Ready to Rise Grantees Announced
Liberty Hill is thrilled to join our partners at the California Community Foundation in announcing the newest cohort of Ready to Rise (R2R)—a public-private partnership designed to expand opportunities and resources for programs that provide youth development services focused on diversion and prevention rather than ineffective punitive measures.
As the initiative enters its fifth year, R2R has now grown to a $50M initiative, providing critical funding for community-based positive youth development services and capacity building to an additional 50 grantees in L.A. County. The partnership, which also supports programs that help previously incarcerated youth transition back into their communities, will provide capacity-building assistance and an additional $18 million in grants to LA County organizations, serving over 30,000 youth.
Ready to Rise aims to build a system that replaces the traditional structures of punishment and incarceration with emerging best practices centered in healing, learning, and opportunity. Between 2019-2022, the initiative supported 49 organizations through grants and capacity-building, with grantees participating in over 7,000 hours of leadership development training, coaching, and planning, enhancing their organizational capacity.
“We’ve seen firsthand the transformative impact that care-focused, community-based programs have on young people,” said Liberty Hill President & CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith. “With the announcement of this new cohort of Ready to Rise grantees, we’re reminded of the critical role these partnerships play in reducing youth involvement in harmful systems. Ready to Rise exemplifies how we can continue to shift toward a community informed and youth centered model that strengthens the entire ecosystem of youth development across Los Angeles, creating lasting, positive change for our communities.”
The new Ready to Rise cohort includes a diverse group of organizations committed to empowering youth across Los Angeles County. These grantees provide essential services like education, mentorship, leadership development, and creative arts, focusing on youth impacted by justice involvement, foster care, and housing insecurity.
