Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation-Los Angeles Awards Grants to Fifteen Organizations Dedicated to Racial Justice and Liberation

Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Los Angeles (TRHT-LA), one of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s fourteen TRHT regions across the country, has awarded 18 grants totaling $223,800 to 15 partners in Southern California. Established by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) is a comprehensive, national and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism. 

Since 2016, Southern California Grantmakers (SCG) has coordinated the TRHT-LA effort by fostering collaboration with philanthropy, nonprofits, government, business, and community partners. SCG is a robust network of 325 grantmakers working to advance transformative change by mobilizes philanthropy to learn and take bold actions

As TRHT-LA approaches the end of its Kellogg grant and partnership in April 2021, the Los Angeles team had the unique opportunity to redistribute its unspent grant dollars back into the community. TRHT-LA regranted $223,800 in unused funds to organizations whose mission aligns with TRHT’s values of truth, racial justice, healing, transformation, and liberation. Additionally, TRHT-LA prioritized organizations facing increased funding cuts due to crises and engaged in COVID response and racial justice efforts. For many grantees, these funds were vital for sustaining their work during turbulent times. 

TRHT-LA awarded three types of one-time grants to help advance the work of their grantees: six organizations received $20,000 General Operating Support Grants; three organizations received Partner Program Grants that include program design support from TRHT-LA and the funds needed to bolster existing programs; nine organizations received Program Support Grants of varying amounts to develop new programs and sustain reoccurring ones.  

TRHT-LA implemented a grantmaking process founded on trust-based principles. Instead of requesting applications, TRHT-LA leaned into its network and long-standing relationships to select its grantees. The team prioritized historically underfunded organizations and partners serving local communities, with most of its grants going to regions in Los Angeles county. TRHT-LA also focused on supporting organizations that work primarily with communities of color to bolster their leadership, racial justice, and healing efforts. In addition to allowing grantees to determine the size of their grant, TRHT-LA has decided not to engage in reporting or evaluation. 

“We are committed to upholding the principles of trust-based philanthropy by trusting our partners to lead the work,” said Adele Lee, Director of TRHT-LA. “We don’t believe in creating additional obstacles by having our partners “prove” their efforts. We value and believe in their mission, and that is enough.” 

Yet, TRHT-LA was honest about the limitations of awarding one-time grants in a trust-based practice. The team held candid conversations with every grantee about their plans to sustain their efforts after the funds expire. TRHT-LA will continue to have frequent communication with their partners and are open to future collaborations. 

Chris Essel, President & CEO of SCG, stated, “We are incredibly proud of everything TRHT-LA has accomplished in our region over the past four years and are excited to continue their work in a new form. We hope that TRHT-LA’s legacy serves as a model of the practices and frameworks needed to advance the philanthropic sector in more equitable directions.”

LIST OF TRHT-LA GRANTEES

• Armory Center for the Arts: Armory Center for the Arts is a national leader for contemporary art exhibitions and community arts education. The Armory believes that an understanding and appreciation of the arts is essential for a well-rounded human experience and a healthy community.  

• The Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation: The Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation provides quality services and support to current and former foster youth through innovative programs and collaborative initiatives with community partners.

• California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ): The California Conference for Equality and Justice is a human relations organization dedicated to eliminating bias, bigotry, and racism through education, conflict resolution, and advocacy.

• California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance (CIYJA): CIYJA is a statewide immigrant youth-led alliance that focuses on placing immigrant youth in advocacy and policy delegations to ensure pro-immigrant policies go beyond legalization and shed light on how the criminalization of immigrants varies based on identity.

• COLORS LGBTQ+ Youth Counseling Services: COLORS’ mission is to ensure that LGBTQ+ identified youth have the mental health support they need to walk into their adulthood affirmed in their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and can achieve their full potential while supporting strong and productive relationships with their families, partners, and other community members.

• embRACE LA: embRACE LA seeks to foster understanding, healing, and growth throughout Los Angeles by building authentic relationships, changing existing narratives, and advancing public policy solutions. Through a wide variety of programs and strategies, embRACE LA is an unprecedented partnership between government, organizations, and residents.

• Greenstone Farm and Sanctuary: Greenstone Farm and Sanctuary's mission is to nurture people's holistic wellbeing through the healing power of gardens. They help well-being seekers find feelings of nourishment and belonging by leveraging the power of the thousands of Healing Gardens in urban spaces across the world.

• In My Skin: In My Skin was produced by Tatiana Zamir and showcases artists embodying their vision for the future - dancing chronicles of protest and liberation, reclamation, and hope.  

• Initiate Justice: Initiate Justice's mission is to end mass incarceration by activating the power of the people it directly impacts. They organize members, both inside and outside of prisons, to advocate for their freedom and change criminal justice policy in California. They have more than 30,000 incarcerated members, 135 inside organizers, and hundreds more outside members and organizers throughout California.

• Japanese American Cultural & Community Center: A hub for Japanese and Japanese American arts and culture and a community gathering place for the diverse voices it inspires—Japanese American Cultural & Community Center connects traditional and contemporary; community participants and creative professionals; Southern California and the world beyond.

• Las Fotos Project: Las Fotos Project is a community-based nonprofit organization that inspires teenage girls through photography, mentorship, and self-expression. Offering year-round programming, they provide girls with access to professional cameras, quality instruction, and workshops that encourage them to explore their identity,  build leadership and advocacy skills, and strengthen their social and emotional well-being.

• Sacred Place Institute: The Sacred Place Institute builds the capacity of Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples to protect sacred lands, waters, and cultures

• Soy Africano: Soy Africano highlights the overlooked history and widespread influence of Latin music in West Africa by showcasing how Africans embraced clave­-based Cuban music and New York Salsa and led to thriving “Latin afro” scenes in countries like Senegal, Benin, Guinea, and the Congo. Dexter Story will direct and curate the Grand Performances concert on Saturday, June 18, 2021.  

• Vigilant Love: Vigilant Love actively counters Islamophobic policies that support the Mosque-to-Prison Pipeline. Their policy advocacy is strategized in partnership with a strong coalition of Los Angeles-based organizations. The primary policy Vigilant Love advocates against in Los Angeles is Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). 

• 580 Cafe by Wesley Foundation Serving UCLA: 580 Café is a space for students to break bread & build relationships through food, conversation, study, and arts.