The Goldhirsh Foundation is the Los Angeles, California-based private foundation of Upworthy and Good Ventures founder Ben Goldhirsh. It contributes to left-of-center advocacy projects, most notably the Hopewell Fund’s Economic Security Project.

The Goldhirsh Foundation has in recent years begun to focus its giving towards projects in and around the Los Angeles area. It has launched the LA2050 initiative which funds various projects that work to benefit the Los Angeles area. But it still continues to give large amounts of money towards left-of-center advocacy projects, funneling money to left-of-center groups and causes through the LA2050 initiative itself. ¹

Projects

In 2007, the foundation donated $2 million and the Hauptman Family Foundation donated $2 million in order to launch City Year Los Angeles. The organization works to encourage disadvantaged kids to do community service. ²

The foundation was relaunched in 2012 with a focus on giving in the Los Angeles area. The reason why it focused on Los Angeles was that most of its giving was done in the city. ³

The primary project of the Goldhirsh Foundation is the LA2050 initiative. The initiative was launched in 2013. ⁴ The program donates a total of $1 million to selected organizations which then are supposed to work to improve the quality of life for the residents of Los Angeles. ⁵

In 2013, the organization received a Millennium Award from Global Green. Global Green is an environmentalist organization that serves as the U.S. affiliate for Green Cross International. Green Cross International was founded by former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, and he directly helped co-found the U.S. affiliate. ⁶

Despite the local Los Angeles focus of the LA2050, left-wing national organizations received grants through the program. In 2016, the Sierra Club Foundation received a grant. In 2018, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence received a grant. In 2019, Rock the Vote received a grant. In 2020, Strategic Actions for a Just Economy received a grant. ⁷

Leadership

Tara Roth is the president of the foundation. She was the founding COO of GOOD where she brought together worlds of marketing, media, and philanthropy. She was also a strategy advisor. Previously, she worked in marketing and business development for NBCInternet and Infoseek. Roth received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a MBA from Oxford University. She sits on the board of the Ad Council. ⁸

Roth says she launched LA2050 because Los Angeles did not have a road map for where the city is going. She also claims the foundation takes a lot of risks and makes decisions quickly, which she claims is not common for philanthropies. ⁹

Ben Goldhirsh is the chairman of the foundation, and his wife Claire Hoffman also serves as a director. ¹⁰

Financials

According to the 2018 tax return, the foundation made a little over $2.8 million in grants. The foundation has $53.8 million in assets. ¹¹

Among the left-wing groups that received funding according to that year’s tax return were:¹²

National Domestic Workers Alliance                               $100,000

National Redistricting Foundation                                   $10,000

Hopewell Fund                                                                      $100,000

Equality Now                                                                         $12,500

ProPublica                                                                              $200,000

Rock the Vote                                                                        $50,000

Vote.org                                                                                  $50,000

1.            “LA2050, Goldhirsh Foundation”. 2021. Goldhirsh Foundation. Accessed February 22. https://goldhirshfoundation.org/la2050/.
2.   “Foundations Award $4 Million To Launch City Year Los Angeles”. 2007. Philanthropy News Digest (PND). https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/foundations-award-4-million-to-launch-city-year-los-angeles.
3.            “Global Green”. 2021. Global Green. Accessed February 22. https://www.globalgreen.org/directory/listing/the-goldhirsoundation/.
4.         “Global Green”. 2021. Global Green. Accessed February 22. https://www.globalgreen.org/directory/listing/the-goldhirsoundation/.
5.   “$1,000,000 To Make LA The Best Place To Play, Learn, Create, Connect, And Live”. 2020. Los Angeles Sentinel. https://lasentinel.net/1000000-to-make-la-the-best-place-to-play-learn-create-connect-and-live.html.
6.            “Global Green”. 2021. Global Green. Accessed February 22. https://www.globalgreen.org/directory/listing/the-goldhirsoundation/.
7.       LA2050, Goldhirsh Foundation”. 2021. Goldhirsh Foundation. Accessed February 22. https://goldhirshfoundation.org/la2050/.
8.            “About, Goldhirsh Foundation”. 2021. Goldhirsh Foundation. Accessed February 22. https://goldhirshfoundation.org/about/.
9.   Arnold, Shayna Rose. 2014. “Tara Roth Could Make L.A.’S Dreams Come True Los Angeles Magazine”. Los Angeles Magazine. https://www.lamag.com/lawomanarticle/tara-roth/.
10. “About, Goldhirsh Foundation”. 2021. Goldhirsh Foundation. Accessed February 22. https://goldhirshfoundation.org/about/.
11.            Form 990. 2018. Ebook. Guidestar. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/272/824/2018-272824140-17052856-F.pdf?_gl=1*s377tf*_ga*MTcyOTQwMTk5OC4xNTczNDQ5NDky*_ga_0H865XH5JK*MTYxMzk2OTI3OS4xNC4xLjE2MTM5Njk0MDMuMA..*_ga_5W8PXYYGBX*MTYxMzk2OTI3OS4xNC4xLjE2MTM5Njk0MDQuMA..&_ga=2.237037952.1281431409.1613969271-1729401998.1573449492.
12.            Form 990. 2018. Ebook. Guidestar. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/272/824/2018-272824140-17052856-F.pdf?_gl=1*s377tf*_ga*MTcyOTQwMTk5OC4xNTczNDQ5NDky*_ga_0H865XH5JK*MTYxMzk2OTI3OS4xNC4xLjE2MTM5Njk0MDMuMA..*_ga_5W8PXYYGBX*MTYxMzk2OTI3OS4xNC4xLjE2MTM5Njk0MDQuMA..&_ga=2.237037952.1281431409.1613969271-1729401998.1573449492.