2024 Impact Report
In 2024, we settled more deeply into our role as cultivators of change, nurturing the soil where justice work in Los Angeles can flourish. We saw the value of both our ongoing virtual spaces of care and the power of in-person connections as we went back to events like Fast Pitch (now Story of Us LA). From our Fellowships to our Community Care workshops, we've focused on creating conditions where leaders and communities can put down roots, build meaningful relationships, and grow their impact.
As we reflect on this year of deepening care and community, we're grateful for the rich ecosystem of partners, fellows, and changemakers who make this work possible. We're working together to create a Los Angeles where belonging and wellbeing are essential elements of lasting change.
Our Community
SJPLA is shaped by the fundamental belief that through our interconnectedness, we find both the courage to drive change and the resilience to sustain it. In the face of mounting challenges and systemic injustice, we've witnessed how the strength of our community creates the supportive framework for meaningful action. We're deeply grateful to everyone who joined us in community throughout 2024, nurturing the soil where justice and liberation can take root.
Our Team
This year, we welcomed Petrona Garcia to the team as our Community Events Coordinator. Petrona’s new to the team but not new to our community as she is an alumn of our Systems Change Fellowship.
2024 SJPLA Team
Our Board
We are deeply grateful to our nine Board members, offering their wisdom, care, and strategic vision to guide SJPLA forward. Their thoughtful partnership in governance helps us stay rooted in our values while remaining responsive to our community's evolving needs. Through their dedicated leadership, we're able to carry out our mission with both integrity and flexibility.
2024 SJPLA Board
Our Partners
In 2024, our community of SJPLA Partners channeled their gifts—funds, time, expertise, networks, and hearts—to advance racial and social justice in Los Angeles. This year, we’ve grown to 86 Partners, and contributed an extraordinary 603 hours of skilled volunteer time and $85,020.38 in unrestricted funding, supporting both our Systems Change Fellowship and general operations.
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This year, our Partners played pivotal roles in redistributing resources to community-led initiatives:
LA2050 Evaluation Committee: 75 evaluators, including 26 SJP Partners, reviewed an impressive 577 applications across 5 categories. Their thoughtful deliberation helped direct more than $3 million to 68 organizations addressing critical needs in Los Angeles.
Systems Change Fellowship Application Committee: 13 Partners served in the dual role of coaches and evaluators, helping identify our incoming cohort of Systems Change Fellows. More than half of these committee members are program alumni themselves, bringing invaluable lived experience to the selection process.
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Our Partners' commitment to nurturing emerging leaders manifested through dedicated coaching support:
Fast Pitch Coaching: 14 coaches contributed approximately 30 hours each—a collective 420 hours—offering their expertise to Fellows over 10 weeks. This intensive support helped leaders refine their pitches, amplify their messages, and attract new resources to their work.
1:1 Skills-Based Mentorship: Partners offered personalized coaching based on the specific needs of our Fellowship cohort leaders, providing expertise in messaging, communications, executive leadership, and strategic planning.
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Recognizing the importance of relationships in sustaining justice work, Partners hosted gatherings and lunches to nurture connections within our community. These spaces for relationship-building have become increasingly valued, offering Partners opportunities to connect across sectors, share wisdom, and find solidarity in challenging times.
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When a Systems Change Fellow needed specialized support to prepare for a critical funding opportunity before Fast Pitch, we matched them with Partner Jennifer Happillon for ad-hoc pitch coaching. After receiving this targeted coaching, Alba Velasquez of LA Food Policy Council delivered a compelling pitch that secured new funding.
