As you may recall, we announced the five winners of the 2018 My LA2050 Activation Challenge back in July. We're so proud of the winners and even more appreciative to everyone who submitted their proposals to the grants challenge. In fact, we saw so many bright ideas come through that we decided we had to do more.

This year, we're mixing things up and awarding 10 additional $35,000 grants to what we're calling the 2018 My LA2050 Honorable Mentions. These organizations inspired and excited us with their vision and dedication to making LA the best place to live, play, connect, create, and learn. So much so, that we decided giving away $1,000,000 dollars just wasn't enough!

The My LA2050 Honorable Mentions are being recognized for their inspiring engagement tactics, outside-the-box thinking, and perseverance. You can click each organization's graphic to link to their innovative activation proposals and read more info about their work!

Without further ado...

LA Kitchen, Root Down LA, and Our Foods

Following their mantra of “Neither food nor people should ever go to waste," L.A. Kitchen reclaims healthy and local food, trains unemployed men and women in the culinary arts, and distributes healthy meals to Angelenos all while tackling the cycle of poverty. They will be sharing the grant with Our Foods and Root Down LA, two non-profits also focused on urban agriculture in South LA.

One Degree

One Degree is a technology driven nonprofit organization that helps low-income families access the resources they need to achieve social and economic mobility and, ultimately, improve their lives. Thousands in the Bay Area and Los Angeles rely on One Degree's platforms to access health care, food banks, employment services, and much more.

Homeboy Industries

Homeboy Industries primarily serves formerly incarcerated or gang-affiliated men and women through gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry support. The program provides employment for more than 200 individuals and offers parenting classes, workforce development trainings, and tattoo removal.

YPI

YPI takes a holistic approach to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty through high-quality education, workforce training, and service provision for high-need communities. They readily commit to families and recognize the need for long-term investment “from cradle to college and career."

Investing in Place

Understanding that families can't get ahead in life if they can't get around, Investing in Place works with diverse stakeholders to support transportation investments that strengthen all communities. This is accomplished through advocacy, research, capacity building, and cross-sector partnerships.

Make it in LA

Make it in LA unleashes the creative potential of LA's makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs through educational programming, engaging online content, community events, as well as technical assistance and manufacturing advice for emerging businesses.

Harlem Lacrosse

Harlem Lacrosse empowers students who are most at-risk of dropping out by engaging them through lacrosse. Students benefit from the discipline, camaraderie, and sense of community that come from belonging to a team. Harlem Lacrosse also provides wrap-around services including mentorship and full-time on-campus staff to meet the academic and emotional needs of students.

Youth Movement Against Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the US. The Youth Movement Against Alzheimer's equips the next generation with the knowledge and passion necessary to eradicate the disease through research grants, student-led advocacy groups, intergenerational respite caregiving, and by establishing student advocacy groups on college campuses.

People for Parks

People for Parks aims to create easy access to safe and quality play spaces in underserved communities around Los Angeles. By training communities to advocate for themselves and their children and by advancing local joint-use policies, People for Parks hopes to create a Los Angeles in which every family has a safe park within walking distance.

Children Now

It's difficult for children to thrive without advocates. Children Now is the hub that unites children's advocacy groups across California. They work with policymakers and influential leaders throughout the state to craft, promote, enact and implement scalable change for kids.

Head over to their My LA2050 Activation Challenge pages for more information on their mission and vision, as well as opportunities to get involved. Thanks to our extraordinary My LA2050 Honorable Mention grantees for making LA the best place to live, learn, connect, play, and create. We're glad to have you on board.

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