LA2050 Launches New Two-Part Application for $3 Million Grant Cycle

Organizations across Los Angeles County can now apply for grants of up to $75,000 through the 2026 LA2050 Grants Challenge, but for the first time in the program’s 13-year history, they must pass an organizational screening before submitting a full funding proposal.

The change creates a two-part application process for the annual grant program, which channels more than $3 million in philanthropic funding to community organizations each year, according to the Goldhirsh Foundation, which operates LA2050. Part 1 — an organizational screening — is open now through April 22. Only organizations selected through Part 1 will be invited to submit Part 2, a specific funding proposal, between April 29 and June 5.

The restructuring follows a record 1,182 applications to the 2025 cycle, according to LA2050. The organization said the two-part format was introduced to better assess organizational eligibility before requiring applicants to invest the time needed to develop a full proposal.

Before applying, organizations must attend one of seven mandatory virtual information sessions. Four sessions remain as of this week: March 10, March 25, April 7, and April 20. At least one representative from each organization must attend before submitting Part 1, according to the program’s application portal.

The Grants Challenge is open to registered nonprofits, for-profit social enterprises, fiscally sponsored organizations, and government agencies that serve Los Angeles County. Individuals are not eligible to apply. LA2050 defines its geographic scope as all 88 cities and unincorporated areas within the county.

Pasadena and Altadena organizations have benefited directly from the program. In the most recent cycle, five local groups received a combined $175,000 in grants, according to the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Among them were the Pasadena Educational Foundation, which received $25,000 to support students and educators affected by the Eaton Fire; the Altadena Community Garden, which received $25,000 to rebuild its greenspace after the fire; and College Access Plan, which received $25,000 to expand college readiness services for first-generation, low-income, and BIPOC students in Pasadena and Altadena.

The Goldhirsh Foundation contributes $1 million annually to the Grants Challenge. Additional funding comes from philanthropic partners — in 2025, a dozen organizations including the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, and the Snap Foundation brought the total to nearly $3 million, according to LA2050. The 2026 funding partners have not yet been announced.

Since 2013, the program has directed more than $23 million to local organizations, with more than one million votes cast across all cycles, according to the Goldhirsh Foundation.

A separate public voting period runs from March 18 through April 22, during which anyone in the United States can vote at la2050.org to determine which issue areas will be eligible for funding. Voting will be available in more than 12 languages. The public vote determines issue areas, not which organizations advance — that decision is based on the Part 1 review, according to LA2050.

Social Justice Partners Los Angeles serves as the program’s external evaluation partner, reviewing and scoring proposals submitted in Part 2.

Organizations interested in applying can register for an information session and begin their application at la2050.org. Questions can be directed to connect@la2050.org. LA2050 does not offer telephone support.

Grant recipients will be announced in October 2026, following an evaluation period that runs from June through late September.

“I want to thank the Goldhirsh Foundation for believing in our communities and fueling this incredible work,” Supervisor Barger said at the 2025 Grantee Showcase, where five Pasadena and Altadena groups were among the honorees. “I’m incredibly proud of the 14 grantees in my district.”