Message from Our President & C.E.O.
Dear Weingart Community,
As I reflect on the successes, challenges, and lessons from 2025, I am also focused on the path ahead. As we enter 2026, we know we cannot relinquish the vision or set down the baton that has been passed to this generation to continue the work toward a thriving, inclusive multiracial democracy for all. Generations before us labored toward a future they knew they might never see; it is now our responsibility to carry that vision forward for those coming after us. The courage of our community partners, combined with a clear understanding of our history, allows me to move ahead with deep resolve and belief in what is possible when we act together.
That sense of responsibility shaped how we showed up in 2025. From the start of the year, it was clear that business as usual would not meet the demands of this moment. Twice, the Board voted to increase our payout, resulting in an additional $5 million in fiscal year 2025 and $16 million in fiscal year 2026. These investments enabled larger, longer-term unrestricted grants to partners organizing amid overlapping crises—from devastating fires and immigration raids to the sustained work of strengthening power-building and civic engagement infrastructure. And it does not end with grantmaking: we continue to deploy all our resources in service of economic justice and the future we want to build together.
Those investments are reflected in what we have witnessed across Southern California. Even in the face of profound disruption and uncertainty, communities demonstrated extraordinary courage, care, resilience, and resistance. Our partners continue to protect rights, care for one another, and build pathways toward justice, often under immense strain and with unwavering commitment. To all our partners, thank you for your leadership and trust. It is a privilege to walk alongside you. As we move into the year ahead, Weingart will stay the course, leading with humility, conviction, and imagination so that together we continue building a just and inclusive Southern California where all communities can thrive.
In Solidarity,
Joanna S. Jackson
President & C.E.O., Weingart Foundation
Latest Round of Funding
The Weingart Foundation is proud to announce our December 2025 round of funding, totaling $15.5M to nonprofits in Southern California that are advancing racial and economic justice and strengthening the pillars of our multiracial democracy. These investments reflect Weingart’s commitment to trust-based philanthropy, long-term movement building, and meeting urgent community needs.
“This moment requires us to act with clarity and courage—standing in solidarity with organizations on the frontlines while continuing to invest for the long term. At the Weingart Foundation, we remain steadfast in our commitment to organizations and campaigns rooted in shared power, justice, and dignity for all,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O.
Weingart’s new Annual Report is Out
Read Rooted in Our Values, our report highlighting how the Foundation showed up in a year of crisis with rapid-response support, wildfire and immigration–focused relief, and over $35M in grants plus $92M in mission-aligned investments. See how Weingart is using every tool at our disposal—grantmaking, impact investing, advocacy, and narrative change—to walk alongside those shaping a more just future for all.
Mission in Action
We’re proud to support Pukúu Cultural Community Services, as it strengthens its infrastructure to expand into holistic wellness services, including harm reduction and senior support planning. Pukúu is poised to deliver wraparound services for the region’s first permanent housing development for Native seniors.
“By providing culturally responsive care and housing stability, our goal is to honor the contributions of Native Elders, while addressing critical gaps in services for a population often overlooked in mainstream housing solutions,” said Pamela Villaseñor, Executive Director, Pukúu Cultural Community Services.
Pukúu is building a future where Native people thrive in safe homes, exercise self-determination, and experience belonging across generations.
Movement Builders
Movement leader Odilia Romero, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO) believes in the power of collective work and mutual care. This belief is at the core of CIELO’s impact and is exemplified by the organization’s rapid response to community need.
“We are deeply grateful to have been able to provide $100,000 in solidarity aid to Indigenous community members directly impacted by recent immigration raids. This was only possible because of the trust and strength of our community.”
The trust CIELO has built through Odilia’s model of collective leadership shows how dignity and justice can be advanced from the ground up, values that deeply align with our mission.