Philanthropy

The Liberty Hill community has always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with those on the frontlines fighting for change. And that’s exactly where we’ll be—from now until justice for all is realized.

September is awards season at Liberty Hill. This month, both Liberty Hill Foundation and our President & CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith were honored at awards ceremonies to recognize our dedication and commitment to social justice!

The Liberty Hill Community came out in full force at our 41st Annual Upton Sinclair Celebration to celebrate frontline organizers, community leaders, and donor activists who contribute to the progressive victories that power social change in Los Angeles!

Watch the world premiere of our “On the Road to Change” short film, detailing the extraordinary journey of L.A. organizers in the fight for social change and the progress we’ve made together to ensure a just future for all.

Liberty Hill’s annual Upton Sinclair Celebration brings frontline organizers and donor activists together for an inspiring evening celebrating the progressive victories that power social change in L.A. and the remarkable social justice champions who make that change possible! Purchase your tickets today before they sell out and join us for the biggest social justice celebration of the year!

Over the past year, the Liberty Hill community has helped create lasting change and progress that has impacted the lives of community members throughout Los Angeles. From fighting for a roof over every head, to working to end youth incarceration as we know it, and eliminating toxic neighborhood oil drilling, our work has reached communities in every corner of L.A.

Liberty Hill’s annual Upton Sinclair Celebration brings frontline organizers and donor activists together for an inspiring evening celebrating the progressive victories that power social change in L.A. and the remarkable social justice champions who make that change possible! This year, we’re proud to recognize four remarkable social justice champions from the Liberty Hill community. Visit the link below to meet our 2024 Honorees!

In the latest episode of Nonprofit Report, m/Oppenheim CEO Mark Oppenheim dives deep into the Transformative Justice movement in L.A. with Liberty Hill President & CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith and Senior Vice President of Programs Julio Marcial.

Liberty Hill joined our community partners California Community Foundation, ChangeRaisers Academy, Legacy LA, and Destiny Coaching and Consulting at the 2023 Unity Summit to present on the impact of Ready to Rise (R2R) and our work to build a youth development movement in L.A.—the first of its kind!

Thank you to all our listeners and guests for helping make Season 2 of Liberty Hill’s hit podcast Conversations from the Frontlines a huge success! With close to 2.8K all time downloads, our podcast community keeps growing!

In this recent Inside Philanthropy op-ed piece, Liberty Hill Vice President of Public Partnerships Almas Sayeed and TRUST South L.A. Director of Policy Jessica Melendez make the case for why philanthropy should capitalize on this moment and invest in expanding community land trust programs in L.A. and beyond.

Throughout her 34 years at Liberty Hill, Michele Prichard has held a variety of roles, including leading the Foundation as its Executive Director for several years and currently serving as Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for our Environmental Health & Justice program.

It’s been just over a month since the Liberty Hill Community came together for our big 40th Annual Upton Sinclair Celebration: Uniting Power and Purpose! Relive some of the night’s magic and watch our new sizzle reel here.

In case you missed it, check out this recent LA Times article about activist Upton Sinclair featuring Liberty Hill‘s co-founder, Sarah Pillsbury, reflecting on her inspiration for starting Liberty Hill Foundation more than 40 years ago!

Tune in to our latest episode as Liberty Hill President and CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith sits down with California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan for some frank conversations and real talk!

We’re excited to announce Liberty Hill’s hit podcast “Conversations from the Frontlines” is coming back with a fresh new season of episodes on May 4th!" Be sure to join us as we sit down with exciting new guests and explore this season’s theme of “Power, Politics, and Solidarity in L.A.” Stay tuned and we’ll see you soon for more, “Conversations from the Frontlines!”

Our 40th Annual Upton Sinclair Celebration was a night full of festivity, friendship, and fun as more than 700 guests gathered at the beautiful Skirball Cultural Center.

This month the Liberty Hill community hosted, “Reparations and the Future of Pro-Black Policy in California,” an engaging conversation on the work happening locally in support of reparations policies that aim to heal and enable thriving Black communities.

We are so proud to announce that Liberty Hill and our Justice for All Marketing Campaign has been awarded a Silver Anthem Award in the Human & Civil Rights, Local Awareness Campaign & Media Category!

Don’t miss the social justice event of the year! Join the Liberty Hill community for the 40th Annual Upton Sinclair Celebration: Uniting Power & Purpose at the Skirball Cultural Center on Wednesday, April 19!

Earlier this month, members of the Liberty Hill executive team were invited to participate at the 31st Annual Empowerment Congress Summit and the Annual LA Partnership Business Meeting, sharing insight on a cross-section of experiences as stewards of progressive change in Los Angeles.