Welcome to our new Partners in 2024
Karalyn Ahmanson, Akil Bektemba, Hannah Berger, Freya Estreller, Kirsten Farrell, Marisa Hamamoto, Johanna Harris, Paul Hernandez, Renee Johnson, Elida Ledesma, Martin Marchiori-Wong, Marie Stein, Stephanie Struck
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Teo Alfero, Iosefa Alofaituli, Eric Ares, Lee Bailey, Amanda Beer, Sonia Bell, Grayce Bentley, Denise Berger, Ashley Bennett Boardman, Michael Boardman, Ev Boyle, George Bryson, Calvin Chan, Greg Cherry, Jessica Cohn, Marie Condron, Chris Contreras, Betsy Densmore, Jennifer Hark Dietz, Elyssa Elbaz, Gil Elbaz, Ann English, Oxana Ermolova, Jeanne Fauci, Alison Fedyna Villa, Laura Ferretti, Marta Ferro, Cynthia Freeman, Jennifer Gaeta, Andrea Garcia, Kathryn Gwatkin Goulding, Jennifer Happillon, Margaret Hardin, Carrie Harlow, Bentley Coplin Holmes, Cecily Jackson-Zapata, London Jones, Tammy Khan, Angela Kim, Chris Ko, Noah Kuhn, Julie Lacouture, Jacqueline Laine, Elaine Lasnik-Broida, Helen Leung, David Levitus, Lukas Liebischer, Angela LoBue, Mark Loranger, Elaine Loring, Peter Lynn, Adrianne McCurrach, B Lance Miller, Kelly O'Connor, Kaci Patterson, Sahar Pirzada, Bill Pitkin, Sam Prater, Molly Prather, Meisha Rainman, Selena Liu Raphael, Carolyn Rojo, Samuel Rotter, Alina Sanchez, Elliott Schwartz, Amber Sheikh, Brielan Smiechowski, Elizabeth Thomas, Amy Turk, Eileen Ung, Vera deVera, Judy Weinstein, Ángel Zapata
86 Partners invested:
603 hours and $85,020 in skilled pro bono support and contributed $85,020 in unrestricted funding, supporting both our Systems Change Fellowship and general operating funds.
Systems Change Fellowship
The Systems Change Fellowship continues to be a space where LA’s nonprofit leaders can bring their full selves while deepening connections that advance their work, their leadership, and their wellbeing. The program creates space for fellows to explore and refine their systems change initiatives while building meaningful relationships with each other and the greater SJPLA community.
Collective Wisdom
Fellows explored their systems change work through collaborative exercises like power mapping and problem statement reviews. Participants worked with each other to develop clarity on their approaches while identifying opportunities for collaboration and found opportunities for deeper systems change work.
The fellowship also created space for leaders to process challenges unique to their roles, from executive directors seeking peer support to emerging leaders finding their voices. One fellow shared, "I truly appreciate the SJPLA team and this program for reminding me of my power."
Meaningful Collaborations
This year, we introduced a new cohort buddy system, pairing fellows between scheduled sessions to build deeper connections and support. The majority of participants cited the relationships they built as the most valuable aspect of the program.
The fellowship's emphasis on community building produced several impactful collaborations between fellows:
The Social Impact Center partnered with Pasadenans Organizing for Progress to hold an expungement clinic in Pasadena. The clinic provided crucial support to community members seeking to clear their records.
Kid City Hope and Architecture & Advocacy collaborated to provide USC college tours to ten first-generation high school juniors, creating direct pathways to higher education opportunities.
Los Angeles Food Policy Council connected with Kid City’s Petrona Garcia’s parents to participate in their Healthy Market Initiative, transforming local stores into sources of affordable, healthy food.
2023-24 Systems Change Fellowship Cohort
Fast Pitch 2024
Fast Pitch (now Story of Us LA) returned in person for the first time since 2019. We were so touched to see our community gathered to support leaders in our Systems Change Fellowship as they shared their innovative work addressing the systemic challenges facing our city. Each pitch was a showcase of passion and a call to action for all of us to contribute to meaningful change.
Deepening Connections and Resources
The program created intentional spaces for leaders to build relationships with funders and supporters. Through Fast Pitch and dedicated funder panels, fellows established meaningful connections that extended beyond the program:
LA Forward Institute developed new relationships with foundations, securing $100,000 in commitments and starting conversations about expanding funding for democracy work in Los Angeles.
