The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Council on Foundations (COF) this week announced that the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles was among the winners of the 2017 HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships.
“We created the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles to develop innovative collaborations that help make Angelenos’ lives better,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “That work, honored with this award, has made it possible for our public programs to have a broader reach with a real impact on safer, healthier neighborhoods throughout L.A.”
The Fund was recognized for the critical support it facilitates for Summer Night Lights, which extends organized programming at public parks in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, resulting in demonstrably lower crime rates than in parks without the program. By creating a bridge for private funding, the Fund has broadened the reach of Summer Night Lights to hundreds of thousands of families.
“The 10 initiatives being honored are an inspiring reminder that when philanthropy and government work together and lead together in cross-sector partnerships, their collaborations can achieve incredible results for the communities we collectively serve,” said COF President and CEO Vikki Spruill. “On behalf of the Council, I congratulate each of the outstanding foundations being awarded today.”
“It’s an honor to stand with have the work of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles recognized by HUD and the COF, along with our peers and partners in philanthropy,” said Deidre Lind, President of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles. “The reach of the public sector combined with the flexibility and innovation of the philanthropic world has incredible potential, and today models for that kind of collaboration are emerging across the United States.”
The awards, presented at the COFAnnual Conference in Dallas, Texas, honor 10 innovative and impactful cross-sector initiatives that have increased the quality of life for low- and moderate-income Americans in communities across the United States.
Awards were given to place-based funders for completed or ongoing projects that are executed in partnership with a local, regional, or federal government agency. The additional winners are The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Capital One Foundation, the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, The JP Morgan Chase Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the Nusenda Foundation, and The Skillman Foundation.
HUD’s Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation and the COF have co-hosted the Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships since 2012. The winners were selected by a panel of 12 judges—six from HUD and six from the Council on Foundations—based on materials submitted following an open call for nominations issued this past February.
Further information on winners can be found at HUD’s website.
