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.

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.

April 16, 2026 (Los Angeles, CA) — The Weingart Foundation and the California Community Foundation (C.C.F.) have released a new learning brief that highlights staff wellness as key to sustaining a powerful immigrant justice sector. The brief examines the impact of the Immigrants Are Essential (I.A.E.) Fund, a joint initiative designed to strengthen Southern California’s immigrant justice ecosystem by investing directly in staff wellness, coaching, and organizational infrastructure to promote long-term resilience. The evaluation, grounded in a mixed-methods study of executive leaders and frontline staff, reveals that the immigrant-serving movement requires a fundamental shift in philanthropic strategy: treating staff wellness and organizational infrastructure as critical to the long-term sustainability of the immigrant justice sector.

“In a climate of intensified enforcement and uncertainty, our immigrant-serving organizations have gone above and beyond and are being pushed to a breaking point,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation. “The future of this movement depends on our hearts as much as our strategy. This learning brief is a call to action and an invitation to normalize wellness and care as fundable, strategic priorities that sustain the people holding our communities together.”

“At C.C.F, we know immigrants are foundational to our regional economy and civic life,” said Miguel Santana, President and C.E.O. of the California Community Foundation. “Our nonprofit leaders and frontline workers supporting our immigrant communities are also essential. As the level of need continues to grow, our commitment to all of these neighbors, partners and workers remains stronger than ever. We will continue to support efforts to ensure that immigrants can participate fully in our communities and bolster the ecosystem of organizations providing vital services. This is a moment for action—we need philanthropy, government and individuals to step up, give what they can and support those on the front lines.”

The I.A.E. Fund supported small, emerging immigrant rights organizations in Southern California. It was created in response to the findings of “From Burnout to Wellbeing: Building a Sustainable Immigration Movement”, a report by C.C.F. and Weingart, that found high levels of burnout, lack of mental health supports, and financial challenges amongst staff in the immigrant rights sector.

Key Findings from the Evaluation:

• Organizational Care and Morale: Seventy-five percent of organizations reported that the fund created a space for connection, rest, and affirmation.
• Cultural Shift to Prioritizing Wellness: Organizations reported a meaningful shift from an organizational norm of overwork and burnout to one where rest, care, and healing are explicitly valued.
• Institutionalization of Wellness: Through support from the fund, 63% of organizations took concrete steps to institutionalize wellness through line items in annual budgets, wellness plans in handbooks, or securing multi-year grant commitments.

“The Immigrants are Essential Fund has been transformative in affirming that our staff is valued, seen, and worthy of care,” said Maribel Cruz, Interim Executive Director, ÓRALE. “Especially when the immigrant justice space carried a particularly heavy weight, these funds gave our team the resources to access the wellness support needed to prevent burnout, heal, and explore what wellbeing truly means. These funds contributed to increasing both staff morale and cohesion during a time of chaos and violence in the immigrant community.”

A Call to Action for Philanthropy

The learning brief highlights where philanthropy can play a deeper role in sustaining the immigrant movement by bolstering the wellbeing of the people that drive the sector. Recommendations include:

• Stability Through Multi-Year Support: The brief calls for unrestricted, multi-year general operating support paired with distinct, separate resources for staff wellness to ensure care is prioritized and not sidelined by operational crises.
• Maximize Ecosystem Impact through Strategic Coordination: Philanthropy can leverage its unique position to ensure that high-impact wellness supports are accessible to those with the least capacity to seek them out.
• Normalize Wellness as a Strategic Priority: Funders should leverage their influence to raise the importance of wellness by sharing data, stories, and lived experience to demonstrate that wellness is a legitimate, fundable movement priority.

The Immigrants Are Essential Fund was launched during a period of ongoing strain and uncertainty for immigrant-serving organizations in Southern California—pressures that have only intensified. To prevent the collapse of this essential ecosystem, the brief calls on philanthropic and public sectors to move toward a reimagined partnership that centers human infrastructure as a strategic, non-negotiable priority.

To read the learning brief, please 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.

