$1M My LA2050 Grants Challenge Launches

Goldhirsh Foundation's LA2050 Initiative Makes Open Call for 25 Impactful Ideas

LOS ANGELES, February 11 – The Goldhirsh Foundation last week announced online the launch of the 2021 My LA2050 Grants Challenge.

The grants challenge is an annual open call from the foundation's LA2050 initiative for ideas to make Los Angeles County the best place to learn, create, play, connect, and live. Applications are welcome through April 2 from non-profits, for-profits, and government agencies.

A total of $1,000,000 will be awarded to 25 organizations — five per category — to implement their ideas, turning inspiration and effort into impact and equity. Those 25 are selected by evaluators from Social Venture Partners Los Angeles (SVP), using LA2050's transparent list of 68 metrics. Then, the general public votes online to decide the grant amount each winner receives, in various increments ranging between $10,000 to $100,000. Last year, more than 105,000 votes were cast.

“The My LA2050 Grants Challenge has never felt as pressing as now," said Tara Roth, President of the Goldhirsh Foundation. “There are enormous needs in so many communities, as well as such a reservoir of creativity and innovation. The My LA2050 Grants Challenge sets out to connect those two."

The My LA2050 Grants Challenge is a collaborative effort. In addition to the $1 million in funding from the Goldhirsh Foundation, additional support this year comes from the Annenberg Foundation, providing $50,000 in grant funds to support efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion; and from the Snap Foundation, supporting projects that develop pathways to the creative economy for underrepresented youth in Los Angeles.

The My LA2050 Grants Challenge began in 2013, and this is the eighth time in nine years it has taken place. Through 2020, more than $17 million has been granted thanks to My LA2050: $7 million from the Goldhirsh Foundation, $3.5 million from funding partners, and $6.5 inspired by the grants challenge.

For more information on the grants challenge, prospective applicants and the public are invited to visit the website, https://challenge.la2050.org, which is built around the slogan “Together for a brighter future." The website includes FAQs, application forms, and a timeline with key dates. Some of those key dates include:

• April 2: My LA2050 Grants Challenge application period closes.
• April 12: Evaluation period begins.
• May 28: Five finalists in each category announced.
• June 21-28: Online public voting takes place.
• July 1: Awards announced.

Prospective applicants seeking additional information may sign up here for virtual information sessions. To look at past applications, visit the comprehensive My LA2050 Ideas Archive: https://archive.la2050.org. That user-friendly database contains more than 1,500 proposals and is available for anyone to search, view, and make donations to non-profits. Also, a complete list of past grants challenge winners is available here.

ABOUT LA2050

LA2050 (www.la2050.org) is an initiative driving and tracking progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles. We are centered around five unique goals that in 2050 Los Angeles will be the best place to learn, create, play, connect, and live. Connect with @LA2050 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and sign up here to receive our newsletter, which includes social impact job listings and events.

ABOUT GOLDHIRSH FOUNDATION

At the Goldhirsh Foundation, (www.goldhirshfoundation.org), we connect the dots between the best emerging innovations and the financial, social, and human capital to make them thrive.

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For media inquires, please contact Jeremy Rosenberg, jeremy@goldhirshfoundation.org

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