The State of California, County of LA, and the City of Los Angeles are considered one of the most financially resourceful areas. Unfortunately, inner-city youth are the majority of the ones incarcerated in a system that is already failing. The return rate for inmates are 70%+ which indicates that a youth entering a life of crime will likely not be able to switch to becoming a contributing member of society and not be likely to pursue higher education opportunities.

There are hundreds of random non-profit organizations throughout the City of LA. With all the random organizations and funding, we are losing the fight to gangs and criminal enterprises that are recruiting our inner-city youth. The efforts are fragmented with programs and funding that overlap yet do not achieve the goals for the City of LA in guiding inner-city youth towards a higher quality of life and a positive future. We are failing as a society as we are allowing our inner-city youth to pursue a life of crime as their only option for the future.

It is under the sponsorship and support of LAPD Chief Moore that the LAPD Youth Foundation was established as a non-profit (501c(3)) in order to consolidate and create a master plan for the City of LA in providing funding and programs that will be held accountable for measured results. Such efforts will be enhanced with a centralized plan to ensure adequate funding and programming for inner-city youth that will empower them to rise above their anticipated future of gang involvement. The inner-city youth can only become contributing members of society by pursuing a life that will improve their future and help them rise above poverty levels.

LAPD has twenty-one divisions, and the LAPD Youth Foundation can help fill the void at the variety of divisions that are desperate for funding, programs, and support for inner-city youth. These concerns are most critical in the LAPD South Bureau which has suffered without adequate financial and programming support. It is the mission of the LAPD Youth Foundation to fill that gap and ensure that all inner-city youth get the attention and support as part of this partnership between LAPD and the civilian staff at the LAPD Youth Foundation-related entities.

The funding for the LAPD Youth Foundation will be achieved through a variety of strategies. One such strategy involves the fundraising efforts by the Board of Directors. In addition, the Youth Foundation shall pursue an extensive number of large Federal and State grants that are available to support the inner-city youth. Furthermore, there are private foundations and grants available to organizations such as the LAPD Youth Foundation that are focused on training, mentoring, and youth gang prevention programs.

LAPD Youth Foundation will be eligible for such funding and grants that are not available to all the random nonprofits due to the limitations in the area they support as compared to the LAPD Youth Foundation which is a citywide entity providing standards for funding and programming. This will allow access to resources that are not available to other non-profits with a limited budget and territory.