Weingart Foundation

Weingart Foundation Awards Over $1M in Rapid-Response Grants to Defend Voting Access

by | Oct 5, 2026 | Press Releases

The new funding brings the Foundation’s civic engagement investments to $16.4 million over the past two years.

October 5, 2026 (Los Angeles, CA) — The Weingart Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation that partners with communities across Southern California to advance racial and economic justice, today announced an additional $1,015,000 in rapid-response grantmaking to support voting rights and strengthen democratic participation. This timely release of funds responds directly to emerging needs and gaps voiced by grassroots organizations facing rapidly evolving election-related threats and voter suppression. Grantees are scaling volunteer efforts, and stepping up to protect BIPOC, Immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities most vulnerable to efforts to delegitimize their civic participation.

“At Weingart, we know that democracy is strongest when everyday people are organized, informed, and able to freely participate.” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O. of Weingart Foundation. “This additional funding is a direct response to what our community partners on the ground are telling us they need right now. Our partners are meeting this moment of uncertainty with solutions that are building leadership, coordination, and community infrastructure to defend and advance the fundamental right to vote now and for the long-haul. Now is the time to stand with our partners and reaffirm our commitment to growing who gets to belong in our democracy.”

The funding supports organizations engaged in election defense, voter engagement, and pro-democracy organizing initiatives. To compliment these efforts, Weingart Foundation also invested in Love Powers LA and California Election Protection Coalition; key organizations focused on election protections. A third of these grants fortify voter protection strategies in Orange County and the Inland Empire, regions that are especially vulnerable to election risk as noted by the Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to securing and strengthening elections.

“Weingart’s investment enables us to design a multi-pronged approach to civic engagement alongside our community members and partners,” said Hilda Ortiz, Program Director, Latino Health Access. “We are particularly excited that this project engages intergenerational groups to co-design strategies that inform families, protect access to safety-net programs, understand and exercise our rights, and foster direct dialogue with elected officials. In times of growing disparities, the tendency can be to pull apart or isolate- but Weingart’s investment gives us the resources and flexibility to come together, strengthen our collective power, and build hope for the future.”

“Weingart Foundation’s additional support is helping us deepen collective ownership, agency, and hope across the Inland Empire by expanding our capacity to engage more faith communities through C.O.P.E.’s 100% Voting Congregations Civic Engagement Project,” said Pastor Samual Casey, Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (C.O.P.E.). “This investment is strengthening our collaboration with the San Bernardino and Riverside County Registrars of Voters while helping us equip congregations and engage a new generation of youth voters to protect and expand participation in free and fair elections this November and beyond.”

Weingart’s Free and Fair Elections grantees are working together and building an increasingly powerful civic engagement ecosystem across California. Most are implementing local efforts of We Are California’s Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop California campaign dedicated to safeguarding voting rights. Weingart partners are meeting looming challenges with innovative solutions, solidarity, and coordinated strategies that are bringing more people into the work of protecting participation in our democracy.

To see the full list of the recent Free and Fair Elections grantees, click here.

ABOUT THE WEINGART FOUNDATION
Founded in 1951 by Ben and Stella Weingart, the Weingart Foundation is a private grantmaking organization advancing racial, social, and economic justice for all in Southern California. Since its founding, the Foundation has granted over $1 billion in grants and loans to organizations, coalitions, and collaboratives, providing critical services and building power in communities most impacted by racial and socioeconomic injustice. In 2017, the Weingart Foundation committed to aligning its entire investment portfolio with its mission through mission-related and program-related investments that drive equity. The Foundation also partners with philanthropic, public sector, and community leaders to advance shared solutions that advance justice.

August 2026 Newsletter

by | Aug 6, 2026 | 2026 Newsletters, Newsletter

Message from Our President & C.E.O.

Dear Weingart Community,

This summer marked two significant milestones: the 250th anniversary of our nation and 75 years since Ben and Stella Weingart established the Foundation in 1951. Reflecting on these intertwined histories – the progress we’ve made, the challenges we’ve faced, the struggles we’ve endured, and the resilience that has carried us forward – has reaffirmed both the importance of our work and our responsibility to the future we hope to help shape over the next 75 years.

