Together, we can make democracy real
Advancing racial and economic justice is our north star
The LA Forward family of organizations is dedicated to a vision of Los Angeles County as a fair, flourishing region where our public institutions ensure that all people can live in dignity and reach their fullest potential as human beings, no matter where they live, what they look like, or who they love.
We seek to transform Los Angeles County into a multiracial social democracy. A place where Angelenos have the knowledge, skills, and relationships they need to collectively take control of the systems and policies that shape our lives. To advance racial and economic justice across a wide range of issues — housing, climate, transportation, criminal justice, good government, and more.
The current reality is far different, despite a powerful ecosystem of racial and economic justice groups. Our region’s civic engagement rates are still among the lowest in the country. In a place as large, complex, and fragmented as LA County, it’s not easy to understand local government and local issues, much less to participate and effectively make change. It’s especially true if you’re not connected to a labor, congregation, or neighborhood-based community organizing group.
Our unique role
That’s why LA Forward Institute uniquely works at the intersection of civic education and community organizing efforts.
We seek to make local government and issues accessible to a wider public which is looking for thoughtful explanations and recommendations, which synthesize from multiple kinds of expertise — technical knowledge, scholarly research, and community voices, especially insight from the lived experience of people closest to the pain — make it understandable all by writing and speaking clearly and leaving out all the usual technical and ideological jargon. Our guides — local civics, ballot initiatives, social justice issues — reach hundreds of thousands of people. Our teach-ins, panel discussions, and reading groups reach thousands of people and create a community of people eager to learn more.
We go beyond education to awaken people to their own power to act in solidarity with communities most impacted racial and economic injustice. Our organizing trainings teach our multi-racial, middle class base to effectively speak, act, and work together — in partnership with powerful, strategic coalitions led by organizers in low-income communities, especially BIPOC ones. We lend our technical expertise to small community groups across the County on issues like housing. And we’re working on new communications programs to shine a spotlight on how policymaking is happening and uplift the promising new policies that are being developed from the ground up.
As LA Forward Institute seeks to uplift our region’s incredibly low civic education and engagement rates, we’re proud to play our unique role of connecting people not just to civic education and skills generally but to the amazing ecosystem of community organizing, civil rights, and social justice movements in LA and California. Only together, we will be able to make democracy real and transform Los Angeles County into a fair, flourishing place for everyone.
Looking to get involved in holding elected officials accountable for advancing justice? We encourage you to get involved with the LA Forward community.
Help Us Build On Our 2023 Accomplishments!
2023 was LA Forward Institute's best year so far. We’re so proud and grateful for what our community – a growing team of staff, volunteer leaders, and members have achieved together. Some of the highlights:
* Cleaning Up LA City Hall: In the wake of multiple corruption convictions, and leaked audio of Nury Martinez and Kevin de León that put an international spotlight on their racist and anti-renter efforts to gerrymander the City Council, it’s long past time for clean house at City Hall. LA Forward Institute is deeply involved in coalition efforts to end gerrymandering by creating an Independent Redistricting commission to determine district boundaries, create publicly financed elections, and many more anti-corruption pro-democracy reforms.
* LA City Council Candidate Forums: We hosted the first set of LA City Council candidate forums of the 2024 cycle. These nonpartisan forums offered a chance for Angelenos to engage in robust, community-driven conversations with candidates running to represent them. LAFI hosted forums for City Council districts 2, 4, 10, and 14 – while over 600 of you attended, you can watch the videos on our website.
* Report Forward: We launched Report Forward as a platform dedicated to highlighting the work of movement groups and emerging progressive policies. Spearheaded by journalist Alissa Walker, Report Forward is a monthly newsletter that shines a spotlight on policy proposals from LA County's vibrant social justice groups. Each issue also tracks the real-world impact of these efforts. We’re going to continue expanding our efforts to drive storytelling that empowers and equips our communities in 2024 and beyond.
* SGV Housing Justice Academy: This year, we proudly introduced a six-month leadership development cohort in the San Gabriel Valley. Our goal is to nurture committed and skilled advocates in the fight for affordable housing and housing justice in the SGV and beyond.
* Best Start: We worked with Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) to advance the housing justice knowledge of dozens of community members primarily across Southeast LA – many of whom are monolingual Spanish-speaking residents. In 2024, participants will build on their workshops from 2023 with direct application to local housing justice work meaningful to them!
We’ve been able to achieve all of this thanks to a team that's rapidly growing in size. To keep up the momentum, we're counting on support from our community, from people like you.
Our Story
What Sets Us Apart
Our Strategies
Explaining local issues
The very first thing we ever did was produce a guide to the November 2016 ballot, including thoughtful analysis and progressive recommendations on every local and state initiative. In every election since then, our guides have reached hundreds of thousands of people. Our work to help people understand the challenges and inequities facing our region has grown exponentially, including guides on issues such as Climate and Criminal Justice and dozens of events every year like teach-ins, panel discussions, workshops, and reading groups.
Making Government Accessible
Our signature civic education program is LA 101, a guide to local government and advocacy. Check it out to learn more about how local government works — and doesn’t, and how you can make a difference. We host public programs to walk people through the basics and also offer LA 101 workshops to groups of all kinds. Contact us for more information.
developing community leadership
We awaken people to their own power, training them to speak, act, and work together to transform LA County into a fair and flourishing place for everyone. Through our training programs and leadership development activities, we guide everyday people to effectively collaboratively with their fellow Angelenos. We develop collective leadership for our community to organize on issues important to them and in the neighborhoods where they live, so we can hold local government accountable for advancing justice.
Building Powerful Coalitions
LA Forward Institute is proud to be part of a growing ecosystem of community, labor, civil rights, and faith-based organizations engaged in the long-term work of creating a just society where all Angelenos can thrive. We’ve played important roles in citywide and countywide victories and become leading coalition-builders, including our work to co-found and co-coordinate one of the largest networks in local history — Healthy LA.
Bringing Transparency to Governance
By the time a piece of legislation makes it to the local news, it’s often too late to change course. LA Forward Institute works to change that by sharing information about priority legislation as it goes through byzantine committee processes, highlighting who voted which way and reporting on the dynamics behind the decision-making.
Developing Policy from the ground up
Community groups and grassroots coalitions are full of brilliant ideas and plans for policies that would improve the lives of millions of people. But too often their detailed proposals don’t make it beyond fellow activists or the desks of low-level government officials. That’s why we’re creating a new publication, a democratic forum that will uplift ideas for dismantling injustice and solving our region’s biggest challenges through dialogue among organizers, civil servants, researchers, people with relevant lived experience, and sympathetic elected officials.
Check out the recent issues of Report Forward.
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A donation to LA Forward Institute is an investment in making democracy real. Your tax-deductible gift makes possible education, training, and research programs that supports powerful grassroots leadership for racial and economic justice.