OVERVIEW
As an independent public organization, First 5 LA actively seeks solutions and amplifies community voices for positive change. As described in its Strategic Plan, First 5 LA is building a future where every child is born healthy and thrives in nurturing, safe, and loving communities.

The Community Opportunities Flexible Fund (COFF) creates funding opportunities for organizations that are working to advance systems change for Los Angeles children prenatal to 5 and their families. Funds must support First 5 LA’s mission, commitment to equity, and stated goal 1 as noted below.

First 5 LA’s mission is that every child in Los Angeles County reaches their full developmental potential throughout the critical years of prenatal to age 5. First 5 LA’s commitment to equity, states, “We honor the wisdom of our communities, recognizing that their assets hold the key to dismantling systemic barriers and forging a path to racial justice, as we champion opportunity for all.”

First 5 LA is guided by three goals that ensure that the needs of children prenatal to age 5 and their families are met across a continuum of basic (physiological and safety), psychological (esteem and love and belonging) and self-fulfillment (self-actualization) needs, including:

1. Having their basic needs met
2. Having nurturing relationships and environments
3. Having a solid foundation for well-being, lifelong learning and success.

The Community Opportunities Flexible Fund encourages applications from initiatives led by people historically excluded from and/or negatively impacted by the systems for which they are advocating change. For example, this includes people who experience poverty and/or other injustices based on racism, anti-Blackness, disability status, home language, immigrant status, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and the like.

Please note that funds may not be used for direct services. Unsure if your work is connected to systems change? Our friends at Social Justice Partners LA put together a terrific guide defining systems change and explaining how it differs from direct service.

FUNDING
The Community Opportunities Flexible Fund will distribute grants of up to $70,000. Specifically, funded activities should support changing systems so that children prenatal to age 5 and their families have their basic needs met. This includes:

• Reducing infant mortality
• Reducing poverty
• Reducing housing insecurity.

Activities must be aligned with one of three strategies to impact children prenatal to age 5 and their families:

• Public policy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels
• Advocating to strengthen public systems, services, and supports
• Growing a social movement to elevate their needs

Applicants should also consider how their activities will be sustained beyond First 5 LA funding. Although grant funds may be spent primarily to support staffing, this one-time grant may not be used to support more than 30% of the salary of each individual staff member.

USE OF FUNDS
Funds may be used for a wide variety of purposes related to building community connections and uplifting the voice of people with lived experience to change systems affecting children prenatal to 5 and their families in Los Angeles County, as long as they are focused on reducing infant mortality, poverty, and/or housing insecurity. These include, but are not limited to:

• Rapid response to changing federal policies and political landscape
• Support for immigrant families impacted by changing policies
• Policy work focused on guaranteed income
• Support for families impacted by climate, environmental harm or emergencies
• Research and data collection or dissemination to inform public policy (including community-driven research)
• Capacity building, such as learning about the legislative/budgeting process
• Community engagement
• Grassroots relationship-building
• Building or sustaining coalitions and networks
• Community convening
• Oral histories
• Creating culturally-affirming narratives and agendas
• Cultural celebrations and gatherings
• Policy and systems education
• Policy implementation and monitoring
• Communications campaigns
• Support for workforce development initiatives benefiting children 0 to 5
• Other activities that help build grassroots connections and elevate the voices of people most impacted

Under First 5 LA by-laws, no funds may be used for grassroots lobbying.

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY
We invite Los Angeles-serving nonprofit organizations, fiscally sponsored projects, and social-benefit businesses to apply. Applicants’ total annual budget must be under $6 million.

UPCOMING APPLICATION DUE DATE
Monday, August 3, 2026, with awards made by early September.

HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be submitted through the online application platform, Submittable. If you do not already have an account, you will be prompted to create one. The application will invite you to answer both multiple-choice and open-ended narrative questions. You will also be asked to upload financial statements and a budget for how you would use funds (template is provided).