Ensuring an Equitable Recovery in Los Angeles County

March 10, 2022

By Maria Garcia, Senior Program Officer, Public Policy and Strategic Partnerships

Unprecedented public investment in pandemic recovery and public infrastructure holds great promise to building a more resilient and equitable Los Angeles. With the widespread and disparate impacts of COVID-19 throughout LA County, there is a critical need for an equitable recovery that ensures resources are directed to the communities that have been most impacted and traditionally under-resourced.

According to a new survey commissioned by the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles and CCF, COVID-19 and the economy are top concerns for Latinos who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic in LA County. There is a desire by Latinos (44%) to see the government continue programs that have offered relief, including eviction protection and stimulus checks. Half of the respondents said they have $500 or less in saving, and nearly half have had their hours cut or lost a job during the pandemic.

As COVID-19 response and recovery funding continues to be distributed at the state and local levels, there is an opportunity to facilitate and support the equitable distribution of these resources while building the capacity and capability of local entities throughout LA County to secure and administer government funding.

Last November, the federal government passed $1.9 trillion as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) meant to aid in COVID-19 recovery and relief efforts by providing funding for rebuilding and replacing failing, aging, and outdated water, energy, transportation, and communication systems. At the state level, California experienced a $47 billion budget surplus in FY 21-22 and anticipates $31 billion in FY 22-23. Moreover, Governor Newsom’s budget released in January this year proposes further funding for a variety of competitive grant programs.

LA n Sync was founded in 2013 to maximize local, state, and federal support for place-based funding strategies to improve the well-being of Los Angeles County residents, which uniquely positions it to leverage its capacity to provide convening, grant writing and technical assistance support to organizations pursuing state and federal funding. While its mission to bring more public dollars to the region remains vital, an equitable recovery requires that we also work to ensure those dollars are reaching communities most affected by both COVID-19 and years of other structural inequities.

To help advance an equitable recovery in LA County, LA n Sync has developed a four-point strategic plan that aims to provide BIPOC-led and BIPOC serving community organizations and small municipalities that have been most affected by COVID-19 with the technical assistance and support they need to pursue state and federal funding opportunities. Over the next three years LA n Sync will prioritize the following:

Provide timely information about open and anticipated grant opportunities.
Build awareness of federal and state funding processes, assess the capacity and preparedness of community-based organizations within LA County to be responsive, and, where appropriate, work with local jurisdictions, such as the County and cities, to coordinate, align, and ensure leveraging of resource.
Increase the preparedness of community-based organizations to secure federal and state funding by providing infrastructure building grants.
Provide direct assistance for project design and grant application development and submission.

LA n Sync’s overarching goal is to spur innovation and attract federal and state funding to improve the well-being of LA County residents. LA n Sync is led by CCF and funded by a coalition of funders committed to strengthening and expanding services in LA County. Since its inception, LA n Sync has partnered with local and regional organizations in the public, nonprofit, philanthropic, academic, and business sectors to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding for projects and initiatives in LA County.

Through initiatives like LA n Sync philanthropy has an opportunity to harness its collective resources to play an instrumental role in ensuring an equitable recovery for our region. If you are interested in supporting LA n Sync or learning more, please contact Maria Garcia, Senior Program Officer, Public Policy and Civic Engagement at mgarcia@calfund.org.

To receive regular updates from LA n Sync, please subscribe to our e-newsletter, here.

#LAtogether

Subscribe to receive instant email notifications of our #LAtogether blog posts and CCF e-newsletters.

Contribute

Join us in making an impact on the issues that face L.A.

Contribute

Instagram

Something is wrong.

Instagram token error.