The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and Ellen and Clayton Kershaw Commit More Than $300,000 to Social & Racial Justice

Grants made by Liberty Hill Foundation support social justice organizations across L.A. County

(LOS ANGELES)—The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) announced a grant of $304,400 to Liberty Hill Foundation’s California Funders For Boys and Men of Color: Our Kids, Our Future Fund to support the thirteen Southern California community partners who are working with the County of Los Angeles to develop the most comprehensive approach to youth development in the nation.  

“This work is critical in helping Los Angeles County become the nation’s leader in youth development,” said Liberty Hill President/CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith. “This investment is a huge boost to the on-the-ground organizing we support, and it will ensure youth in Los Angeles have the resources and programs they need to thrive. We are so grateful for the support of the Dodgers Foundation.” 

Liberty Hill Foundation is the leading social justice foundation in Los Angeles whose mission is to leverage the power of community organizers, donor activists and other allies to advance social justice.  The Our Kids, Our Future Fund is a partnership between Liberty Hill Foundation and the California Funders for Boys and Men of Color, a network of California foundations committed to radically transforming the lives of Black, Brown, and Native American youth in Los Angeles through focused investment and collective action. One of the goals of the Our Kids, Our Future Fund is to invest in a world-class youth development system designed to help youth of color thrive.

“Historic injustices threaten youth, families, and communities making it difficult for them to succeed,” said Nichol Whiteman, LADF’s Chief Executive Officer. “This grant is crucial as we invest in people and organizations on the front lines advocating for Black and Brown communities, who often lack resources and support.”

The grant is a continuation of the commitment stemming from a  listening session orchestrated by the Dodgers Foundation and Liberty Hill Foundation which included Dodgers players Clayton Kershaw, Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling and Justin Turner,  and leaders from four of the organizations receiving support from the Our Kids, Our Future Fund: the Brotherhood Crusade; Children’s Defense Fund of California; the Brothers, Sons, Selves Coalition; and the Community Coalition. After hearing these leaders speak about their work to tackle systemic inequities, the players were inspired to use their platforms to support and amplify their efforts.

Dodgers players then released a video message, speaking out against racial injustice in America. They personally committed to matching funds raised from the “In This Together” special edition t-shirt and from an auction of jerseys worn by the team on Opening Day that featured Major League Baseball’s Black Lives Matter patch. 

“For centuries, the Black community has lived in a different America. Instead of addressing racism, inequality, and injustice, many of us simply look away,” said Kershaw. “Silence is no longer an option. I’m fighting for my teammates, their families, and their communities.”

Since the inception of the Our Kids, Our Future Fund, the Liberty Hill Foundation has been working to end youth incarceration as we know it, fueling grassroots, social justice organizations that are building power to envision a new countywide youth development system designed so that Black, Brown and Native American youth thrive and establish a strong foundation for life.

To date, the Our Kids, Our Future Fund has raised more than $4 million and awarded approximately $2.6 million in grants to 13 organizations. 

The 13 organizations receiving funds from the Our Kids, Our Future Fund are listed below.

• Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network
• Anti-Recidivism Coalition
• Brotherhood Crusade
• Brothers, Sons, Selves Coalition
• Children’s Defense Fund-CA
• Community Coalition
• InnerCity Struggle
• Khmer Girls in Action
• LA Youth Uprising Coalition
• LeadersUp
• Social Justice Learning Institute
• Urban Peace Institute
• Youth Justice Coalition

About Liberty Hill Foundation: 
Liberty Hill Foundation is a laboratory for social change philanthropy. We leverage the power of community organizers, donor activists, and allies to advance social justice through strategic investment in grants, leadership training and campaigns. Liberty  Hill  envisions  a  society  in  which  all  people have a powerful voice, including those currently  shut  out  of  our  democracy,  people  cut  off  from  opportunities  because  they  are  poor,  because  of  their  skin  color,  because  of  their gender or sexual orientation, because of where they live, or where they were born. Visit Liberty Hill online at www.libertyhill.org, follow us on Twitter, @LibertyHill, Instagram, @LibertyHillFoundation, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/libertyhill.

About Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation: 
ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation is bigger than baseball with ambitions to be the city’s premier charity.  We envision a city where everyone regardless of zip code has the opportunity to thrive.  We are tackling the most pressing problems facing Los Angeles with a mission to improve education, health care, homelessness and social justice for all Angelenos. Since 1995, we have invested more than $30 million in programs and grants to nonprofits, and fundraising has increased by 1,000% since 2012. That growth has enabled us to do more. Visit LADF online at www.dodgers.com/ladf, follow them on Twitter, @DodgersFdn,  Instagram, @dodgersfoundation, and like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LosAngelesDodgersFoundation.