UWGLA Prosperity Fund: How Food Access LA is bringing community wellness through farmers’ markets

We are thrilled to announce the Prosperity Fund’s first round of awardees!

This year, we launched the Prosperity Fund, rooted in the vision that every community across Greater L.A. deserves the resources to ensure shared prosperity, closing racial wealth gaps. This initiative aims to advance a more inclusive economy that centers local ownership, community wealth, and well-being, allowing residents to build and retain wealth within their communities.

The Prosperity Fund aims to advance our Community Prosperity work by providing organizations with funding for eligible one-time costs that help to unlock a local market opportunity. The Fund will invest in projects that generate and retain resident spending locally, connect neighborhood businesses and entrepreneurs with financial resources and technical assistance to scale community-based projects and support community-based organizations advancing inclusive economic projects that are rooted in and benefit the community.

The first three grantees selected to receive grants of up to $150,000 each are Destination Crenshaw, Food Access LA, and LA Más.

“We are pleased to launch the Prosperity Fund initiative by selecting these three amazing organizations,” said Ed Braxton, Program Officer at United Way of Greater Los Angeles. “We believe that any organization can become a champion and contributor to a shared economic future. Destination Crenshaw, Food Access LA, and LA Más are already actively engaging in creating more localized and inclusive economic prosperity within communities throughout Los Angeles, so we are proud to be able to contribute to their work.”

FOOD ACCESS LA

Established nearly three decades ago, Food Access LA‘s mission is to build sustainable food systems and ensure everyone has equitable access to fresh, affordable, locally grown foods. The organization currently operates eight farmers’ markets across Los Angeles—in Atwater Village, Echo Park, Hollywood, South Central, Chinatown, Compton, Watts Willowbrook, and Crenshaw.

The Prosperity Fund grant will enable Food Access LA to launch a marketing and activation campaign enhancing the Crenshaw and Watts Willowbrook farmers’ markets. Through collaboration with various community partners, including mental health services and schools, they will create a holistic, community-centric experience that promotes wellness and education.

According to Jennifer Grissom, Food Access LA’s Executive Director, the organization will be working with a public relations consultant to analyze community needs, implement activities like yoga and art classes, and highlight organic, regenerative farmers—ensuring an equitable focus on both markets while addressing each community’s unique needs.

“We’re focusing on two markets with this grant, the Crenshaw, and the Watts/Willowbrook farmers’ markets. And they are both very different. They are held on different days of the week, so they serve a different population,” Grissom noted.

The Watts/Willowbrook market occurs on the MLK medical campus and recently reopened while the Crenshaw one has been operating for 20 years.

“What we are planning to do is work with a PR consultant to analyze these markets and understand the community needs, then implement activities based on that information. It could be yoga, arts, or art classes for kids. It could be bringing in certain types of vendors that participants really want,” Grissom said. “We want the community to know about our offerings, such as nutrition education and learn healthy recipes.”

Food Access LA believes farmers’ markets are not just places to find fresh fruits and vegetables but hubs for community wellness. This grant will help them forge partnerships with community organizations offering various services, showing people they can find more than just food at these markets.

“It’s really about the whole person—obviously, the benefit from nutritious foods is number one, but there’s so much more to it. Our plan is to work with local schools and other community partners. We will be bringing in California Mental Health Services, so we offer information booths for example, and I could go on and on; we have so many partners to work with. It’s about setting them up and promoting them to the community.”

Grissom believes that food insecurity is one of the main barriers preventing many people from being able to thrive and prosper.

“Having secure food sources is a good basis for making sure that our communities are healthy. That is the first step—if we can do that, we are on the right track [toward prosperity],” she said.

Collaborating with United Way of Greater LA gives Grissom confidence that Food Access LA’s project will succeed, as this funding award represents not just financial support but an opportunity to expand impact.

Working with United Way helps to ensure “things will actually make an impact and make a difference because [the grant] is giving us the freedom to do what we know the community needs to be done. And I think that’s really important,” Grissom said.

The Prosperity Fund is a rolling funding opportunity that welcomes organizations to submit applications at any point in the year for one-time costs that help unlock a local market opportunity, advancing community ownership and wealth-building opportunities in the process.

Please visit www.unitedwayla.org/Grantseekers to learn more.

UPCOMING EVENTS

WATTS WILLOWBROOK FARMERS’ MARKET

WEDNESDAYS 9 am – 2 pm

1670 East 120th Street, Los Angeles
MLK Outpatient Center, Parking Lot E

More information on IG: @wattswillowbrookfm

CRENSHAW
FARMERS’ MARKET

SATURDAYS 10 am – 3 pm

5730 Crenshaw Blvd.
Parking Lot for Historic Fire Station #54

More information on IG: @crenshawfm

STAY CONNECTED WITH UNITED WAY OF GREATER L.A.