These anniversaries reminded us that the story of America belongs to all of us and to the generations of people who dared to imagine something better and worked together to make it possible. They also reminded us that progress has always been a collective endeavor, driven by people organizing in their communities, caring for one another, and working together to expand opportunity, strengthen democracy, and build a more just future for all. That lesson is shaping our next chapter.

Over the past year, we invited partners to help shape a vision for our collective future, and those conversations informed a new strategic framework centered on what we believe creates lasting change. Moving forward, our work will focus on strengthening three interconnected forms of power: people power, economic power, and narrative power. When communities have the power to organize, shape the stories that influence public understanding, and build the economic conditions that allow everyone to thrive, we create the conditions for a Southern California where every community can flourish.

As we begin this new fiscal year, we’re continuing those conversations through regional strategy sessions across Southern California, where partners and community leaders are helping shape shared priorities for the years ahead. At the same time, our commitment to resourcing community remains unwavering. I am proud to share this latest round of grantmaking, which invests $9.4 million in nonprofit partners working not only to help communities respond to today’s challenges, but to shape their own future.

The months ahead will ask much of all of us. We’ll continue to support the organizations and leaders strengthening civic participation, helping ensure free and fair elections, expanding economic opportunities in our most vulnerable communities, and building the multiracial democracy we know is possible.

These milestones are not only an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come, but to imagine what comes next. We’ll have much more to share this fall and hope you’ll continue building this next chapter with us.

Joanna S. Jackson
President & C.E.O., Weingart Foundation

Latest Round of Funding

Lasting change begins with communities. Across Southern California, people are organizing, preserving culture, rebuilding neighborhoods, and creating new pathways to opportunity. Our latest round of grantmaking invests $9.4 million in nonprofit partners that are strengthening the conditions communities need not only to respond to today’s challenges, but to shape their own future.

“This moment calls for innovative approaches rooted in partnership, trust, and a belief that communities hold the solutions to our most urgent challenges,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O. “Our role is to listen, learn, and invest alongside community leaders as they shape a future where every person belongs, every community has the opportunity to thrive, and everyone can share in a more just and prosperous future.”

READ MORE HERE

Mission in Action

At the Weingart Foundation, we believe the stories we tell, and who gets to tell them, shape our culture, strengthen belonging, and expand what we believe is possible. Organizations like Disability Belongs™ are helping ensure disabled voices are not only represented but also shaping the stories that influence our communities and our shared future.

Through its Entertainment Lab, Disability Belongs™ is expanding opportunities for disabled creatives through mentorship, professional development, and connections with industry leaders. As Disability Belongs™ President and C.E.O., Ariel A. Simms, Esq., shares: “We are helping to build an industry where diversity is celebrated, authentic stories are told, and everyone has a genuine opportunity to thrive.”

To learn more visit: disabilitybelongs.org

Movement Builders

For movement leader, Jayden Cervantes-Frields, co-director of Mirror Memoirs, leadership is not about being the only voice in the room; it’s about creating space for others to be heard.

Mirror Memoirs works to shift dominant narratives by centering, organizing, and empowering Black, Indigenous, and people of color survivors who are transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and queer.

“As a movement leader, it is both an honor and a responsibility to uplift the stories, resilience, and visionary wisdom of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC survivors. Through community, advocacy, and collective care, we are inviting more people into the work of challenging rape culture and building a world where no survivor is left behind.”

As Mirror Memoir’s celebrates a decade of survivor-led organizing, Jayden is looking forward to the launch of the Los Angeles Member Hub—a space to share tools for addressing rape culture, deepen abolitionist analysis, and strengthen mutual aid practices and to showcasing the brilliance of survivor wisdom.

