Democracy in Action
Liberty Hill is the Home for Progressive Los Angeles
Our Mission: Liberty Hill is a laboratory for social justice and social change. We leverage the power of community organizers, donor activists, and allies to advance social justice through strategic investment in grants, leadership training, public partnerships, and campaigns.
Our Vision: 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 of their economic status, their skin color, their gender or sexual orientation, or because of where they live, or where they were born.
By the Numbers
Impact in Action
Driving Change, Building Power. Liberty Hill’s strategic vision for the remainder of this decade is rooted in our unwavering commitment to amplifying the voices of those most impacted by injustice, while strengthening our impact through direct advocacy, government partnerships, and philanthropic leadership. Our work is not just about addressing immediate needs—it is about fostering lasting change by ensuring that power resides where it truly belongs, in the hands of the people. Every initiative we undertake, partnership we form, and resource we mobilize will be guided by our North Star principle.
Stop oil drilling,
Stop jailing kids,
Stop raising rent and harassing tenants.
Secure victories across the board. Win local oil drilling bans, close half of youth jails, win tenant protections.
Radical visions gain mainstream legitimacy. Campaigns and coalitions flex new power at the ballot box: Measure J and ULA.
Backlash intensifies with opposition launching repeal measures and lawsuits.
Organizers are victorious against all backlash efforts, but threats continue.
Launch 2030 Strategic Plan to defend our wins and “build the good”: alternative models of affordable housing, EJ infrastructure projects, Youth Development System.
We partner with Liberty Hill because they exemplify grassroots power and a traditional systems of harm in America. To strengthen that commitment to justice. Their model lifts up community leadership, centers racial equity, and strengthens long-term movement infrastructure. By working together, we amplify voices too often silenced, support organizations rooted in community, and advance systemic solutions
Our Agenda for a Just Future
- Secured the adoption of the Rapid Release Plan as the core strategy of the County of Los Angeles to reduce detention of girls and gender-expansive youth
- Expanded Ready to Rise from a test-and-learn pilot to a 7-year initiative, advancing over $5OM of public dollars towards youth development thus far, serving 30K youth
- Distributed $3.6M in blended public and philanthropic funding to youth development organizations while providing targeted training, coaching, healing, and community-building resources
- Won housing rights by establishing eviction defense and rental assistance program guidelines with the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA)
- Made more than $600K in general operating and movement infrastructure support grants to organizations leading housing policy advocacy
- Reached out to 181,795 tenants and hosted 450 workshops for tenants facing eviction through the Stay
Housed LA program
- Surpassed our fundraising goals this year and deployed significant grants, including rapid response, at record numbers
- Exceeded our FY25 fundraising, reaching a total of $14.8M, 104% of our goal for institutional giving
- Secured $2.7M in individual donor contributions and more than $13M of DAFs and giving circles grantmaking
- Won environmental justice by securing the City of Los Angeles and County of Los Angeles rescindment of Oil Ordinance No. 187,708—a major step toward ending oil drilling and banning new oil and gas production
- Made over $1.7M in grants to EJ organizing in LA, supporting ongoing advocacy, coalition building, and wildfire relief
- Within the initial weeks following the LA wildfires, granted $745K to 42 organizations, including $102K from Donor Advised Funds, ensuring collective care and justice amid the devastation
- Completed the 5th year of multi-year Fund for Change grantmaking and provided $490K to 49 organizations. Relaunched the Community Funding Board and the Fund for Change as part of Liberty Hill's longstanding participatory grantmaking work
- Launched Ready to Rise 2.0 in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Youth Development with the support of $6.5M in public and private commitments for the Youth and Transformative Justice Strategic Plan
- Launched Youth Development Incubation Academy, a capacity-building program developed in collaboration with LA County's Department of Youth Development, providing $2.6M in grants and a one-year responsive program for youth justice organizations
- Grew Environmental Leadership Initiative to nearly 40 fellows statewide, advancing their capacity as environmental leaders driving EJ values, resources, and agendas in sectors like agriculture, food systems, outdoor education, and Native land stewardship
- Supported the newest Community Funding Board cohort, leveraging the power of community organizers, donor activists, and allies to advance social justice through strategic grants, leadership training, and campaigns
Community Power in Action
At Liberty Hill, we are dedicated to supporting frontline organizations, campaigns, and movements that are empowering communities and creating meaningful change throughout the region. In this new chapter of LA’s social justice journey, organizers are proudly embracing their power to safeguard their achievements, stand strong against challenges, and above all, keep pushing towards a more just and equitable Los Angeles.
