Search Nonprofits

The Los Angeles River is the birthplace of our region and was once the thriving, unifying water source for the people and wildlife of Los Angeles. But that connection and our collective history was severed when the River was encased in concrete and fenced in 1938. In an act of civil disobedience, poet activist Lewis MacAdams took the first steps to repair that severed connection in 1986 when he cut a hole in the chain link fence that obstructed Angelenos from their rightful River. He declared the River open to the people and swore to serve as its voice. And so, Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) and the River Movement were born. FoLAR has endeavored for over 30 years to restore community connection and natural ecology as the single largest unifying force on the River – educating, empowering, and mobilizing over 70,000 Angelenos to repair habitat and fight for the policies that will reclaim our collective right to a healthy, thriving, and equitably accessible Los Angeles River. Our mission is to build capacity for communities, students, and future leaders to advocate for nature, climate, and equity on the Los Angeles River.

The Marine Mammal Center is a nonprofit veterinary hospital, research and educational center dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of ill and injured marine mammals, primarily elephant seals, harbor seals, and California sea lions. Its research team studies the causes of illness in these animals, and by doing so, learns about conditions affecting the health of marine mammal populations and the oceans – discovering conditions that can affect humans as well. In addition, the Center’s education programs teach thousands of students and the visiting public each year about marine mammals and the urgent need for environmental stewardship of earth’s marine environments.

Heal the Bay is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to making the coastal waters and watersheds of Greater Los Angeles safe, healthy and clean. To fulfill our mission, we use science, education, community action, and advocacy. Our passionate team conducts hundreds of beach and community cleanups each year, informing people about the root causes of pollution along the shorelines and in their neighborhoods. We advocate for strict water quality regulations that protect the health of both humans and the aquatic life who call local creeks, rivers, and the Santa Monica Bay home. In the past year, Heal the Bay sponsored-Assembly Bill 1066 to protect people who participate in water recreation activities in California. Our Nothin' But Sand public group cleanups were accomplished with 5, 800 cleanup volunteers that helped remove 111,000 pieces of trash from Los Angeles Country beaches, rivers, and neighborhoods.

The Ocean Foundation (TOF) is a unique community foundation with a mission to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world. Our slogan is "Tell Us What You Want To Do For The Ocean, We Will Take Care Of The Rest." We work with a community of donors who care about the coasts and oceans. In this manner, we grow the financial resources available to support marine conservation in order to promote healthy ocean ecosystems and benefit the human communities that depend on them. We operate using a well-established business model (the community foundation) to serve donors and partners interested in marine conservation. TOF does this by increasing the capacity of conservation organizations, hosting projects and funds, and supporting those working to improve the health of ocean species globally. To do this, we raise millions of dollars each year to support marine conservation. These funds come from individuals, corporate donors, private foundations, and governments. We meet our mission through five lines of business: Fiscal Sponsorship Fund services, Field of Interest grantmaking Funds, green Resort Partnerships, Committee and Donor Advised Funds, and Consulting services.

DIGDEEP is a non-profit organization working to ensure that every American has clean, running water forever.

from the website: "Tackling climate change; conserving living things; ensuring healthy, just human communities—or creating any necessary change—is not possible, unless people value the changes needed to let the living world survive, and humanity thrive. That is the unique work of the Safina Center."

International Rivers protects rivers and defends the rights of communities that depend on them. We work to stop destructive dams and promote water and energy solutions for a just and sustainable world.

We work to protect the public’s right to clean water in the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. We stop pollution to promote safe drinking water, protect healthy river habitats, and enhance public use and enjoyment.