Los Angeles is a beautiful, metropolitan city that’s as diverse as they come. LA has become the destination for many communities, including many nonprofit organizations dedicated to making a difference in their local and global communities.
Here’s a growing list of nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles categorized by theme. Bookmark this page and check back as we add more nonprofits to this list.
All Peoples Community Center: In partnership with community residents, All Peoples administers effective programs and services that reduce food insecurity, lessen houselessness, protect victims of domestic violence, improve education, enhance financial literacy, increase self-efficacy, and promote self-determination.
Bresee Foundation: Bresee’s mission is to battle poverty by empowering youth and families in Los Angeles with the skills, resources, and relationships necessary to thrive.
LA Works: This organization connects volunteers with local schools and community organizations to support various community service projects.
Youth Emerging Stronger: This organization provides housing, education, and other support services to homeless and at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area.
Students Run America LA: The mission of Students Run LA is to challenge underserved secondary students to experience the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health by providing them with a truly life-changing experience: The training for and completion of the Los Angeles Marathon.
Harmony Project: Harmony Project uses the transformative power of music to open up life-changing experiences to students in under-resourced communities, and seeks to maximize their opportunities for success.
Heal the Bay: This organization works to protect and restore Santa Monica Bay and other southern California coastal waters. They focus on issues such as water quality, plastic pollution, and habitat protection.
Friends of Ballona Wetlands: This organization’s mission is to champion the restoration and protection of Los Angeles’ last coastal wetland and educate the diverse community as stewards of nature.
The Nature Conservancy - California: This nonprofit works to protect and restore natural habitats in the Los Angeles region, with a focus on preserving biodiversity and promoting sustainable land use.
Los Angeles Waterkeeper: This organization works to protect and restore the quality of Los Angeles' waterways and coastal waters through advocacy, education, and community engagement.
TreePeople: This group works to promote urban forestry and green infrastructure in the Los Angeles region, with a focus on increasing tree canopy cover, improving air and water quality, and enhancing the urban environment.
LA Promise Fund: This organization works to improve public education in Los Angeles by supporting school leadership and teacher development, providing resources for students and families, and advocating for policies that benefit students.
City Year Los Angeles: City Year L.A. AmeriCorps members serve as tutors, mentors and role models, helping the students of Los Angeles thrive. We partner with schools to create learning environments where all students feel supported, build on their strengths and fully engage in their learning.
Inner City Arts: This organization provides arts education to underserved youth in the Skid Row neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Common Threads: The nonprofit engages children and families through cooking and nutrition education to promote health and wellness, combating diet-related diseases.
LA Education Partnership: This nonprofit works to close the achievement gap in Los Angeles by providing resources and support to schools in high-need areas.
Partnership for Los Angeles Schools: This organization partners with the Los Angeles Unified School District to improve academic achievement and create a positive school culture at a group of high-need schools in Los Angeles.
LA's Best: This after-school program serves elementary school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, providing them with academic enrichment and recreational activities.
The Best Friends Animal Society: This national animal welfare organization has a chapter in Los Angeles that operates a pet adoption center and works to reduce the number of animals killed in shelters.
Much Love Animal Rescue: Entirely volunteer-run, Much Love is committed to rescuing dogs and cats at risk of euthanasia from city and county shelters throughout Los Angeles. They provide comprehensive care until the animals are adopted.
The Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation: This nonprofit organization supports the work of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, through fundraising and public education efforts.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (SPCA LA): This nonprofit organization provides animal welfare services in the Los Angeles area, including pet adoption, spay and neuter services, and cruelty investigation and rescue.
The Gentle Barn: this organization focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating abused and neglected farm animals and offering unique animal-assisted therapy to children and adults with various challenges. The Gentle Barn provides a sanctuary for animals that are not only survivors of severe abuse but also become healers themselves.
St. John's Well Child and Family Center: This community health center offers primary care, dental care, and behavioral health services to patients of all ages.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles: This pediatric hospital provides comprehensive medical care to children and adolescents, including specialized services such as cancer treatment, heart surgery, and trauma care.
Mental Health America of Los Angeles (MHALA): This organization helps people with mental health needs achieve rich, meaningful lives in their communities, providing support for recovery and advocating for mental health wellness.
Saban Community Clinic: Provides affordable healthcare and health services to vulnerable populations in Los Angeles, including comprehensive medical services, dental care, and mental health services.
The Venice Family Clinic: This community health center provides primary care, dental care, and mental health services to low-income and uninsured individuals in the Los Angeles area.
Los Angeles LGBT Center: Offers a broad range of services to the LGBTQ+ community, including healthcare, housing, education, and legal services, making it one of the most comprehensive support centers in the area.
Homeboy Industries: Homeboy Industries is the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. For over 30 years, we have stood as a beacon of hope in Los Angeles to provide training and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California: This group works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA): This organization works to advance the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees in Los Angeles.
Village for Vets: Village for Vets fills critical gaps in key services for homeless and at-risk Veterans on their journey to stability and independence in greater Los Angeles and beyond.
The American Legion - Hollywood Post: This nonprofit organization supports veterans and their families through a variety of programs, including assistance with healthcare, education, and employment.
U.S. Vets: The mission is to prevent and end veteran homelessness and empower veterans and families through housing, comprehensive services and advocacy.
Team Rubicon: This nonprofit organization uses the skills and experiences of military veterans to respond to disasters and provide humanitarian aid. Since its inception, Team Rubicon has responded to numerous disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires, and has provided assistance to communities in need all over the world.
CORE - This is a humanitarian nonprofit with a footprint on five continents. CORE quickly responds to empower underserved communities in crisis, using community partnerships to meet each area's unique needs.
American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles: This organization provides disaster relief services, including emergency shelter, food, and support for those affected by disasters in the Los Angeles area.
Salvation Army Los Angeles: This organization provides disaster relief services, including emergency shelter, food, and support to those affected by disasters in the Los Angeles area.
Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation: This organization provides support and funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department, which responds to disasters and other emergencies in the area.
Los Angeles Mission: This organization provides services such as meals, shelter, and healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in LA.
Hollywood Food Coalition: The mission of Hollywood Food Coalition is to nourish the community by rescuing and distributing food, preparing nightly meals, and uniting efforts to achieve food equity.
PATH - People Assisting the Homeless: This organization’s mission is to end homelessness for individuals, families, and communities. PATH envisions a world where every person has a home. Our values include creative collaborations, strategic leadership, empowerment for all, and passionate commitment.
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: provides food assistance to hundreds of thousands of individuals each month through a network of more than 600 partner agencies and direct distribution programs.
Union Rescue Mission: This is another organization that provides services such as meals, shelter, and healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in LA.
LA Family Housing: This nonprofit provides affordable housing and support services to low-income individuals and families in LA.
The People Concern: This nonprofit organization provides a range of services to people experiencing homelessness in LA, including case management, housing assistance, and access to healthcare.
Center Theatre Group: As one of the nation’s most influential nonprofit theatre companies, we proudly continue our more than 50-year tradition of using the art of theatre to broaden horizons and illuminate new perspectives.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA): LACMA is a nonprofit art museum that features a wide range of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and photographs.
The Music Center: This organization supports and presents performing arts in Los Angeles, including music, dance, and theater.
The Hammer Museum: The Hammer Museum is a nonprofit museum focused on contemporary art and ideas. It offers exhibitions, public programs, and a research library.
The Brick: This nonprofit organization works to promote social justice and equity through contemporary art exhibitions and public programming. The Brick is a nonprofit visual art space that promotes developments in contemporary culture through exhibitions, publications, and public programs