The Social Impact center raised $125,000 as a direct result from Fast Pitch and the SJPLA network.
The program helped leaders develop their fundraising capacity, enabling them to build direct relationships with funders and effectively communicate their vision.
2024-25 Systems Change Fellowship
The fellowship continues to welcome leaders who understand that their work extends into the interconnected nature of social justice work in Los Angeles. Through this systems-minded approach, fellows are building the relationships and capacities needed to create lasting change for our communities.
This year's cohort brings together seven remarkable leaders whose initiatives span crucial aspects of systemic change in Los Angeles. From health equity and justice reform to education and food security, each initiative addresses a crucial component of systemic injustice in our communities.
Racial Equity Initiative
Racial Equity Fellowship
The Racial Equity in Homelessness Fellowship continued to evolve in 2024, deepening its focus on nurturing leaders while addressing the complex systemic issues within the homeless response sector. As we settled into our role as a trusted space holder, the Fellowship created community and support for BIPOC managers and directors navigating the challenges of burnout, wage disparities, and systemic racism in their workplaces and the sector at large.
Cultivating Critical Perspectives
This year's Fellowship explored often overlooked topics in the homeless response sector, challenging participants to expand their understanding of homelessness through broader contexts of capitalism, settler colonialism, and climate change.
Three consecutive sessions stood out as particularly impactful, exploring:
The criminalization of homelessness through policy and legal frameworks
Indigenous narratives of dispossession and erasure
The impact of climate disasters on vulnerable communities
Weaving Stronger Connections
The 2023-24 cohort developed strong bonds after we allocated additional resources toward gatherings—including happy hours, virtual events, and other opportunities for connection—recognizing that authentic relationships are foundational to sustainable change work.
To further nurture these connections, we created an online Discord community for Fellows and alumni from both the Racial Equity Fellowship and Leadership Exchange Fellowship. This digital space has become an active hub where participants share job opportunities, seek advice on challenging work situations, and offer resources to support one another.
Bringing Their Whole Selves
The Fellowship continued to provide a space for Fellows to process their experiences in the system, work through grief and trauma, and find support and guidance from their cohort. Many Fellows carry the weight of supporting their team members while facing immense pressure to meet production demands and metrics.
The program created opportunities for Fellows to connect with both BIPOC and white executives from the sector, facilitating conversations that highlighted drastically different pathways to leadership positions. These discussions sparked important reflections on systems of advancement and motivated Fellows to create more equitable pathways within their own organizations.
Career Advancement
The Fellowship has continued to see significant career advancements among participants, with several moving into director-level positions and beyond:
Waynetta Daniel transitioned from DHS Housing for Health into a Vice President position at Harbor Interfaith Services, later moving to a Director role overseeing two Interim Housing Sites at The People Concern
Marina Flores recently left her position as Director of Systems and Planning at LAHSA to become the Chief of Housing and Tenants Protection Bureau at the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA)
Building Partnerships Beyond the Program
The Fellowship has created lasting partnerships that extend far beyond the formal program. Fellows reported developing connections with their cohort members that evolved into professional collaborations:
Fellows working in similar areas, such as safe parking programs, share resources and strategies
New collaboratives are being formed, modeled after the Fellowship's format
Relationships formed in the Fellowship have helped heal past workplace tensions, creating opportunities for mutual support
Looking Ahead: Cultivating Lasting Change
We're focusing on advancing Fellows to senior executive roles in the sector with plans to shift the Hilton Foundation Fellowship to become a structured executive shadowing program specifically for Racial Equity Fellowship alumni.
This intentional progression builds on our commitment to supporting the growth of individual leaders and cultivating a more just, equitable ecosystem within the homeless response sector.