Weingart Foundation Invests $14.4 Million in People-Powered Solutions Advancing Justice

Weingart Foundation Invests $14.4 Million in People-Powered Solutions Advancing Justice

by | Aug 6, 2026 | Perspectives

Lasting change begins with communities. Across Southern California, people are organizing, preserving culture, rebuilding neighborhoods, and creating new pathways for opportunity. Our latest round of grantmaking invests $9.4 million in nonprofit partners strengthening the conditions communities need not only to respond to today’s challenges, but to shape their own future.

“This moment calls for innovative approaches rooted in partnership, trust, and a belief that communities hold the solutions to our most urgent challenges,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O. “Our role is to listen, learn, and invest alongside community leaders as they shape a future where every person belongs, every community has the opportunity to thrive, and everyone can share in a more just and prosperous future.”

Recovery Rooted in Community Ownership

This docket reflects the Weingart Foundation’s integrated approach to the long-term recovery of Altadena following the Eaton Fire. Through $2.25 million in grants and an additional $5 million in program-related investments, we are using every tool at our disposal to strengthen community ownership, deepen pathways to long-term economic recovery, and support an ecosystem of organizations advancing three interconnected priorities: resident stabilization, grassroots power building, and shared prosperity. Together, these investments help ensure recovery is not only informed by community, but shaped and led by community.

Each organization plays a distinct role in that ecosystem. Legacy Land Project helps stabilize residents by addressing both immediate and often overlooked barriers to recovery through comprehensive, people-centered support. Its work focuses on preventing displacement, protecting families from exploitation, preserving generational homes, and connecting residents to trusted partnerships and wraparound services. Pacific Community Ventures is helping drive long-term economic recovery by expanding access to affordable capital, business advising, and technical assistance for small business owners rebuilding after the Eaton Fire. Through its Restore LA Fund and partnership with the Los Angeles Urban League, the organization is helping entrepreneurs, particularly Black-owned businesses in West Altadena, overcome barriers to financing, prevent displacement, revitalize neighborhood businesses, and strengthen the local economy. Altadena Earthseed Community Land Trust is helping advance long-term community ownership by building the capacity to preserve affordability and prevent displacement, with a strategy focused on keeping land in community hands as Altadena rebuilds.

“Recovery is strongest when local entrepreneurs have the resources and power to lead it,” said Bulbl Gupta, President and C.E.O., Pacific Community Ventures. “Weingart’s partnership allows Pacific Community Ventures to support Altadena’s small businesses and those impacted by the Eaton Fire, with the capital and high-touch expertise they need to restore opportunity, advance economic growth, counter further displacement, and help chart a path toward a stronger, more resilient Los Angeles community.”

Reclaiming Voice, Culture, and Community

Advancing justice requires changing the stories that shape how we understand our history, one another, and what is possible. This docket invests in organizations working to strengthen narrative power by reclaiming histories that have too often been erased, preserving cultural memory, elevating lived experience, and expanding whose voices shape our collective future.

Through support of organizations such as Black Land Loss Narrative Project and Pop Culture Collaborative, Weingart Foundation is investing in complementary approaches that build on one another. The Black Land Loss Narrative Project documents and preserves the histories of Black land ownership, displacement, and resilience, ensuring these stories remain visible and inform future generations. Pop Culture Collaborative works alongside artists, organizers, cultural strategists, and philanthropy to reshape cultural narratives that advance racial and social justice and build the narrative power needed for a thriving multiracial democracy. Together, these investments recognize that lasting change depends not only on shifting systems, but also on transforming the stories that shape culture, belonging, and our collective imagination.

“With Weingart Foundation’s support, the Pop Culture Collaborative is able to invest in the people, projects, and infrastructure that build narrative power at scale, including supporting cultural leaders and storytellers who are shaping national conversations and inspiring social action to advance race, gender, disability, and immigrant justice and belonging,” said Bridgit Antoinette Evans, C.E.O., Pop Culture Collaborative. “Together, we are supercharging strategies and ecosystems that reach millions of people and expand whose stories and experiences are centered in mainstream culture. By strengthening the field and helping them coordinate around a shared vision of a more just and pluralist America, Weingart is investing in the cultural conditions needed for multiracial democracy and collective thriving.”

