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We’re giving away $1 million to improve Los Angeles, but first, we need to know what issues YOU care about most.
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Volunteer and vote for a better LA!
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 have launched 10 cycles of the Grants Challenge, giving more than $10 million to 140 local social impact organizations with the help of hundreds of thousands of people casting votes in support.
How will the 2024 LA2050 Grants Challenge work? First, Angelenos will vote for the issues that matter most to them, online from April 2nd to May 8th. Then, on May 15th, we'll open grant applications to organizations with ideas to address the top-voted issues. Last, in collaboration with SJPLA and our Funding Partners, we'll evaluate proposals and select grant recipients. Each winning organization will receive up to $75,000.
Key Dates
April 2nd - May 8th, 2024
Issue area voting open
May 15th, 2024
Results announced
May 15th - June 28th, 2024
Grant applications open
July 1st - September 26th, 2024
Submission evaluation
September 26th, 2024
Grant recipients announced
About the LA2050 Grants Challenge
LA2050 is a community-guided initiative, operated by the Goldhirsh Foundation, driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of LA.
Our most significant program is the LA2050 Grants Challenge – an annual call for ideas to make LA the best place to connect, learn, live, play, and create with more than $1 million in grants available. The Grants Challenge is unique in that it turns the power of grantmaking over to the public through online voting.
Since 2013, we have launched 10 cycles of the Grants Challenge, giving more than $10 million to 140 local social impact organizations with the help of hundreds of thousands of people casting votes in support.
For last year’s Grants Challenge – LA2050 X, in recognition of our 10th anniversary – we went big. We engaged 140 Youth Ambassadors in telling their friends, family, and neighbors to vote. We enlisted more than 50 community partners in spreading the word. And, for the first time, we launched pop-ups that brought in-person voting to iconic locations around LA. In total, almost 12,000 people cast more than 80,000 votes to determine the issue areas that would be funded. And, together with our Funding Partners, we awarded $2.5 million to 51 local social impact organizations out of a record-breaking 615 applicants.
Now, we are excited to launch our 2024 Grants Challenge.
LA2050 Goals
Together with the LA2050 community, we developed five goals for Los Angeles in the year 2050 – to make Los Angeles the best place to connect, create, learn, live, and play.
The goals were shaped through the engagement of tens of thousands of Angelenos and input from experts, advisors, and partners. Each of the goals is supported by a set of metrics that, taken together, define what it will mean for us to achieve success.
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.
Prizes
Goldhirsh Foundation
The Goldhirsh Foundation will award a total of $1 million to local social impact organizations via the LA2050 Grants Challenge – broken down into 10 first-place prizes of $75,000 and five second-place prizes of $50,000.
PRIZE
$1 Million
(10) First Prize
PRIZE
$75,000
(5) Second Prize
PRIZE
$50,000
Funding Partner Awards
We also invite other philanthropic organizations to collaborate and sponsor their own awards.
PRIZE
$1.5 Million
Ideas Hub
All submissions, whether or not they are selected for a grant, will be featured on our LA2050 Ideas Hub. The Ideas Hub is a searchable database of the 3,100+ proposals for a better LA, crowdsourced over the previous 10 cycles of the LA2050 Grants Challenge.
LA2050 Grantees
Since 2013, we’ve supported 140 ideas moving LA toward a brighter future.
Funding Partners
The Goldhirsh Foundation, founder and organizer of the LA2050 Grants Challenge, providing $1 million in grant funds to organizations working on the top-voted issue areas.
Evaluation Partner
Social Justice Partners Los Angeles (SJP), serving as our external evaluation partner. SJP is a membership organization that connects community leaders to nonprofits to tackle Los Angeles’ toughest challenges. All proposals are reviewed, scored, and evaluated by members of SJP.
Media Partners
