Perspectives

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 that are strengthening the conditions communities need not only to respond to today’s challenges, but to shape their own future.

As we celebrate the caregivers in our lives this month for Mother’s Day, we also observe Mental Health Awareness Month, and honor the legacy of organizations dedicated to community healing and wellbeing. An organization that sits at this powerful intersection is Black Women for Wellness, a woman-centered, health education and advocacy organization committed to advancing the health and wellbeing of Black mothers, women and girls. B.W.W. demonstrates that true wellness is a collective practice grounded in justice, culture, and community.

As we celebrate the caregivers in our lives this month for Mother’s Day, we also observe Mental Health Awareness Month, and honor the legacy of organizations dedicated to community healing and wellbeing. An organization that sits at this powerful intersection is Black Women for Wellness, a woman-centered, health education and advocacy organization committed to advancing the health and wellbeing of Black mothers, women and girls. B.W.W. demonstrates that true wellness is a collective practice grounded in justice, culture, and community.

Across Southern California, communities are responding to urgent challenges while continuing to organize toward a future rooted in dignity, belonging, and opportunity for all. Our latest round of funding—$10.9 million in investments—reflects that dual reality: supporting partners who are in the frontlines meeting immediate needs and protecting communities from harm, while building the long-term power needed to shape a more just and inclusive region.

The Weingart Foundation is proud to announce our December 2025 funding round, totaling $15.5M to nonprofits across Southern California advancing racial and economic justice and strengthening the pillars of our multiracial democracy.

Disability Pride Month honors the history, achievements, and leadership of people with disabilities but more importantly, it is a call to action. Despite hard-won progress, ableism1 continues to shape our systems and institutions, and recent federal rollbacks threaten to reverse decades of advancements. These include the elimination of the Department of Justice’s Disability Rights Section and cuts to Medicaid and special education which will impact millions of Americans. At the Weingart Foundation, we are committed to deepening our understanding of disability justice and advancing a multiracial democracy where access, equity, and care are foundational.

Across Southern California, the Weingart Foundation invests in powerful ecosystems of grassroots organizations advancing racial, social, and economic justice. These ecosystems are essential because movements do not thrive in isolation, they are sustained by trust, care, and collective leadership. As an active member of coalitions like Immigrants Are LA and We Are CA, Somos Familia Valle (SFV) is a vital part of this fabric. Over the last decade, the organization has built something urgently needed: a community rooted in love, justice, and inclusion. Their work sits at the intersection of immigrant justice and LGBTQ+ liberation, offering a bold model of what is possible when communities lead with vision, courage, and deep commitment to one another.

Our time in Orange County came at a critical juncture—a moment when the stakes feel especially high and the challenges facing our communities are mounting. And yet, what we witnessed was not accidental. It was the result of years of community-driven investment, vision, and organizing.

As we close out Black History Month, we are reminded that celebrating Black history is not just about reflection—it’s about preservation, investment, and action. For generations, Crenshaw has been the heart of Black Los Angeles—a place of resilience, creativity, and cultural pride. But like many historically Black communities, it has also been shaped by disinvestment, redlining, and systemic inequities.

The Weingart Foundation is proud to announce our December 2024 round of funding which awarded $10.7 million to 43 organizations and initiatives that embody the pillars of our racial justice framework: building strong and healthy communities, fostering civic and economic power, and transforming inequitable systems.