Liberty Hill’s new podcast—"Conversations From The Frontlines: Real Talk, Real Change" hosted by our President and CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith has established itself as one of the Top 100 Nonprofit Podcasts on Apple Podcasts!

Liberty Hill Community, is there a burning topic, issue, grassroots leader or local power player you’d like to hear from? Send us your ideas!

Don’t Miss the Sixth Episode featuring The Honorable Peter P. Espinoza, a retired judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County and former director of the Los Angeles County Office of Diversion and Re-entry.

This past year, along with funding a strong group of longstanding community organizations, Liberty Hill expanded our power-building strategy with a specific focus on “Rising Activist” organizations, shifting our outreach strategies, application processes, and assessment tools so that these smaller organizing groups could have greater access to funds.

We’re still riding the wave of excitement from our 2022 Upton Sinclair Homecoming Celebration! Check out this short video with highlights from this unforgettable evening!

Join Liberty Hill President/CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith as she interviews leaders on the frontlines fighting for change. This episode features Miguel Dominguez, Director of Education at Community Coalition.

Have you ever wondered what a career at Liberty Hill Foundation could look like? We’re growing our team to meet the needs of neighborhoods across Los Angeles. Check out this short video introducing our two newest staff members, Nicole and Robert!

Liberty Hill’s new podcast—"Conversations From The Frontlines: Real Talk, Real Change" hosted by our President and CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith is now live and online!

Our 2022 Upton Sinclair Homecoming Celebration was a sold out success! After 3 long years apart, the Liberty Hill community came together like never before to celebrate the progressive victories and visionaries powering progress in L.A.

Liberty Hill’s Vice President of Public Partnerships, Julio Marcial, recently participated in a Social Innovation Summit on the topic of Criminal Justice, hosted by the USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation. The panel was moderated by Dr. Brittany Friedman, and examined ways that the field of social innovation can be used to reverse the centuries-long history of racism and economic discrimination within the criminal legal system.

Get ready to dive into some challenging conversations about how to make the real change we are fighting for possible! Liberty Hill is launching a new podcast called "Conversations From The Frontlines: Real Talk, Real Change" hosted by Liberty Hill President and CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith.

Liberty Hill kicked off the new year with its “Transformative 2022: Ring in Your New Year of Giving'' Webinar Series. Our recent series provided opportunities for donors to explore: creating a giving plan, legacy/planned giving, trust-based philanthropy and black equity principles, and understanding nonprofit financial health.

We are delighted to share Liberty Hill Foundation’s 2021 Impact Report, highlighting a record-breaking year of giving made possible through partnership and community. We awarded 922 grants totaling approximately $19 million dollars to support organizations and social justice movements working to advance, transform, support, and demand Justice for All in Los Angeles.

In the New Year, Liberty Hill will be offering a series of educational sessions to help supporters better understand your options around planned giving and designing your philanthropic legacy.  Save the Date for a special conversation about Planned Giving with Jane Peebles, Estate Planning Attorney of Karlin & Peebles, LLP, on Friday, January 28th. More info to come in the new year!

Check out the Activist Video Archive for its new additions especially the "L.A. Rising" Collection of interviews. Twenty years after the civil unrest, Michele Prichard videotaped a series of interviews with movement builders as background research for what became “LA Rising: the 1992 Civil Unrest, the Arc of Social Justice Organizing, and the Lessons for Today’s Movement Building” co-authored with Manuel Pastor of USC in 2012.

Four years ago, we set out to end youth incarceration as we know it. And four years later, arrest rates for youth under the age of 18 have declined by 53%; incarceration rates have declined by 66%; more than 50% of youth jails have been closed; and there’s been a reinvestment of more than $200 million from punishment to care.   There are now fewer youth in juvenile halls or courtrooms and far smaller probation caseloads. Yet, the implementation work continues to develop the nation’s largest Department of Youth Development.

This was truly a banner year for activism and progress! We have much work to do on the road ahead, but we couldn’t be prouder to take this journey with you—our Beloved Community.

Please join us in welcoming our newest Board Members, Veronica Flores, M.A., Executive Officer of Community Health Councils Inc., a research and capacity building organization in South Los Angeles and Shimica Gaskins, the President and CEO of GRACE/End Child Poverty CA.

The main topic explored in the article was the critical importance of funding implementation once headline victories have been won. Shane’s piece also explores the challenges of moving from campaign work to policy implementation, and highlights the efforts of several local initiatives.

Please join us in welcoming our newest team members, Andrés Gonzalez, Program Manager for Environmental Justice, Giselle Armendáriz, Programs Assistant, and Justin Suarez, our new Grants Associate!

This year’s 2021 Fund for Change and Liberty Vote! grants are building on our legacy of supporting emerging organizations at various levels of development by making a commitment to “Rising Activist” organizations across the County.

