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 Advocates | Kurtis Sundblom Director of Advancement & Philanthropy | Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel Valley & Eastside |
Gladys Nyoth Founder & CEO | I Know a Place | Lilly Rocha CEO | Latino Restaurant Association |
Hyepin Im President & CEO | Faith and Community Empowerment | Mo Maravilla Founder & Owner | Kindness and Mischief Coffee |
Jera Turner Special Education Administrator | LAUSD | Norma Fernandez CEO | Everyone On |
Jim Kennedy Board Member | Friends of the Ballona Wetlands | Rabbi Noah Varkas President & CEO | Jewish Federation Los Angeles |
Kameron Mims-Jones Senior Policy Advocate | Nourish California | Yana 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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Gala Empire LLC
Miami, Florida
The Gala Empire teaches intrapersonal skills such as leadership, communication, and team inclusiveness through the sport of basketball.
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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.
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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.
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UpTopFunnelCakes
Clinton, Maryland
UpTopFunnelCakes is a Black-owned online funnel cake delivery business that specializes in the creation of exquisite funnel cakes.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Black Men’s Health Clinic
Austin, TX
Black Men’s Health Clinic is the first-of-its-kind health clinic addressing the long-time care gap for men of color in the Austin, Texas area.
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Cafe Coco Latte
Aurora, Ill
Café Coco Latte is a premium online destination for specialty coffee online that is planning to open their first brick and mortar cafe in Spring 2023.
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California Hardwood Floor Co
Baton Rouge, LA
California Hardwood Floor is a full service wood flooring contracting firm, which serves the Greater Baton Rouge area and the Greater Los Angeles area that provides services to developers, builders, interior designers and homeowners.
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C. K. Cleaning Specialists, Inc
Bradenton, FL
C. K. Cleaning Specialists, Inc, is a family-owned company that has been serving the Chicago area and surrounding suburban communities since 2008
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Davis Transport Services LLC
Euclid, OH
Davis Transport Services provides dump truck and excavating services such as dirt hauling, graveling and road de-icing salt for a variety of customers from large-scale construction companies to residential homeowners in Northeast Ohio.
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Education Media, LLC, dba the Diversity Production Pro
Long Beach, CA
Education Media works with thought leaders, educators, and industry experts who are ready to leverage their expertise and scale their brand with customized eLearning courses. Their offering the Diversity Production Pro is a complete ecosystem that houses our learning management system offering learners a great way to connect with other professionals in the entertainment industry.
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Geniuscribes
Friendswood, TX
Geniuscribes provides on-demand ghostwriting, editing, coaching and publishing services for intellectual authors and advanced academics.
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Growth & Guidance Counseling
Oak Lawn, Ill
Growth & Guidance Counseling Services provides therapeutic counseling, educational and wellness services, with the mission of instilling a sense of confidence, hope, and support to people while taking Mental Health to the next level.
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Health Care Solutions of Delaware Valley (HCS)
Media, PA
Health Care Solutions of Delaware Valley is an on-site workplace wellness company that offers a myriad of services, including fitness classes, weight management, quit smoking, and more.
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Julian’s House LLC
Cypress, TX
Julian’s House is a Day Habilitation Center that serves youth and adults that have developmental and intellectual disabilities in a safe learning environment.
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Matrescence Occupational Therapy
Austin, TX
Matrescence Occupational Therapy provides healthcare, wellness, and support — many that are out-of-network — through the transition to motherhood and beyond.
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Melospeech Inc.
Temecula, CA
Melospeech Inc, offers online or in-home speech therapy services for adults and children in Southern California.
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MsP’sGFree Inc.
Chicago, Ill
Ms P’s Gluten Free is a small gluten-free baking business that is planning to scale their business and become a household and trusted name for delicious, nutritious and healthy gluten-free snack foods.
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Purple Ribbon Chef
Chicago, Ill
Purple Ribbon Chef is a full service catering company that is renowned for serving up delicious bites with a taste of advocacy for lupus and domestic violence.
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Seed At The Table LLC
Compton, CA
Seed At The Table is a mission-driven equity crowdfunding platform committed to connecting diverse entrepreneurs with non-accredited investors looking to obtain equity and/or debt exposure at modest investment amounts.
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The Hardy Clinic
Atlanta, GA
The Hardy Clinic is a minority-owned virtual clinic that provides psychotherapeutic and behavioral health services primarily to clients in Georgia.
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The Heart of Art: Coaching For Creatives
Oakland, CA
The Heart of Art: Coaching For Creatives is a consulting service that provides custom one-on-one coaching and mentoring for creatives.
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Wheatley Montessori School
Greenville, SC
Wheatley Montessori School is a preschool for children ages 3 – 6 that practices the Montessori method for youth in upstate South Carolina.
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World City Center
Los Angeles, CA
World City Center is a Dual-Language Preschool located in the West Adams area of Los Angeles, California that offers a hands-on approach to childcare and play-based learning. The school presents many opportunities for cross-cultural exploration, anti-bias education, and social-emotional development.
“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