Seeding New Leadership and Expanding Opportunity

Advancing justice requires long-term investment in emerging leaders and movement-building ecosystems driving grassroots solutions. Forty-three percent of organizations funded this cycle are first-time grantees, reflecting our commitment to seeding new leadership, expanding our reach, and supporting emerging organizations rooted in the communities they serve. Investments in organizations such as Bold Vision, Dynasty United Youth Association, and Educating Students reflect our commitment to cultivating the next generation of leaders and strengthening the relationships and infrastructure needed to create lasting impact.

Together, these investments reflect our belief that justice is about more than responding to crisis. It is about ensuring people have the power, relationships, and resources to remain rooted, shape their futures, and flourish.

To learn more about the organizations supported through our latest round of funding, click here.

Reflecting on America’s Story and the Future We Are Building Together

Reflecting on America’s Story and the Future We Are Building Together

by | Jul 2, 2026 | Perspectives

As our nation marks its 250th anniversary, we have an opportunity to reflect not only on our history, but also on the future we want to build together.

This milestone invites us to recognize the people who have courageously moved our nation forward in pursuit of liberty and justice for all. It also calls us to acknowledge that the full story of our nation’s history, including the contradictions at its founding and their lasting impact, has too often been overlooked. At a time when efforts to erase or distort our shared history continue, it is more important than ever to honor the people and communities whose courage, sacrifice, leadership, and resilience have shaped our democracy.

America’s story must honor the Indigenous peoples who are the original stewards of this land, recognize the labor, sacrifice, and enduring contributions of Black Americans whose ancestors helped build this nation, and celebrate the generations of immigrants who have sought opportunity, safety, and belonging while strengthening our communities. Their stories are not separate from the American story—they are the American story.

At the Weingart Foundation, we believe the stories we tell shape how we understand our past and imagine our future. That is why we invest in storytelling and community-led cultural initiatives that broaden our shared understanding of America, strengthen civic participation, and foster belonging.

As we reflect on our nation’s founding, we are reminded that America’s next chapter is still being written. Below are just a few of the many initiatives helping communities preserve their histories, share their stories, and shape a more just and inclusive future for all.

We The People

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, We The People invites us to reconsider one of America’s most enduring questions: Who gets to tell the story of America?

Presented by Community Coalition and Sankofa.org, this exhibition reimagines America through the experiences, resilience, creativity, and dreams of Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and working-class communities. Opening July 2 and running through July 19, the exhibition features the work of 30 artists and brings together neighbors, organizers, families, and community leaders to celebrate culture, connection, and collective imagination.

Restoring Our Future: Recipes for Healing and Liberation

As part of our continued commitment to Altadena’s restoration and healing, the Weingart Foundation supported Evolve Altadena Coalition’s Restoring Our Future: Recipes for Healing and Liberation collective songwriting workshop, part of the nationwide America, The Beautiful movement to imagine a future rooted in civic joy, belonging, and shared growth.

Held at the Dena Heals Wellness Center, the workshop brought together fire-impacted residents to reflect, heal, and imagine the future through music and shared storytelling. Participants created songs rooted in their lived experiences, hopes, and aspirations, demonstrating that everyone has a role in shaping the future.

Grounded in the belief that healing and civic participation go hand in hand, the workshop illustrates how creative expression can strengthen community connections, foster belonging, and help communities envision what comes next.

A Bill of Rights for Our Future

HOPE’s A Bill of Rights for Our Future invites us to reimagine the promises of the Bill of Rights for the next generation. Through essays, portraiture, digital storytelling, and public exhibitions, the project brings together leaders across advocacy, law, public service, and entrepreneurship to explore how our nation’s founding ideals can be more fully realized for everyone.

The initiative reflects the power of storytelling to spark dialogue, inspire civic imagination, and encourage people across the country to envision the future of American democracy together.

