This year we received 600+ submissions!
Thank you to all applicants. Winners will be announced in September, so stay tuned.
GET UPDATESJoin the movement!
Each year, we give $1 million+ to nonprofits and other social impact organizations making a better Los Angeles for all through the LA2050 Grants Challenge. But, we take a different approach to grantmaking: we ask Angelenos to determine the issue areas that will receive funding – from homelessness and income inequality to park access – through voting.
This year, voting took place from April 6th to May 8th. Close to 12,000 Angelenos cast 83,000 votes for what matters to them. Then, we opened applications in search of the best ideas to make an impact on the top-voted issue areas as well as those sponsored by this year’s funding partners.
LEARN
By the year 2050, the education system in Los Angeles will be well-resourced and culturally-responsive. All children will have access to early education programs and all families will be engaged in their student’s learning. Students will graduate college- and career-ready, equipped to thrive in the workforce of the future. Our higher education facilities will advance research and spur innovation.
CREATE
By the year 2050, Los Angeles will be an international leader in innovation across sectors. We will play host to the largest concentration of working artists and high-quality arts establishments. We will be a center for entrepreneurial activity, creating jobs and generating wealth for a flexible, talented, and inclusive workforce. Our business community will reflect the diversity of our region, enhancing our national and international opportunities.
PLAY
By the year 2050, people from across Los Angeles will live in close proximity to vibrant park space and have easy access to high-quality, sustainable spaces for recreation. We will get active, explore the outdoors, and appreciate our natural environment. All residents will feel a sense of safety and belonging in their communities.
CONNECT
By the year 2050, Los Angeles will be the most civically engaged region in the United States, with abundant platforms for residents to voice their opinions and influence elected officials and other decision-makers. Our region’s voting rates and volunteerism will lead the nation. An expanded, accessible transportation network will facilitate the easy flow of people and ideas.
LIVE
By the year 2050, Los Angeles will have the nation’s lowest poverty rate and income inequality. All families will have access to fresh and healthy food, high-quality health care, and safe housing, no matter where they live or how much money they make. Our communities will enjoy the benefits of a sustainable environment, from clear skies to clean water.
The LA2050 Grants Challenge is an open call for ideas to make Los Angeles County the best place to connect, create, learn, live, and play. Since 2013, we’ve granted more than $9 million to impactful organizations with the help of hundreds of thousands of individuals casting votes.
This year's Grants Challenge – LA2050 X – is our 10th. How will it work? First, Angelenos voted for the issues that matter most to them, online from April 6th to May 8th. Then, we opened grant applications to organizations with ideas to address the top-voted issues and those sponsored by Funding Partners. Last, we will evaluate all of the proposals and designate the final awards. Each winning organization will receive grant funding of up to $75,000 and partnership from LA2050 to support its efforts.
- (10) First Prize $75,000
- (5) Second Prize $50,000
- Funding Partner Awards Coming soon!
All submissions, whether or not they are selected for a grant, will be featured in our LA2050 Ideas Hub. The Ideas Hub is a searchable database of the 2,500+ proposals for a better LA crowdsourced over the previous nine cycles of the LA2050 Grants Challenge.
LA2050 Grantees
Since 2013, we’ve supported 125 ideas moving LA toward a brighter future.
Check out all of our previous winners.
Funding Partners
Evaluation Partner
Outreach Partners
826LA
Al Otro Lado
All Raise
Anese & Associates
Arlington Garden
Black Image Center
Boyle Heights Beat
Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce
Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council
CASA of Los Angeles
Children's Action Coalition
Children's Law Center of California
Chinatown Service Center
Climate Resolve
Covenant House California
Crop Swap LA
Culver City Chamber of Commerce
First Place for Youth
Granada Hills Charter
Grid110
Heal the Bay
Homies Unidos
KPFK (90.7 FM)
LA City Council District 1
LA City Council District 6
LA City Council District 7
LA City Council District 12
LA City Council District 13
LA Commons
LA Conservation Corps
LB City Council District 1
Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
MiOra
National Foster Youth Institute
Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County
Nature for All
Nature-We Community
Pando Populus
San Pedro Skatepark Association
Shoes That Fit
Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs
Thai Community Development Center
The Eisner Foundation
Thrive in Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation
Trust for Public Land
TRUST South LA
UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge
Youth Mentoring Connection