New leaders to advance the Foundation’s commitment to racial, social and economic justice across Southern California

November 20, 2025 (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 the appointment of two new members to its executive leadership team: Bob Bancroft as Chief Financial and Investment Officer (CFIO) and Vy Nguyen as Chief Program and Strategy Officer (CPSO).

These appointments mark a significant step in strengthening the Foundation’s commitment to aligning philanthropic resources, strategy, and community voice in pursuit of equity and justice in Southern California.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bob and welcome back Vy to the Weingart Foundation. Bob brings proven leadership in philanthropic finance and impact investing, while Vy returns with deep experience in community-centered social justice. Their complementary expertise and innovative approaches will help strengthen and evolve how we align our financial strategy, grantmaking, and community partnerships to advance equity and opportunity across our region,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O., Weingart Foundation. “These mission-driven leaders are prepared to work collaboratively, boldly stewarding the Foundation’s resources to drive lasting positive change across Southern California.”

Bob Bancroft
As CFIO, Bancroft will continue the Foundation’s commitment to 100% mission-aligned investing that was launched and spearheaded by the current Chief Financial and Investment Officer, Tim Ortez who is retiring. Bancroft will lead the impact investment, finance and grants management teams while providing strategic counsel to the President and C.E.O., the Executive Leadership Team, and the Investment Committee of the Board of Directors.

He will build upon Ortez’s tremendous work in shaping and driving the Foundation’s mission-driven investment strategy that helped create immeasurable impact in local communities in Southern California. The Foundation is forever grateful for Tim’s leadership, his contributions, and the standard of excellence he established for its investment strategy over his nine-year tenure.

As the new CFIO, Bancroft will provide critical financial stewardship and strategy to advance the organization’s commitment to bold and creative deployment of philanthropic resources to drive economic equity and inclusion.

“I’m honored to join the Weingart Foundation and be a part of its seventy-plus year legacy of supporting communities in the fight for opportunity and justice,” said Bancroft. “From my first conversations with the team, I knew we were aligned on what matters most: listening to the people we serve, breaking down barriers, and creating real, lasting change. I’m excited to build a financial strategy that reflects those values and helps expand how we think about equity in all its dimensions.”

In his previous role as Vice President of Finance and Mission Investing for the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Bancroft led the transformation of their $450 million endowment toward a 100% mission-aligned strategy to advance racial, economic, and environmental justice. He modernized the finance and accounting function and was responsible for launching a $22 million program-related investments initiative. Bancroft graduated from Boston University summa cum laude, with a B.S. in management.

Vy Nguyen
Returning to the Foundation where she spent 15 years helping to launch the housing and immigrant justice portfolios and manage special projects, Nguyen will lead strategy development and program implementation across the Foundation. She will serve as a key architect of the Foundation’s racial and economic justice strategy, leading the co-design of its strategic initiatives, ensuring community voice and lived experience remain central to the Foundation’s work and investments.

“It’s an honor to return to the Weingart Foundation when our region is calling for bold, community-driven action,” said Nguyen. “I’ve seen firsthand the power of organizations centering equity and the lived experience of local communities. In my new role, I will help strengthen the Foundation’s community-centered strategies to create a more just and equitable Southern California.”

As CPSO, she will oversee the evolution of the Foundation’s programs, ensuring alignment across the Foundation to increase impact. Nguyen will work closely with the C.E.O., the Leadership Team, and all program areas.

Nguyen most recently served as Director of Spiritual Home at PICO California, the state’s largest faith-based organizing network. Her career spans nonprofit, philanthropic, and government sectors, including prior service as a deputy to L.A. Unified School District Board President Monica García and a decade of organizing with the Koreatown Immigrant Workers’ Alliance and the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy.

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.

The latest round of funding supports a continuum of strategies that strengthen power-building and coordination across multiracial, intersectional, and intergenerational movements.

May 15, 2025 (Los Angeles, CA) — The Weingart Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation that partners with communities across Southern California to advance racial justice, awarded more than $7.7M in grants to organizations on the frontlines of movement-building, systems change, and community resilience.

Through its March 2025 grant docket, the Foundation continues its longstanding commitment to funding organizations that are both addressing immediate community needs and building long-term power to dismantle systemic inequities. The majority of the grants are unrestricted, providing critical flexibility for partners to respond to a rapidly shifting environment, sustain vital programs, and invest in infrastructure for future growth.

