9 Long Beach Projects Get Microgrants To Uplift Neighborhoods

LONG BEACH, CA — From youth workshops to a mural project nine local projects in Long Beach are getting a funding boost thanks to a round of microgrant awards recently announced by the Nextdoor Kind Foundation.

The foundation last week announced the 100 recipients in Los Angeles County who will each receive $500 to invest in a range of creative projects or initiatives devoted to making their neighborhoods a better place.

“The people that live, work, and raise families in a community know better than anyone where $500 will bring the most impact,” said Devanshi Metha, finance business partner at the Nextdoor Kind Foundation. “The breadth of applications, ranging from practical to inspirational, show that great ideas often start at the grassroots level. We’re honored to support the visions of these LA County community leaders.”

Recipients were selected "for exceptionally illustrating how their project or initiative would have a significant community impact, foster community collaboration, have measurable outcomes, and uplift under-resourced communities," according to the foundation.

The recipients were selected from a pool of 550 applications by a panel of LA County community leaders, including small business owners, advocates and faith leaders.

The winners come from areas across the county, from Santa Clarita to Long Beach and many places in between.

Among them are Long Beach's Grace Orpilla, who is spearheading an effort for a landscaping beautification project on the Orange Avenue Corridor, and Ash Preston, who will be funding a community mural on the LGBTQ+ center at Long Beach State University.

Linzy Kearbey Lusby in Long Beach will be using the microgrant funds to cover the annual Rose Street Block Party and Xenia Morris will use the grant to purchase materials for her Gen Z Workshops that provide entrepreneurial mentorship and support financial literacy.

A complete list of winners and the neighborhoods they represent are available on the Nextdoor Kind Foundation's website.

Patch staffer Chris Lindahl contributed to this report.