Operations Innovation Team

For two years, the Operations Innovation Team worked to improve how City Hall operates, drawing on insights from cities and universities around the country. Through a deep dive into L.A.’s bureaucratic processes and outreach to other cities, the team successfully delivered on its mission of aspirational government reform. The O-Team introduced exciting new tools, helped reduce risk for City employees, and paved the way for procurement reform. While the O-Team’s work has closed officially, its efforts live on as City government institutionalizes the reforms delivered by this cross-sector team, saving the City money and making its operations more responsive to its residents.

Los Angeles State of Women & Girls Address and Young Women’s Assembly

L.A.’s inaugural women’s conference brought together leaders from across the city with 600 Los Angeles Unified School District students for conversations and workshops on gender equity. Mayor Eric Garcetti and First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland hosted the conference at USC on March 14, 2017. The Fund partnered with L.A.’s Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Team (i-team), another MFLA Program, to make the event possible and raised funds for programs that empower young women and girls. A landmark on L.A.’s journey toward full gender equality, a follow-up conference is in the works.

LA’S College Promise

Nearly 4,000 young Angelenos are currently enrolled in tuition-free community college because of this partnership program. L.A.’s College Promise brings together the Fund, the Mayor’s Office, Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, UNITE LA, and a host of donors. The Fund covered the costs of first year tuition for students. In an exciting development, the L.A.’s College Promise helped pave the way to successful passage of a Sacramento bill to give students throughout California access to a college education that was once out-of-reach.

Summer Night Lights

For ten summers, this nationally recognized program has built and strengthened cross-sector partnerships, opening 32 city parks to family-friendly programming on summer evenings. With the Fund’s help, Summer Night Lights (SNL) continued Fall Friday Nights to keep safe spaces that are strengthening communities across the City. The Fund serves as a crossroads, working with donors, city government, county government, federal government, and nonprofits to bring everything together. This year, the Fund won the Council on Foundation’s HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships for our work on SNL, and for the first time, we’re working with regional partners to make SNL’s benefits available throughout Los Angeles County.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PILOT

With underwriting from the Fund’s SPARK grants program, the Youth Employment Pilot introduces a one-of-a-kind intervention – a career assessment and job matching technology – to help opportunity youth discover and embark on career pathways. In partnership with the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce and the City’s Economic and Workforce Development Department, the pilot is debuting FindYourFuture.la, a new platform to forge those connections and help youth find professional development opportunities.