Liberty Hill is proud to announce a historic $3.34 million investment in the local grassroots and community organizing ecosystem and its leaders of color in L.A.

We are excited to announce the launch of our “Justice for All” public awareness campaign designed to raise awareness and funds to support local grassroots activism and organizing led by those most impacted by systemic oppression.

As part of the recent launch of our Justice for All awareness campaign we also underwent a refresh of Liberty Hill’s brand, including our logo, color palette, and materials.

Liberty Hill has always worked to support grassroots community organizations as they build power among those who have been disenfranchised. The Community Funding Board (CFB) is at the heart of those efforts, guiding decisions on both the selection of grantee organizations and the level of support.

At Principal Development Group Consulting (PDGC), philanthropy and community service are baked into the corporate culture. Based in downtown L.A., PDGC is a successful technology consultancy that got its start in 2010.

Through a global pandemic that threatened both lives and livelihoods, and a national uprising for racial justice that challenged and ultimately changed hearts, minds, and laws—the fight for social justice has continued. Will you join the movement for change?

Though we could not gather in person at the annual Upton Sinclair Awards dinner this year, we found a way to come together for our very first virtual Upton Sinclair event.

Through a global pandemic that threatened both lives and livelihoods, and a national uprising for racial justice that challenged and ultimately changed hearts, minds, and laws—the fight for social justice has continued.

For more than 40 years, Liberty Hill has invested in activism in L.A. Our investments help build the power of grassroots community organizing groups to win significant social change.

For more than 15 years, The Bertha Wolf & Lance Miller Families Fund for Community Service has been uplifting young adults by providing relief from the cost of living as they embark on their journey as professionals or in service to the community.

Employee Giving Programs are a great way to help fuel progress in Los Angeles through Liberty Hill. We were grateful to local company PDG Consulting for selecting Liberty Hill for their Employee Matching Gift program for Giving Tuesday!

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Police Commission began a shift away from an unjust practice that has fallen the hardest on communities of color.

Liberty Hill Donor Activist and SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director, David White is no stranger to activism. He leads the world’s largest entertainment union, representing more than 160,000 diverse members worldwide who work in fields of film, television, commercials, music, video games and emerging media.

Rabbi Heather Miller and Melissa de la Rama fulfill multiple roles in their social justice work, showing up sometimes as volunteers, sometimes as donors. They bring social media savvy to campaigns for change, but are just as likely to show up in person at a rally.

In his current job, people address him as “Your Honor.” The description of his old job—“complex litigation”—pretty much stops most of us in our small-talk tracks (“So, uh, is that fun?”). But it turns out that when Judge Dean Hansell talks about how his more than 20 years of social justice activism and civic engagement informs his philanthropy, his perspective is authentically, even stubbornly grassroots. He zeroes in on what individuals experience, on what stands in the way of justice for each person.

Glen Dake seems to work on a vision of Los Angeles the way he works on a vision of a particular community garden or landscape—with lots of practical, hands-on effort. He supports nonprofit organizations, not only through Liberty Hill’s grantmaking, but also, with his sister Renee Dake Wilson and her husband Brian Wilson, through a donor advised fund housed at Liberty Hill. He has also served on Liberty Hill’s Environmental Justice Community Funding Board.

For 37 years, Liberty Hill’s Upton Sinclair Awards Dinner has been the premier gathering for those at the epicenter of progress and justice in Los Angeles. Every year, political allies, donor-activists, grassroots leaders and community organizers from across the region come together to celebrate the progress made in fights for social change.

This year Liberty Hill is honored to recognize three amazing individuals with awards at our annual Upton Sinclair Award Dinner. Our honorees truly demonstrate the spirit of our gala theme–Our Movement, Our Moment.

Liberty Hill is pleased to announce that our 2018 Fund for Change grants will invest $975,800 in 39 grassroots organizations throughout Los Angeles County. Thanks to the generosity of our donor-activists and foundation partners, we have been able to increase our Fund for Change grantmaking by $256,800 since 2016.

Liberty Hill's 2018 Upton Sinclair Awards Dinner has always been the premier place where progressive L.A. comes to celebrate the movement-making social justice moments that are unfolding across Los Angeles.

Liberty Hill is pleased to honor Elizabeth Levitt Hirsch with the Founders Award at our 2018 Upton Sinclair Awards Dinner on April 19.

At Liberty Hill we know what day it is, Cyber Monday, that day when folks who wanted to avoid the shopping crowds jump online to do their holiday cyber shopping instead.

On April 23, at Liberty Hill's Upton Sinclair Dinner and Awards Celebration, the 2013 Founders Award will be presented to Alison Morgan and Parke Skelton. Alison and Parke, the fundraiser/strategist duo, are one of L.A.’s power couples.