Free the Youth Rally
Youth activists gathered at the LA County Hall of Administration to advocate for ending the incarceration of girls and gender-expansive youth in favor of community-led support.
EJ Ready Learning Lab Launch
Liberty Hill and the Resources Legacy Fund debuted a training series to help organizations design and implement "Resiliency Centers" to combat the climate crisis.
Ready to Rise 2025 Cohort Summit
This $50M initiative brought together 100 grantees to celebrate five years of fostering positive youth development and expanding alternatives to incarceration.
Helping Communities Survive & Thrive After LA Fires
Frontline grantee partners collaborated to provide emergency financial assistance and mutual aid to residents affected by wildfires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades.
Housing Advocates Begin Measure A Implementation
A coalition of over 200 organizations is working to execute Measure A, a voter-approved initiative designed to fund homeless services and affordable housing construction.
Resistance in Action
This past year, amid political upheaval and tightening threats to civil rights, Liberty Hill’s grantee partners showed what democracy looks like in practice: communities organizing together, demanding to be heard, and reshaping systems that were never designed for them. Across Los Angeles, movement leaders turned adversity into agency— proving that resistance is not reactionary; it’s visionary.
Youth & Transformative Justice: From Punishment to Possibility
Youth justice groups in LA secured $50M+ for community programs, expanded prevention over incarceration, and empowered BIPOC-led orgs to shape public safety solutions.
Housing Justice: Keep People in Place
Housing coalitions Stay Housed LA and United to House LA helped thousands of renters access legal defense, relief, and education while organizing for tenant rights.
Environmental Justice: Power Against Pollution
EJ Ready helped grassroots groups in frontline Los Angeles communities secure $20M+ for resident-led clean energy, air monitoring, and bike programs—putting those most affected by pollution in charge of solutions.
Organizing & Movement Infrastructure: Power That Lasts
Groups like CHIRLA, KIWA, and LAANE strengthened community power by organizing workers and immigrants to advocate for policy change and defend the right to organize.
Donors in Action
Our donor activists put their passion into action. Their generous unrestricted gifts allow us to continue to power the grassroots movements shaping LA. Whether they’re advocating in support of youth development, signing petitions to end oil drilling across the county, or attending events to raise funds to support this critical work, Liberty Hill’s donor activists show up for social justice. We couldn’t do this critical work without the support of individual donors, donor advised funds, and giving circles.
Giving Circles: Collective Impact Through Philantropy
Liberty Hill’s Giving Circles are self-directed groups of dynamic individuals who pool their donations to make a greater impact on the issues that matter to them. Liberty Hill’s Giving Circles provide members with an opportunity for hands-on community activism and collective strategic philanthropy.
Donor Advised Funds
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are a crucial component of Liberty Hill’s laboratory of social change philanthropy, offering opportunities for donors to fund new and innovative models for empowering communities and supporting systemic change. In 2025, Liberty Hill’s DAFs and giving circles provided grants totaling $13M and 60.5% of DAF grants went to social justice organizations.
2025 Leadership Appreciation Brunch
Our annual Leadership Appreciation Brunch brought together the Liberty Hill community at the stunning Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica to spotlight the pivotal role of frontline organizers and donor activists in energizing progressive voters and shaping a multiracial democracy. In a dynamic discussion led by Liberty Hill President & CEO Shane Murphy Goldsmith, guests explored the implications of the 2024 election with political experts Steve Phillips (Democracy in Color) and Dr. Manuel Pastor (USC Equity Research Institute)—sharing bold insights on the important work ahead, the future of the progressive movement, and how our community can unite to drive lasting change!
Environment + Justice Donor Circle in Action
The Environment + Justice Donor Circle at Liberty Hill empowers members to explore the critical intersection of environmental, social, and economic justice. This year’s standout salon, “Environmental Justice Landscape Update for SoCal and Beyond,” featured Angelo Logan, Liberty Hill’s Senior Director of Environmental & Climate Justice, and Sean Hecht, Managing Attorney at Earthjustice’s California Regional Office. Together, they unpacked regional challenges and shared how philanthropy can fuel frontline solutions. Members also connected at vibrant events like LA Más Night Market and the Alma Backyard Farm Tour—building community while driving impact. This year, the giving circle made $160,000 in grants.
Featured Video
42nd Annual Upton Sinclair Celebration
Learn how Liberty Hill donor activists are fueling justice across Los Angeles
Financials
Together, we’re creating lasting change and making an impact in L.A.
To learn more about our important work and progress over the years, download our past Impact Reports in the sidebar.