Message from Our President & C.E.O.
Dear Weingart Community,
As we move into the final stretch of our fiscal year, this is both a time of action and reflection for the Weingart Foundation. We are navigating a moment of deep uncertainty for our communities, where our democratic values and civil rights are being tested, critical safety net programs are being scaled back, and many of our most vulnerable communities are facing increased barriers to care, food, and stability. In times like these, reflection is not a pause from the work; it is how we ensure we meet this moment with clarity, purpose, and resolve.
Over the past several months, we have spent time in community—listening, learning, and reflecting on what this moment calls for. From our strategic visioning sessions with partners, to a screening of A Better Way: James Lawson, Architect of Nonviolence, to conversations with organizers and civic leaders across Los Angeles, these experiences have deepened our understanding of both the urgency of this moment, and the long-term work required to build a more just future.
That work is taking shape through a dual commitment to protect and defend our communities and values, while at the same time mobilizing and innovating for a future where we all can thrive. As we continue our strategic visioning process, we are now translating what we heard from partners into a framework for advancing a multiracial democracy that will guide our work in the years ahead. We’re excited to reconnect with partners across our regions this summer through a series of in-person gatherings to continue the conversation and move this work forward together. These regional gatherings will explore how our framework might take shape in specific communities throughout Southern California.
As always, we remain deeply grateful to the partners leading with courage and care in their communities. At Weingart, we will continue to stand with you by investing in community power, strengthening narrative and economic opportunities, and using every tool at our disposal to help build a Southern California where all communities can thrive.
Joanna S. Jackson
President & C.E.O., Weingart Foundation
Latest Round of Funding
We’re proud to announce our latest round of funding directing $10.9 million to organizations responding to urgent challenges while continuing to organize toward a future rooted in dignity, belonging and opportunity for all. Read about our latest funding and meet the organizations that are on the frontlines meeting needs, protecting communities, and shaping a more just and inclusive Southern California.
“By investing in organizing, narrative change, and equitable recovery, we are strengthening the systems that allow communities not only to withstand challenges, but to lead and build the future together,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O.
Immigrants Are Essential Learning Brief
For years, the immigrant justice movement in Southern California has operated under immense pressure, with frontline staff and leaders often pushed to a breaking point. A new learning brief from the Weingart Foundation and the California Community Foundation reveals a critical truth: to sustain the fight for immigrant justice, we must fund the wellness of the people leading it.
Mission in Action
We believe that lasting change happens when we support the organizing infrastructure and base-building networks that enable communities to advocate, mobilize, and lead.
Our support of PICO California exemplifies this commitment. Their work is rooted in the belief that families are sacred, and our systems should reflect that. As PICO California’s Executive Director, Joseph Tómas McKellar, shares: “At a time when many feel divided or left out, we are building a different future, one where families are protected, communities are connected, and everyday people have a real voice in the decisions that shape their lives.”
Along with PICO, we are investing in the leadership and collective power necessary to turn that vision into a reality for all Californians.
Movement Builders
For movement leader, Rebecca Tortes, Director of the California Tribal Fund under the First Nations Development Institute, leadership is about the power of listening.
Rebecca: “’Listen, learn, serve,’ is the phrase I center in all the work that I do working in my California Tribal communities and how I was taught to center community by my grandfather, George Tortes.”
Rebecca is driving philanthropic support for California Native causes to protect Native land, water, food systems, and culture. She fights the harm of invisibility by ensuring California’s Indigenous peoples are seen, heard, and celebrated.
In the News
Weingart is proud to support Youth Mentoring Action Network’s transformative work in youth leadership.
In a recent article by Black Voices News, our President and C.E.O. Joanna Jackson highlights the meaningful ways YMAN centers and cultivates youth leaders from marginalized communities, including by creating spaces where youth and community can come together and feel empowered to lead.