SAM members recently came together for a powerful and timely conversation with Jennifer Gray Thompson and Reva Feldman of After the Fire USA, exploring the realities of megafire recovery and the progress — and ongoing challenges — Los Angeles faces following the Palisades and Eaton Fires.

When the Eaton Fire displaced families and disrupted schools in Pasadena, students faced uncertainty, loss, and upheaval. In 2025, SAM’s $40,000 grant to Harmony Project ensured that 227 K–12 students continued to receive tuition-free music education and essential emotional support.

Through a $70,000 grant, SAM helped expand impactful, engaging programming to more than 17,000 students—and counting. Major milestones include the hiring of a Director of In-School Programs and becoming an official vendor with the Los Angeles Unified School District, dramatically increasing access to public schools.

SAM’s $80,000 grant enabled Lost Angels to enroll and support at least 19 students from the waiting list, providing these students with wages and essential services from day one.

With SAM's $60,000 grant in 2025, Partners for Children South LA provided critical emergency assistance and wraparound services to 78 families—exceeding their original goal and stabilizing households during a year of heightened economic uncertainty.

SAM welcomed new and prospective members into the warm, spirited SAM community, sparking great conversations and new connections.

Led by A Sense of Home, SAM volunteers teamed up with Temple Kehillat Israel’s Sisterhood (KISS), to help create a home for a lovely young woman transitioning out of foster care.

Thank you to everyone who attended SAM’s Launch Event on September 29th! We heard from extraordinary leaders highlighting the urgent needs facing our community in response to the Los Angeles fires.

Tzedek America sessions’ guide participating teens from diverse communities toward understanding that anti-semetism, bigotry, and hate harm everyone. 

Partners for Children South L.A. puts its SAM grant to work as it successfully continues its journey to improve access to high-quality healthcare, early education and family support for the youngest and most vulnerable children in South Los Angeles.

The Harmony Project, L.A.’s largest music education nonprofit serving youth from under-resourced communities, demonstrated remarkable resilience after the Eaton fire in January. Despite major disruptions, they quickly adapted—revamping programs, conducting wellness checks, and continuing critical support for families in need.

SAM granted $80,000 to Lost Angels Career Center this past winter allowing them to enroll additional high-risk, high-barrier, low-income students into their work program. These students are paid from day 1 during Lost Angel’s 12-week innovative vocational training, and graduate from the program with high-income, career jobs already in hand.

SAM members, along with families and friends, enjoyed a great afternoon volunteering at Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles, a local nonprofit that provides wholesome, hot meals to those in need across LA.

As we move forward after a heartbreaking start to the year, our community continues to feel the lasting impact of the wildfires that displaced so many—including SAM members and partners. Recovery is a long road, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting those affected. SAM was built for moments like this. As a giving circle, we are nimble and responsive.

In the fall of 2024, SAM members had the incredible opportunity to go beyond the giving circle meetings and into the heart of the community, participating in four powerful site visits. Each visit offered a firsthand look at the transformative work being led by our grantees—Lost Angels, Harmony Project, Partners for Children South L.A., and Tzedek America.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Fast Pitch Presentations. We heard from extraordinary leaders and learned about the incredible work being done to address critical issues in our community.

SAM's grant of $80,000 allowed LA Food Policy Council to hire a Development and Grants Manager. This new role has been instrumental in managing grants and spearheading fundraising efforts to continue their commitment to addressing food insecurity in LA County.

SAM’s funding enabled Alzheimer's Los Angeles to recruit and hire a highly skilled Care Navigator who has a Masters in Gerontology and has a background in geriatric case management. This new staff member developed a welcome packet for program participants which provides tools, templates, and materials that are integral to ensuring not only the program's success but will continue to further provide free dementia care and support to patients and their families.

SAM members (along with our KI partners) enjoyed a fun, productive summer morning assembling welcome bags for Ready to Succeed’s (past SAM grant recipient) Project Dorm Room. Each year in LA, over 4000 former foster youth embark on their college journey alone – with no bedding, supplies or family support. Project Dorm Room provides essentials and more to many of these students.

Now in SAM’s 11th year, we are proud to announce we are approaching 3.5 million in grantmaking since we began in 2013. The SAM Initiative remains passionately committed to supporting collective giving by funding programs dedicated to driving social change and promoting nonprofit sustainability.