “diversion” programs. However, youth in fost...
2013 Winner
Building on LA's Social Cap...
Mission Asset Fund brought Lending Circles for Citizenship and the Security Deposit Loan Program for the first time to Southern California.
2016 Winner
AltaSea: Where STEM Meets t...
AltaSea aims to leverage its STEM network to provide middle school students with ocean-based programs including, lessons on sustainable methods for...
2015 Winner
People for Parks’ Community...
People for Parks will unlock six new community school parks in 2016, providing more than 25,000 Angelenos access to a safe park within 1/4 mile fro...
2016 Winner
Catalyzing Community Partne...
Opportunity Fund will provide access to capital to 240 underserved LA small business owners in collaboration with 10+ community organizations helpi...
2015 Winner
A shady oasis for everyone ...
Grand Park will pilot the installation of permanent shade structures designed by a local artist at the park in Downtown Los Angeles.
2018 Winner
LA Street Vendors: Building...
We will activate Angelenos to engage in and build an inclusive economy that support LA’s 50,000 street vendors, whose entrepreneurship contributes ...
2016 Winner
The Future is Bright! A Cle...
Sierra Club will develop a campaign to help Los Angeles equitably transition towards 100% clean energy. The campaign seeks to engage residents and ...
2013 Winner
Arts ReSTORE LA: Westwood. ...
The Hammer Museum utilized $100,000 to curate an artisanal pop-up village in Westwood.
2015 Winner
Girls Learn LA
Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA), LAUSD's first all-girls public STEM high school will create a makerspace to provide students with hands-o...
2013 Winner
Market Makeovers: NextGen L...
Public Matters implemented Market Makeovers at a Boyle Heights corner store.
2016 Winner
Restoring and reimagining t...
The Triforium is a 70s-era, six-story, 60-ton polyphonoptic sculpture and public art project in Downtown Los Angeles that has never been able to ac...
2015 Winner
Young Ethnographers: foster...
Los Angeles Promise Zone Initiative will provide students living in the Los Angeles Promise Zone with summer jobs as young ethnographers to conduct...
2016 Winner
Skills development, creativ...
Based in Lancaster, CA, the Lost Angels Children’s Project will provide 50 at-risk, disadvantaged, and foster youth with hands-on vocational traini...
2019 Winner
Natural History Museum of L...
Harlem Lacrosse - Los Angeles is a sports-based youth development organization that provides opportunities, relationships, and experiences that put...
2016 Winner
The Precise Barber College
In partnership with a revered barber in Long Beach, Covenant House will open a barber college for traditional students and homeless youth. The soci...
2014 Winner
Special Olympics World Game...
The Special Olympics built capacity to recruit 30,000 volunteers for the World Games in LA in 2015.