Imagine Los Angeles Inc

“The committees do not have authority to act on behalf of governing body, the Board.”

“The Board of Directors reviews Form 990 prior to its execution and filing with the IRS.”

“All directors, officers and key employees are required to sign the conflict of interest and Ethics Assurance Statement on an annual basis.”

“The Board of Directors uses comparable data and reviews compensation annually to determine the top management salaries.”

“Organization documents are provided upon request.”

“The Family Partnership Model was a practical human centered approach designed to maximize potential and break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and homelessness. The model, created in 2007, was a unique, whole-family approach that leveraged a powerful combination of intensive case management, trained volunteer mentors from the community, and financial wellness pathways to build strong family stability, economic independence, and wellbeing. With this holistic approach, Imagine LA had walked alongside a thousand families as they stabilized in housing and pursued their goals. This program ceased in September 2024.”

“In 2020, Imagine LA decided to partner with the USC Center for Social Innovation and take a deep dive into the black box of public benefits and tax credits. After an in-depth landscape analysis of all Federal, State and LA County public benefits and tax credits, research (which took over 18 months to validate) uncovered 16 distinct benefits available in LA County and revealed a complex labyrinth of applications and compliance processes and highlighting the:1. Difficulty of identifying, applying for and receiving all benefits and tax credits resulting in the underutilization of available benefits and time delays in receiving benefits which exacerbate trauma and homelessness.2. The phenomenon of "benefits cliffs" when a modest income increase surprisingly triggers a severe benefit loss.3. Fear of loss of benefits, and the lack of transparency of why it happens, prevents people from earning income.4. Fear and lack of understanding about taxes and tax credits and that they can actually generate significant cash for low-income tax-filers, especially families, means that impactful tax benefits are often not being utilized by the people that need them most.This landscape unwittingly leaves billions of dollars of critical resources untapped, creates an enormous administrative burden for social service providers and enmeshes individuals, and especially families, in poverty.Based on these findings, Imagine LA decided in late 2022 to create the Benefit Navigator to provide trusted information, transparency, and accessibility, and to empower case managers and their clients with efficient and effective informed decision-making tools to navigate toward economic mobility and financial security.In 2023, Imagine LA created a wholly owned subsidiary Social Benefit LLC to focus on piloting the Benefit Navigator, a one-stop-shop online tool for case managers, individuals, and families to help them understand, access, and navigate the complex public benefits and tax credit landscape quickly, confidently, and in one place. The initial results were revolutionary:-44% more benefits/credits identified (than by the control group not using tool).-24% average increase in earned income in 6 months as compared to a 16% decrease in earned income by control group (attributed to clients ability to see impact of income on their benefits).-Both case workers and their managers expressed that the tool saved them time and enabled them to better support their clients.-In 7 months, the Navigator identified over $31 million in eligible benefits and tax credits an average of $15,770 per person.In 2024, Imagine LAs work with the Benefit Navigator expanded greatly to over 500 users across 55 social service organizations, impacting over 11,000 clients and identifying over $125 million in additional benefits and tax credits.In mid-2024, Imagine LAs Board of Directors decided to conclude the Family Mentorship Model. The decision was grounded in our mission and maximizing our Impact. Imagine LA transitioned the Family Partnership families and many of their staff and related government contracts to The Whole Child, a trusted partner organization. Imagine LA, pivoted to focus on the Benefit Navigator and sees it as the future of our work to end the cycle of family poverty and homelessness not only in LA but around the country.As a result of this strategic transition, in September 2024, Imagine LAs wholly owned subsidiary, Social Benefit, LLC, was dissolved and all of its Benefit Navigator related assets (cash and cash equivalents and receivables) and liabilities (accounts payable) were then transferred (back) to Imagine LA.”