2024-25 REI Fellows
Care and Retention of Workers in the Homeless Response Sector
Community Care and the Workplace
In 2024, we deepened our commitment to workplace wellbeing through our Community Care and the Workplace program. The program continued to address the disconnection, burnout, and unprocessed grief among workers in the homeless response sector, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by BIPOC workers.
Program Reach:
The Community Care and the Workplace workshop series has reached over 200 participants since its inception, with 85 participants joining us in 2024. Through this five-week course blending guided discussions, healing practices, and wellbeing tools, participants found a supportive community where they could share experiences and develop strategies for both personal and workplace wellbeing.
100% of participants
agreed the course content was applicable to their jobs
with
89.4% strongly agreeing
Weaving Stronger Connections
This year's cohorts showed more interest in the community aspect of the program, with participants expressing a deep desire to connect with others in the sector and learn from shared experiences. One cohort even requested a group Zoom photo on their final day—a testament to the bonds fThis year's cohorts showed more interest in the community aspect of the program, with participants expressing a deep desire to connect with others in the sector and learn from shared experiences. One cohort even requested a group Zoom photo on their final day—a testament to the bonds formed over just five weeks.
Supporting Integrated Wellbeing
Participants learned practical tools and deep reflective practices. Many highlighted the value of breathing and grounding techniques as immediate resources during stressful workdays. Others recognized the importance of boundary-setting and self-prioritization representing profound shifts for those who have historically focused solely on client needs.
Cultivating Lasting Change:
Participants began taking these practices back to their organizations, extending the program's impact throughout the homeless response sector.
By offering space for learning, reflection, and connection, the Community Care and the Workplace program continues to nurture the soil where lasting, sustainable change can grow. As we look ahead, we remain committed to supporting a sector where workers have what they need to care for themselves and each other as they continue their crucial work of creating a more just Los Angeles.
Wellbeing Series
The Wellbeing Series continued to serve as a space of nurturing and renewal for workers, particularly those in LA’s homeless response sector. Throughout 2024, we offered 10 sessions that created pathways for participants to explore healing modalities, connect with community, and cultivate sustainable wellbeing practices.
The Wellbeing Series is a consistent, open space for learning, reflection, and connection. Building this culture of care is essential in creating a sustainable support system where workers have what they need to care for themselves and their communities as they continue their crucial work.
This year's programming was responsive to participant feedback, with three movement-based sessions added after requests for more physical practices. The theme of grief also emerged as particularly meaningful.
The monthly Wellbeing Series remains a cornerstone of our commitment to deepening care and community throughout Los Angeles.
310 people
agreed the course content was applicable to their jobs
attended our monthly Wellbeing Series sessions in 2024, with
207 working directly in the homeless response sector. strongly agreeing
Liberatory Learning
In 2024, our Liberatory Learning offerings continued to nurture leaders and organizations as they reimagine workplaces centered on wellbeing, liberation, and belonging. These programs embody our commitment to creating conditions where people can flourish while developing practices that ripple outward into their communities.
Liberatory Workplaces
Our Liberatory Workplaces cohort welcomed 27 participants this year, continuing to cultivate leaders who create equitable workplace cultures. These leaders joined Christine Margiotta to engage in discussions about dismantling oppressive organizational practices while implementing systems that foster belonging and creativity. Participants left with practical tools and a supportive community to help them cultivate environments where team members can bring their full selves to work.
Liberatory Leadership
Our Liberatory Leadership program welcomed 19 participants this year, creating space for leaders to reimagine their relationship with power. This four-part series continued to nurture leadership approaches that are inclusive, equitable, and justice-centered. Through facilitated conversations and reflective practices, participants explored the connections between personal liberation and organizational transformation, developing leadership styles that support both their teams' growth and their own wellbeing.
Charity to Justice
Our Charity to Justice program created an intimate learning community for six executive directors seeking to shift their organizations from traditional charity models toward justice-centered approaches. Participants explored how to build organizational structures that redistribute power and center community voices. The small cohort size fostered trust and vulnerability, allowing leaders to address challenging questions about their organizations' roles in perpetuating or disrupting systemic injustice.
