PLAYProtecting Children From Air Pollution
This project will have outdoor air filtration and monitoring units at a community hub, protecting their 4,000+ children they serve year round. The initiative will reduce harmful pollutants in high traffic areas, provide real-time air quality data, and engage families in environmental health education.
What is the primary issue area that your application will impact?
Community safety
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Central LA
In what stage of innovation is this project, program, or initiative?
Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)
What is your understanding of the issue that you are seeking to address?
Low-income and historically marginalized communities in LA County face disproportionate exposure to air pollution. Areas with high child and family density, such as early childhood centers often lack clean-air infrastructure despite being vulnerable to asthma, respiratory illnesses, and long-term health risks. There is also a gap in accessible, hyperlocal air quality data that can inform residents, service providers, and policymakers. Without visible interventions or tools to understand environmental health, these families remain exposed and under-informed.
Describe the project, program, or initiative this grant will support to address the issue.
We propose to install solar-powered outdoor air filtration and monitoring devices across the community center’s outdoor and high-traffic areas. Each unit filters pollutants such as PM2.5 while collecting real-time environmental data. This initiative is designed to protect vulnerable populations, especially young children and caregivers who spend long hours on-site.
The project includes:
Weekly maintenance by a trained technician to ensure consistent performance
A public-facing dashboard to display live air quality data
Community workshops to help families interpret pollution risks and adopt mitigation strategies
Ongoing administrative support to manage data, reports, and engagement activities
The VITA outdoor air filtration system not only reduces airborne pollutants in a tangible way but also builds environmental literacy among thousands of residents. The collected data can also support long-term advocacy for clean-air policies and neighborhood planning.
Describe how Los Angeles County will be different if your work is successful.
If successful, this project will serve as a model for placing clean-air technology where it matters most, at the heart of community life. Families at the community center will benefit from visibly improved air quality, real-time pollution alerts, and greater understanding of how air quality affects children’s health. The project will show that small-scale, site-specific solutions can have outsized health and educational benefits, particularly in under-resourced communities. In the long term, success here could inspire similar clean-air micro-infrastructure in schools, clinics, and community centers across LA County.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this project, program, or initiative?
Direct Impact: 4,000
Indirect Impact: 12,000