Many of this year’s applicants have stated that Neighborhood Council participation is one of their target metrics, so expect to hear from these organizations if they win! Meanwhile, here are overviews of a few applicants from this year’s grant cycle who are already working with Neighborhood Councils.
First up, we’re proud to be a partner on the City of LA / ITA proposal #GoDigitalLA, which seeks to close the “Digital Divide” that keeps low income Angelenos from being fully enfranchised in today’s digital world. If this project is awarded, our portion would fund an extension of our popular but sold-out Open Data Workshop series, where NC members and other community champions learn how to access and use neighborhood data to create local change.
ITA (aka the City’s Information Technology Agency) would be the primary grant recipient; they plan to apply their funds toward educational programs to equip under-connected Angelenos with the skills to actively engage with online and application driven City and other services. The education will be designed to ‘meet people where they are’, with respect to how they are currently using technology to gain online access. Learn more about the GoDigitalLA proposal, and vote for it here.
Another City of LA applicant is the Department of Recreation and Parks’ Mobile Recreation Program, which will utilize their existing Community School Parks Program to provide weekend themed activities ranging from STEM to drama and dance.
Other worthy organizations who work with NCs are up for consideration, including ONEGeneration – an SF Valley senior services provider who partners each year with several local Neighborhood Councils on a Senior Symposium & Senior Job Fair (this year’s event is May 19th; see a flyer and a list of participating NCs here.)
Another finalist is Cardborigami, who presented their innovative collapsible cardboard pop-up homeless shelters at our recent Homelessness Resource Fair. And Sense LA is an organization that’s already been creating interactive arts happenings in collaboration with South LA Neighborhood Councils, as an avenue for increasing local civic engagement.
How to vote
Click the project links above to learn more about each project and (if you like it) vote for it to become an LA2050 finalist. The project links will also allow you to view the dozens of submissions for this year’s grant cycle, and pick the five that you like best.
The top 50 projects will be selected by the votes that you and other members of the public cast; the 10 grant winners will then be selected from those finalists by the Goldhirsch Foundation, which funds LA2050.
Voters should be US residents age 14+, and must provide an email address, Facebook account, or mobile phone number to sign up to vote. Learn more about voting and the winners’ selection process here, or write to Connect@LA2050.org for more info.