Customized Trainings
Our commitment to nurturing organizational cultures extended through customized trainings with key partners including Sobrato Philanthropies, Goldhirsh Foundation, and LGBT Center of the Desert. These partnerships allowed us to weave liberatory frameworks into the specific contexts and needs of each organization, creating tailored learning experiences focused on building cultures of belonging.
These programs help individual participants bring new practices and perspectives back to their organizations. We've witnessed participants implementing equitable compensation approaches, adopting more inclusive decision-making processes, and creating policies that center wellbeing.
As we look ahead, we're focusing our offerings on programs with the deepest impact and strongest connections to our mission. In 2025, we'll offer Liberatory Workplaces and Liberatory Leadership cohorts while refining our self-paced Anti-Racism for White People course for re-release mid-year. We're also developing deeper organizational partnerships for broader systemic impact.
Reimagining Philanthropy
In 2024, we deepened our commitment to equitable philanthropic practices. Our philanthropic consulting services continued to center co-creating grant-making practices that are accessible, inclusive, and steeped in community wisdom. Through partnerships focused on crafting thoughtful applications, designing participatory selection processes, and convening community members to engage in decision-making, we've helped move resources to where they can have meaningful impact.
My LA2050 Grants Challenge
This year marked our fifth year of partnership with the LA2050 initiative as their evaluation partner. The 2024 LA2050 Grants Challenge distributed more than $3 million to 68 nonprofit organizations across Los Angeles County through a coalition of 10 foundations. Our largest committee to date of 75 evaluators reviewed a record-breaking 577 proposals, bringing their rich blend of varied perspectives and experiences to the grantee recommendations process.
By cultivating these spaces where funders, nonprofits, and community members come together, we continue to support a more just, participatory approach to philanthropy that centers relationship-building and collective wisdom—essential elements for nurturing lasting change in Los Angeles.
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Adrianne McCurrach, Alana Weinroth, Alice Pang, Alison Fedyna Villa, Alyssa Rodriguez, Alyssa Plourde, Andy Riemer, Angela Kim, Ann English, Antoinette Ratcliffe, Berit Anderson, Brian Rosenbaum, Briana Schuler, Brianna Carmichael, Brielan Smiechowski, Calvin Chan, Christian Green, Christopher Barahona, Clara Steele, Crissi Avila, Crystal Hermida, Cynthia Valencia, David Levitus, Derek Steele, Diamond Moseley, Elaine Loring, Edward Braxton, Elida Ledesma, Emmanuel Ares, Ev Boyle, Evonne Biggs, Freya Estreller, Gregory Cherry, Hannah Berger, Jackie Laine ,Jennifer Happillon, Jill Frank, Jordana Mendonça Valdes, Joseph Laskin, Judy Weinstein, Julia Scheibe, Kaleb Tuttle, Kara Ahmanson, Karli Baumgardner, Kean O'Brien, Kenta Estrada-Darley, Layla Shakerin, Lionel Mares, Madeleine Dile, Maggie Lin, Margaret Hardin, Marie Stein, Marisa Hamamoto, Martin Marchiori-Wong, Matt Wells, Melanie McConnaughy, Michael Schneider, Michelle Dominguez, Oxana Ermolova, Quintus Jett, Riji Raja, Samara Reed, Sara Templeton, Sarah Eguchi Low, Selena Liu Raphael, Sharon Stratton, Shayna Sanderson, Sonia Bell, Stephanie Struck, Susan L Petrella, Tammy Marashlian, Victoria Pillman, Wendy Celaya, Yelba Carrillo
2024 Financials
Throughout the year, we've been privileged to partner with funders and collaborators who have expanded our capacity for impactful work.
2024 Expenses - $3,743,752
Grantmaking
2024 Revenue - $1,118,847
2024 Funders
We are so grateful to our funding partners for fueling our work
including the generous financial support from individual SJPLA Partners and donors