Together, we can make democracy real
LA Forward Institute is dedicated to democracy. We support policies and power-building to make Los Angeles County and our entire country a fair, flourishing place for everyone.
As a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit, we work to break down barriers to civic participation and make local government accessible to all.
We inform, empower, and connect everyday people with the tools they need to work in partnership with social justice coalitions.
We go beyond education to awaken people to their own power to act together in solidarity with communities most impacted by racial and economic injustice.
Our workshops and trainings prepare our base to effectively speak, act, and work together in partnership with powerful, strategic coalitions rooted in low-income communities of color.
And we continuously expand our voice and influence to engage and activate the broader public around our work.
We offer multiple ways to engage through a variety of programs and projects.
As a nimble organization, we’re able to quickly respond to what’s most needed at any given moment.
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 .
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.