The Los Angeles-based Weingart Foundation has announced 54 grants totaling more than $13.5 million in support of organizations providing critical services to communities most impacted by systemic racism, advancing racial equity, and building power in historically disinvested neighborhoods.

The grants include $8.2 million in unrestricted support, and 87 percent of recipients awarded unrestricted funding are led by people who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC). Recipients include the Black Equity Initiative Inland Empire, which was awarded $600,000 in support of a coalition of nonprofits in the Inland Empire focused on advancing racial equity.

Nearly 20 percent of the grants in this round are to first-time partners, the majority representing organizations based in South L.A., including Vermont Slauson Local Development Corporation, a community development financial institution offering technical assistance to area entrepreneurs; Positive Results Center, which provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed care to communities impacted by violence; and Whole Systems Learning, which helps system-impacted youth with an array of healing supports.

The foundation also provided seed funding to the Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity Fund (CIELO), which aims to uplift and invest in Latino-led and -serving nonprofits, fund research issues impacting the Latino community in the Inland Empire, and work to address disparities in the region. In total, the foundation directed $9.25 million to community organizing groups working on campaigns related to tenants’ rights, housing development, and organizing people experiencing homelessness.

“Stepping into a new year, we are building on our ongoing dedication to advancing racial justice in partnership with organizations that demonstrate time and time again that a just future is possible,” said Weingart Foundation president and CEO Miguel A. Santana. “From providing lifesaving resources, to building political power, our nonprofit partners are opening opportunities and strengthening communities across Southern California, and we are honored to stand with them.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Vesnaandjic)