The LA28 Organizing Committee announced the inaugural cohort of its Resilience Champions Fund, a new initiative investing in local nonprofits working to build a more resilient Los Angeles. The fund is one pillar of the broader LA28 Resilience Champions Initiative, which will also drive pre-Games volunteerism in host communities.
The fund supports projects across three priority areas: wildfire resilience and nature restoration, ocean protection and cooling solutions. Projects target communities most affected by extreme heat, wildfire risk and environmental degradation.
"Resilience is built in communities and sustained through collective action," LA28 Chief Executive Officer Reynold Hoover said. "Through the LA28 Resilience Champions Fund, we're investing in local organizations leading solutions rooted in community, driven by ingenuity, and designed to protect the future of Los Angeles."
The first eight grantees, each receiving $100,000, are:
Active SGV will transform unused school space in El Monte into a cooling community asset with native shade trees, natural seating and play features. Amigos de los Rios will expand tree canopy and install green infrastructure near the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. Chrysalis will deploy a trained resilience workforce to reduce wildfire risk in the Sepulveda Basin. Climate Resolve will convert a Boyle Heights basketball court into a climate-ready sports hub with a cool court and shaded seating, paired with youth training programs.
Conservation Corps of Long Beach will train young adults in coastal conservation by restoring wetlands, habitats and trails near the Long Beach Zone. The LA Community Garden Council will convert community gardens from Sunland-Tujunga to East Hollywood to South Los Angeles into resident-run cooling hubs. The Los Angeles Urban League will train youth from fire-affected areas in Pasadena and Altadena in wildfire resilience and green construction. The Santa Monica Mountains Fund will install a dense native micro-forest in Westwood, adjacent to the Olympic and Paralympic Village.
LA28 selected award recipients in collaboration with Community Partners and an advisory group of leaders from public, academic, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, grounding decisions in community need and local expertise.
LA28 also introduced an official Resilience Champions emblem representing the three pillars of the initiative. Conceptually tied to land, water and the sun, the emblem reflects the natural elements that shape Los Angeles and signals collective responsibility and optimism for a more resilient future.
The grant period for the projects begins immediately.
Edited by SMDP Staff