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What if you had millions to put toward local issues you care about the most? Would you choose more access to green space, stepping up social justice initiatives, a more robust arts support network? How about more affordable housing or improved transportation? Or maybe you’re passionate about urban farms?
This isn’t a hypothetical. You can actually help decide where $1 million in grant money goes by taking an easy survey during the LA2050 Grants Challenge, sponsored by the Goldhirsh Foundation. But for your vote to count, you have to go to https://la2050.me/laist and let the foundation know what your priorities are — it only takes a minute or two.
Go now! We will be here when you get back.
See, that wasn’t so hard!
Organizers want to underscore that LA2050 isn’t just Angelenos helping each other. Anyone who lives anywhere can take the survey of issues or volunteer. And the only criteria for an organization to be considered for funding is that the proposed project must serve Los Angeles County and/or its residents, but it can be based elsewhere or operate nationally. It can be a nonprofit, government entity, for-profit or social enterprise.
"LA2050 is a movement by, and for, all Angelenos," said Tara Roth, president of the Goldhirsh Foundation. “You can't have a movement that's up in an ivory tower — it’s got to be on the ground, participatory, and collaborative. It's got to be about the things that people really care about.”
How do my ideas turn into dollars?
For many past winners, the LA2050 Grants Challenge provided their first funds, or the first significant public airing of their ideas. Grants can go as high as $75,000. You can find prior grantees in the LA2050 Ideas Hub to see what kind of projects were funded; they’re as diverse as the People’s Pottery Project, which teaches ceramics to formerly incarcerated women, trans and nonbinary folks; Center for Innovation in STEM Education that furthers STEM learning in all grade and college levels; and the Los Angeles Audubon Society, which studies and protects birds and wildlife habitat while connecting communities with nature. Plus, here’s an award-winning short video about a trio of past grantees.
Here’s how the Grants Challenge survey works: The survey is open from April 2 through May 8. Then LA2050 tallies the top 10 responses and puts out a request for proposals to nonprofits and individuals who can address those needs. After review by LA2050’s evaluation partners, Social Justice Partners LA, they’ll announce the recipients on Sept. 26.
Where’s the money coming from?
LA2050 was founded in 2013 by the Goldhirsh Foundation with a vision that by 2050, Los Angeles County will be the world’s best place to live, learn, create, connect and play. In addition to the foundation’s $1 million contribution, other funding partners will bring the total up to more than $2 million. Last year, about 12,000 people cast 80,000 votes in the Grants Challenge, resulting in 51 organizations receiving a total of $2.5.
Who Can? You Can! Volunteering Made Easy
In addition to taking the survey of needs, LA2050 has also added a volunteering calendar to this year’s campaign, offering opportunities to help 24 partner organizations. You can embark on a beach cleanup, assist a former foster youth move into their first home, make lunches for those in need, beautify a school garden … basically, there’s something for nearly every skill set and interest. There’s even a bingo-style game to help encourage participation in multiple volunteer activities.
And for the third year running, folks from 14 to 24-years-old will be LA2050 youth ambassadors. This year, more than 180 people have signed up from across the region – representing 106 different ZIP codes. “They can learn about philanthropy, as well as opportunities they may be interested in as they serve as ambassadors for their schools and communities,” Roth says.
There’s also a ripple effect. What starts in California spreads to the rest of the world. “Every global problem and every global solution exists in Los Angeles,” Roth said. “We are the world, fast-forward. “So if we can prove something works in Los Angeles, we can take that just about anywhere. And that’s exciting.”
If you’d like to put LA2050’s funding toward causes you care about the most, visit https://la2050.me/laist and take the survey.