Nextdoor Kind Foundation

2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

Los Angeles County is the largest county in the United States, home to nearly 10 million residents across a culturally diverse set of cities and neighborhoods. The county is also economically diverse, with 1.4 million living in poverty and many underserved communities. The LA County Microgrant Program was created to help empower civically-engaged individuals to spread kindness through their work and bring neighbors together. In 2024, the program invested a total of $50,000 to support 100 local community leaders and their diverse range of creative projects or initiatives that contribute to their communities.

Recipients of the  Los Angeles County Microgrants represent communities across Los Angeles County, from Santa Clarita to Long Beach, El Monte to Inglewood, and dozens of LA city neighborhoods in South LA, Central LA, and the San Fernando Valley. The breadth of the microgrant recipient’s projects and initiatives ranged from a veterans memorial to community murals to refreshing historic landmarks, illustrating that great ideas often start at the grassroots level. 

Nextdoor Kind Foundation is honored to support all the recipients in their efforts to create kinder communities across Los Angeles County. Click here to see the list of recipients.

The microgrant recipients were selected by a panel of community leaders representing faith leaders, community advocates, nonprofit executives and small business owners. The review panel included:

Candace Leos Valdepena Founder & Executive Director | Compton AdvocatesKurtis Sundblom Director of Advancement & Philanthropy | Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel Valley & Eastside
Gladys Nyoth Founder & CEO | I Know a PlaceLilly Rocha CEO | Latino Restaurant Association
Hyepin Im President & CEO | Faith and Community EmpowermentMo Maravilla Founder & Owner | Kindness and Mischief Coffee
Jera Turner Special Education Administrator | LAUSDNorma Fernandez CEO | Everyone On
Jim Kennedy Board Member | Friends of the Ballona WetlandsRabbi Noah Varkas President & CEO | Jewish Federation Los Angeles
Kameron Mims-Jones Senior Policy Advocate | Nourish CaliforniaYana Simone Co-Founder & Executive Vice President | New Earth

“Once my company has established itself in the construction community as a high-quality vendor, I plan on creating a training program to help those underemployed and underserved in our community break into this industry.

I hope to help women and men recently incarcerated and individuals with little to no higher education by creating a path for them to earn an income that places them above the poverty level.”

Davis Transport Services, LLC

2023 Recipients – Keep It Local Business Fund, Round Two

The Nextdoor Kind Foundation awarded 20 U.S. small business owners of color microgrants from the Keep It Local Business Fund.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    His Kingdom Carriers

    St. Louis, Missouri

    His Kingdom Carriers is more than just a transportation company – they are dedicated to making a meaningful impact on education and communities. Founded on the values of faith, family, and excellence, their mission is to provide safe, reliable, and efficient transportation services that enrich the lives of everyone in our community.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Eddie Wright BBQ

    Jackson, Mississippi

    Eddie Wright BBQ is a catering company and food truck, showcasing the love and importance of seasoning, smoke, and no sauce!

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Paramount Pediatrics

    Atlanta, Georgia

    Paramount Pediatrics is a place where children find their voices, families find hope, and dreams become a reality. They specialize in providing pediatric speech and occupational therapy services.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Sharpe Sessions

    Lithonia, Georgia

    Sharpe Sessions is a virtual math tutoring company that helps students overcome their fear of math by changing the way they approach it. They create an environment where students connect with math, love it, and grow with it through their curriculum.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    JJ RE Group

    Atlanta, Georgia

    JJ RE Group strives to provide clean and safe housing for marginalized communities while improving underfunded areas by building a socially responsible real estate network.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Vie Beauty

    Atlanta, Georgia

    Vie Beauty is a mission-driven skincare brand committed to empowering individuals and underserved communities. Their products, including the flagship 30ROSES hydrating rose water, addresses the needs of those with dry, sensitive, and dehydrated skin, often compounded by medical conditions like PCOS and diabetes.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Walk With Me Counseling Center, LLC