At the Weingart Foundation, we believe our democracy is strongest when we tell the complete story of who we are and lift up the narratives that bring us together. When communities have the opportunity to preserve their histories and shape their own narratives, they strengthen not only our understanding of the past but also our shared capacity to imagine and build a more just future.

Weingart Foundation Welcomes Isabel Casillas Guzman and Joseph Tomás McKellar to Board of Directors; Honors Monica Lozano for Two Decades of Service

by | Jun 26, 2026 | Press Releases

New board appointments bring expertise in economic opportunity, entrepreneurship, community power, and civic engagement as the Foundation prepares for its next chapter.

June 29, 2026 (Los Angeles, CA) — The Weingart Foundation today announced the appointment of The Honorable Isabel Casillas Guzman and Joseph Tomás McKellar to its Board of Directors and honored the retirement of Monica Lozano after 20 years of service. Together, these leadership transitions reflect the Foundation’s continued commitment to building alongside the communities it serves while remaining grounded in its mission and values.

“We are honored to welcome Isabel and Joseph to the Board,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation. “We are building on the extraordinary legacy of leaders who helped shape this institution while ushering in new voices whose experience reflects the future we are working toward. Isabel has dedicated her career to expanding economic opportunity and helping communities build pathways to prosperity, while Joseph has spent his career organizing alongside communities to strengthen civic participation and community power.”

Casillas Guzman is a nationally recognized leader in entrepreneurship, small business development, and economic opportunity. She most recently served as the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration under President Biden, where she oversaw the agency’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and helped expand access to capital, federal contracting opportunities, and business support services for millions of entrepreneurs. She currently serves as Founder of Avenida Advisors, helping businesses and institutions drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

“Throughout my career, I have worked to expand economic opportunity and ensure more people have the resources and support they need to build better futures for themselves, their families, and their communities,” said Casillas Guzman. “What inspires me about the Weingart Foundation is its belief in the potential of every community and its commitment to investing in leaders and organizations creating pathways to opportunity and justice. I am honored to join the Board at such an important moment and help advance a future where all people have the chance to thrive.”

McKellar is Executive Director of PICO California, the state’s largest faith-based organizing network, where he leads efforts to build community power, strengthen civic participation, and support grassroots leadership across California. Throughout his career, he has worked alongside communities to advance housing affordability, immigrant rights, healthcare access, economic opportunity, and democratic participation.

“I have long admired the Weingart Foundation’s commitment to supporting the organizations, leaders, and movements working to expand opportunity and strengthen communities across Southern California,” said McKellar. “At a time when many people are facing significant challenges, it is more important than ever to invest in the leadership, organizing, and collective power of communities. I am honored to join the Board and help advance a future where everyone has the opportunity to belong, participate, and thrive.”

The Weingart Foundation also marked the retirement of Monica Lozano, the first woman and Latina to serve on its board. Lozano’s leadership helped guide the Foundation through a defining period of growth and transformation and was instrumental in shaping Weingart’s evolution into a more community-centered, equity-driven institution.

“Monica’s impact on the Weingart Foundation is immeasurable. Her legacy reflects an unwavering conviction to expand access, equity, and opportunity for communities on the margins. We are a stronger, more just Foundation because of her leadership and she will be missed,” Jackson said.

The appointments of Casillas Guzman and McKeller come at a pivotal moment as the Weingart Foundation enters its next chapter guided by an evolving strategic framework focused on building the lasting community, economic, and narrative power needed to advance racial, social, and economic justice across Southern California.

ABOUT THE WEINGART FOUNDATION
Founded in 1951 by Ben and Stella Weingart, the Weingart Foundation is a private grantmaking organization advancing racial, social, and economic justice for all in Southern California. Since its founding, the Foundation has granted over $1 billion in grants and loans to organizations, coalitions, and collaboratives, providing critical services and building power in communities most impacted by racial and socioeconomic injustice. In 2017, the Weingart Foundation committed to aligning its entire investment portfolio with its mission through mission-related and program-related investments that drive equity. The Foundation also partners with philanthropic, public sector, and community leaders to advance shared solutions that advance justice.