“At the Weingart Foundation, we believe those closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation. “In a time of deep uncertainty and growing threats to equity and justice, we are proud to walk alongside organizations that are leading change with courage, innovation, and resilience. Our investments are designed to meet urgent needs today while fueling the long-term movement-building necessary to create a just future for all.”

This docket reflects the Foundation’s strategic focus on strengthening the civic, cultural, economic, and political power of communities most impacted by injustice. Investments support essential services, organizing, narrative change, and policy advocacy efforts advancing housing justice, immigrant rights, youth leadership, and economic inclusion.

Among the key initiatives funded this cycle are coalitions such as We Are California and the Black Vision and Defense Fund, efforts strengthening the resilience and alignment of social justice movements across California. These key anchor coalitions engage many of Weingart Foundation grantees to advance strategies that promote and protect civic engagement and amplify marginalized voices.

“Now more than ever, it is essential that our movements work in alignment to strengthen coordination so that we can continue to defend our communities, protect civil rights, and build power for a community-led vision for our collective future,” said Marc Philpart, Executive Director, California Black Freedom Fund. “Through our collaboration and fortified bonds, we can persevere against uncertainty.”

In response to growing threats against immigrant communities, the Foundation also prioritized significant investments in immigrant justice. This includes a $1 million investment in the California C.E.O. Immigration Table Pooled Fund, a cross-sector effort to bolster rapid response, advocacy, and narrative change for immigrant inclusion statewide. In Orange County—where Weingart has a long history of partnership—recent grants are strengthening the region’s immigrant justice ecosystem through organizations such as Community Hub de Santa Ana, Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice, Latino Health Access, Orange County Rapid Response Network, Resilience Orange County, and VietRISE.

“In a county historically unwelcoming to immigrants, Weingart Foundation’s investment is vital,” said Sandra de Anda O.C. Rapid Response Network Coordinator. “By strengthening our ecosystem, their support fuels our unique model—blending community defense with narrative change—to build power, defend rights, and humanize those we fight alongside. Together, we are creating a future where all communities are valued and protected.”

For a full list of the Weingart Foundation’s March grants, please 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.

As a nationally recognized leader in gender and racial equity, Torres demonstrates a deep commitment to Weingart’s racial equity mission.

Helen Torres, C.E.O., HOPE

“We are honored to welcome Helen Torres to the Weingart Board,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O., Weingart Foundation. “Helen is an extraordinary and deeply committed leader who has been instrumental in broadening pathways to grow Latina political and economic power across California. She will be a tremendous addition to our board and in our work to achieve justice, inclusion and opportunity for all people, especially at this pivotal moment.”

As the C.E.O. of HOPE for 23 years, Torres has strategically built a Latina leadership and advocacy infrastructure in California, composed of thousands of civically engaged Latina leaders serving in elected and appointed office, as business, philanthropic and community leaders. She has created robust pathways to leadership for Latinas in California and across the United States, resulting in over 1,600 leadership positions being filled by Latinas. She has led coalitions in California that have advocated for the first Latina to serve on the CPUC, and the first Latina appointed to the California Supreme Court.

“Helen’s leadership at Hispanas Organized for Political Equality has been transformative in advancing Latina representation and leadership across California”, said Dr. Bob Ross, Weingart Foundation Board Chair. “Her dedication to empowering marginalized communities aligns perfectly with our racial justice mission, and we are excited to have her unique expertise and vision on our board.”

Helen Torres has served on various commissions under Governors Davis, Schwarzenegger, and Brown, overseeing AmeriCorps funding and governing on the influential “Little Hoover Commission.” She serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Policy Institute of California, is a member of The Southern California chapter of International Women’s Forum, and an advisor on a workforce steering committee for the 2028 Olympics.

“I’m thrilled to join the Weingart Foundation Board,” Torres said. “With over two decades of nonprofit leadership experience, I am deeply inspired by the Foundation’s mission to advance racial, gender, and economic justice. I look forward to collaborating with fellow board members, staff and grantees to create lasting and meaningful change in our communities.”

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.