    Chicago, Illinois

    Walk With Me Counseling Center is a transformative counseling service that specializes in trauma-informed counseling, offering personalized individual and group therapy sessions, and culturally-sensitive mental health workshops explicitly tailored to historically underrepresented groups.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Flikshop

    Washington, DC

    Flikshop seeks to help families stay better connected to their incarcerated loved ones through their Flikshop app. They also provide formerly incarcerated people access to digital literacy skills through their Flikshop School of Business so that returning citizens will have access to sustainable careers and financial security for their families, improving communities as a whole.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Adara Spa

    Raleigh, North Carolina

    Synonymous with excellent customer service, award-winning Adara is a full-service day spa that offers manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing, massages, hair, and men & couples services.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Delivery Team USA

    Charlotte, North Carolina

    Delivery Team USA is a comprehensive property preservation service, ensuring the longevity and value of properties while contributing to the community’s well-being.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Progression’s U Steam Academy

    Davie, Florida

    Progressions U STEAM Academy’s mission is to equip 1,000,000 minorities with vital skills for high-tech careers. Their goal is to empower students as global problem solvers, harnessing AI and deep learning for exponential thinking.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    The Gala Empire LLC

    Miami, Florida

    The Gala Empire teaches intrapersonal skills such as leadership, communication, and team inclusiveness through the sport of basketball.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Skin 360 Beauty Institute

    Brandon, Florida

    Skin 360 Beauty Institute is a beauty school and training center designed to empower, educate, and elevate individuals in the aesthetics community. They teach skincare, eyelash extensions, waxing, makeup, business, and professionalism.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    The Maven School for Early Childhood Development

    Cleveland Heights, Ohio

    With a pioneering educational model deeply rooted in holistic and existentialist principles, Maven Education’s vision is not just academic excellence, but molding well-rounded, aware individuals ready to make meaningful contributions.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    UpTopFunnelCakes

    Clinton, Maryland

    UpTopFunnelCakes is a Black-owned online funnel cake delivery business that specializes in the creation of exquisite funnel cakes.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Trust Your Grind LLC

    Upper Marlboro, Maryland

    Trust Your Grind (TYG) uses basketball as a tool to mentor athletes and they help to mold them into great players, students, and members of their community.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    Kindness and Mischief Coffee

    Los Angeles, CA

    Kindness and Mischief Coffee is a people-driven, quality-obsessed, community-centered specialty coffee shop and roaster with a goal to amplify and uplift marginalized voices through their rotating menu, coffee offerings, fellow small business collaborations, and team hiring practices.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    I Know a Place

    Los Angeles, CA

    I Know A Place is a private community club that serves as a home and playground for founders and leaders who are committed to advancing humanity collectively, and provides a unique space where members can come together, build community, and engage in meaningful experiences that foster real connections.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    The Daisy Refillery

    San Francisco, CA

    The Daisy Refillery is a CA Certified Green Business that sells sustainable household care and personal care products, with the option for customers to use their own containers to refill on bulk products, like shampoos, lotions, and detergents.

  • 2024 Los Angeles County Microgrant Recipients

    FreeJac Nation

    Oakland, CA

    Born from the visionary mind of Darren Powell in vibrant East Oakland, FreeJac Nation redefines skateboarding. Through their products and programs, they aim to inspire, empower, and open avenues of possibility both on the streets and in the spheres of personal development.

2023 Recipients – Keep It Local Business Fund, Round One

The Nextdoor Kind Foundation awarded 20 U.S. small business owners of color microgrants from the Keep It Local Business Fund.

“As a Ph.D.  level researcher with a research focus on business incubation, I know that Black businesses fail at a rate higher than any other group. I have seen countless minority businesses start, struggle and fail time after time due to lack of access to funding, and it breaks my heart every time.

Thus, what I would like you to know about me is that I GREATLY appreciate your targeted efforts to this community to help them succeed in their struggle. It’s good to see that someone cares. “

Dr. Shannon Williams, GeniusScribes