LA2050 is a community-driven initiative of the Goldhirsh Foundation, working to build a better future for Los Angeles through civic participation, information sharing, data-informed goals, and participatory grantmaking.
We’re proud stewards of this movement where Angelenos shape the future of their communities by identifying their priorities and advancing grassroots solutions. We’re engaged in-person and across digital platforms with a multitude of neighborhoods, organizations, and individuals.
For example, each year the LA2050 Grants Challenge invites Angelenos to vote on what issues matter most to them. More than 1,100,000 votes have been cast during the history of the Grants Challenge, including more than 110,000 this year. (See results section, below.) The 2025 grantees were recognized during the LA2050 Grantee Showcase. Keynote speakers included LA Mayor Karen Bass, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, CA State Senator Ben Allen, and a 15-year-old wildfire survivor who started his own re-seeding nonprofit post-fires.
Our goal for the 2026 Grants Challenge was to deepen participation across LA County by engaging more residents, more young people, and more community organizations than before. We expanded our Youth Ambassador program, grew our network of outreach partners, and developed new ways for Angelenos to participate both online and in their neighborhoods.
At its core, the Grants Challenge is about ensuring that philanthropy is informed by the people it serves. By making participation simple, accessible, and meaningful, we work to give more Angelenos a voice in shaping THEIR future.
LA2050’s platforms and personnel are known for sharing news and information, offering free services, and collaborating with media outlets, foundations, nonprofits, and government institutions. Our prominent LA2050 Grants Challenge is an innovative model for participatory grantmaking. This year’s Grants Challenge was themed “What Do You Say, LA?”
To exceed the 100,000 + public votes from last year’s Grants Challenge, we expanded the network of LA2050 Youth Ambassadors (YA’s) to 500 participants - our largest cohort yet - and added a leadership council. YA’s are Angelenos ages 14 to 24, who drive positive change in the region through civic engagement. The group participated in leadership development, philanthropy, organizing, and civic activation training before encouraging their own communities to vote in the Grants Challenge. Another record: LA2050 partnered with more than 130 nonprofits, foundations, businesses, and public agencies to help spread the word about voting in the Grants Challenge, all across LA County.
Throughout the campaign, we met Angelenos where they are. Our newsletter reaches more than 60,000 subscribers with an average open rate above 50%. Across Instagram and TikTok, our "What Do You Say, LA?" video series invited people on the street to share their hopes. We encouraged participation through collaborations with community partners, a field-level Dodgers ticket giveaway for voters, and a promotion with Everytable cafes.
Storytelling remained central to the campaign. Together with LA2050 artist-in-residence Man One, we created a portrait series featuring Angelenos who are helping shape the city, from artists and entrepreneurs to scientists, authors, and community leaders. Each portrait paired the subject with the issue they cared most about, reinforcing that everyone has a vision for LA and that every voice belongs in the conversation. Subjects included Dataland Museum founder and artist Refik Anadol, renowned chef Roy Choi, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, and actress, writer, and director Andrea Savage. The portraits and accompanying blog posts were shared across LA2050’s social media channels.
It isn’t just big names we partner with. Our person-in-the-street interviews ask people what issues matter most to them. We publish an annual “Social Impact Gift Guide,” and provide an IRL outlet for some of those in the guide to sell at a major holiday event. We publish a volunteering guide. We spotlight nonprofit workers in our “Fave Five” features, asking them to share their favorite places and spaces. Our nonprofit jobs board is extremely popular, as is our new “Free In LA” Instagram series. Our LA2050 Ideas Hub database includes information about and ways to donate to thousands of local nonprofit organizations. And our website features metrics that define and track 55 indicators and goals towards a better LA.
In addition, we have delivered introductory AI training, workshops, and one–on–one consulting, all free, to nonprofit organizations after they told us in surveys that they needed help. We’ve similarly provided resources for social media, development, influencer culture, and public relations.
The 2026 LA2050 Grants Challenge expanded civic participation while demonstrating the value of community-informed philanthropy.
More than 110,000 votes were cast by over 17,000 Angelenos - epresenting 95% of Los Angeles County ZIP codes- to help determine this year’s funding priorities. Our largest-ever Youth Ambassador cohort included 500 young leaders. More than 130 outreach partners formed our broadest community coalition to date.
Participation translated into action: more than 1,100 organizations submitted ideas responding to Angelenos’ priorities. Together with a record of 12 funding partners, LA2050 committed $3 million in grants to support 60 organizations across Los Angeles County.
The campaign also strengthened digital engagement. During voting, Instagram and TikTok followings grew by 15% and 30%, impressions increased by 500%, and engagement grew by 400%. LA2050.org welcomed 141,000 new users, a 43% increase, while our newsletter maintained open rates above 50%.
We stay engaged with communities all year. Our Dodgers ticket giveaway generated 70,000+ Instagram impressions. Our initial “Free in LA” series post saw 1,000 users share it with others. Our annual Social Impact Gift Guide featured 90+ products from local social enterprises, some of whom we brought to a beloved holiday marketplace. We placed nonprofits on panels around town, such as at our “AI for Social Good” session with Bloomberg during LA Tech Week. We trained 500 nonprofit workers on AI, social media, and more.
