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.
This work recognizes that progress does not happen in silos. Community power, narrative change, and economic stability are deeply interconnected; each reinforcing the other to create the conditions for lasting change. Together, these investments reflect an approach grounded in the intersection of these efforts, supporting communities to both navigate this moment and build what comes next.
“Our March grants reflect a commitment to building a California where communities have the power, resources, and voice to shape their own futures,” said Joanna S. Jackson, President and C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation. “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.”
Building Community Power to Strengthen Democracy
At the core of this docket is an investment in community power—supporting organizing infrastructure and base-building networks that enable communities to advocate, mobilize, and lead.
Weingart’s investments in We Are California, California Calls Education Fund, and PICO California reflect a strategy to strengthen alignment across movements, deepen collaboration, and expand civic engagement. These efforts are essential to protecting and advancing a multiracial democracy, ensuring communities most impacted by inequities are shaping the policies and systems that affect their lives.
PICO California
Strengthening Narrative Infrastructure to Shift Culture
These efforts are reinforced by investments in cultural power—ensuring communities have access to trusted information and the ability to shape the narratives that define them.
Through $3.4 million in funding, Weingart is supporting organizations such as Voice of O.C., I.E. Journalism Hub+Fund, AfroLA, L.A. Taco, and L.A. Local. These partners are building community-centered journalism ecosystems that reflect lived experiences, counter misinformation, and expand whose voices are heard. Together, they help create the conditions for informed participation and deeper civic engagement.
Advancing Equitable Recovery and Economic Stability
At the same time, Weingart is investing in economic power—supporting recovery efforts that stabilize communities and preserve long-term prosperity.
Through $1.6 million in funding, the Foundation is supporting equitable recovery efforts following the 2025 Eaton Fire, with a focus on preserving generational wealth and housing stability in West Altadena. This includes a grant to Habitat for Humanity – San Gabriel Valley, alongside a $2 million program-related investment to scale rebuilding efforts and ensure long-standing residents can remain in their community.
“We know that stable, safe housing is the key element to community recovery after a disaster,” said Bryan Wong C.E.O. of San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity. “Our goal is to ensure that households affected by the Eaton Fire have a path forward so that they can return home. Partnering with the Weingart Foundation allows us to provide hope and real options for rebuilding to residents of Altadena, bringing back long-term stability to generations of families.”
San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity
Together, these investments reflect a comprehensive approach to advancing equity and justice, one that recognizes that community power, cultural power, and economic stability are deeply interconnected.
By supporting organizing, strengthening narrative infrastructure, and investing in recovery, Weingart is working alongside partners to ensure communities can both navigate today’s challenges and build toward a thriving, multiracial Southern California where everyone can participate, belong, and prosper.