Long Beach Forward

Where Community Happens.

We create a healthy Long Beach with low-income communities of color by building community knowledge, leadership, and power. Long Beach Forward is a hub that builds multi-cultural and multi-generational community, teaches and shares the organizing and leadership skills needed to win social change, and supports actionable campaigns and projects to challenge the status quo. 

Everyone deserves to belong in and contribute to a community rooted in love, joy, and justice–regardless of our histories, status, and differences. We do this because we believe race and income shouldn't determine one's future--everyone in Long Beach should be able to influence decisions that impact their lives, and too often low-income communities of color are intentionally left out of decision making. When we come together in solidarity and celebration, we can take care of one another and weather any challenge that comes our way no matter how difficult the future may seem.

No matter what the circumstances, we won’t stop fighting for our values and celebrating our existence. Building community knowledge, leadership, and power requires each of us to work together–we will show up for each other and make room for collective joy and liberation. 

Your contribution during Long Beach Gives allows us to continue being an accessible, safe resource for our community to gather, connect and organize. 

In the past year alone, we have:

Organized low-income, BIPOC, queer, undocumented, and multigenerational communities to win equitable rules and laws on affordable housing, land use, economic justice, immigrant rights, and public education

Trained, mentored, and coached young people, parents, and emerging activists on the skills and knowledge needed to make social change a reality

Empowered people to learn about civic and educational rights, healthy parenting skills, and holistic mental health and well-being while building community and belonging

Strengthened grassroots organizing projects, community gatherings, and mutual aid efforts with the resources, equipment, and relationships needed to be successful 

Want to donation directly to the organization? You can do so at our website!

Testimonials

"Long Beach Forward has become a haven and a hub for opportunities that were completely inaccessible before. Having a third space that is accessible and safer for marginalized folks to organize and gather has given me and those I love the chance to raise funds for one another, host events uplifting our skills and art, and find deeper ways to connect and ignite change in our local community.” - BA Nathaniel Thomas, CEO, Thempowered

“Long Beach Forward’s Third Space has become an integral part of the ecosystem for mutual aid in our city. From hosting Political education events to offering their parking lot for our bimonthly distributions, sharing printers and storage, – LBF meets all the every material needs, but It’s more than resources, they give us something quite rare: a social space not overdetermined by a dollar amount or how much one could spend, by sustaining the Third Space, you’re not just supporting a building – you’re protecting the very conditions that allow grassroots mutual aid to thrive, connect, and remain free.” - Vick Bouzi, Greater Long Beach Mutual Aid Network

"Long Beach needs an organization dedicated to promoting grassroots organizing."- Dusty Stiggers, In Your City News

"I support Long Beach Forward because I care deeply about my community and share their passion for youth advocacy, which aligns with my values as a mom raising bilingual children." - Mara Bautista, Best Start Leadership Team

"Long Beach Forward understands and supports shared liberation." - Meghan Standford, Policy Change Advocate