Larry Kaplan is a grants advisor — seeking and writing grant proposals (government, corporate and private foundations), as well as research, fundraising strategy and program design, strategic planning and staff development, board development and recruiting, marketing and communications, public policy analysis and advocacy for community-based social justice nonprofits, collaboratives and philanthropists, primarily in Southern California.
Larry can be your strategic thought partner — he can help you focus on your true priorities and manage your limited resources.
As a trained journalist, he brings strong messaging, persuasion, writing and editing skills to the table. As an experienced fundraiser, he brings a thorough knowledge of how philanthropy works. And as an experienced executive, he understands the challenges nonprofits face every day.
In 2018, Larry was the managing director of Fairwarning, a nonprofit investigative news organization, where he was responsible for all of the non-editorial functions of the website, primarily fundraising, marketing and administration.
As the Los Angeles Area Director for the Trust for Public Land, a national land conservation organization, Larry managed its urban park program, and was instrumental in developing a new paradigm for urban parks and playgrounds in low-income communities. He was executive director of Workplace Hollywood, a non-profit dedicated to increasing the workforce diversity of Los Angeles’ signature industry.
Larry was the CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and helped a national civil engineering firm market its services to both public and private sector clients. His career includes serving as Regional Director for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, covering the state from the Tehachapi’s to the Mexican border, during her first term. And, he served a number of state and local elected officials, including L.A. Councilman Mike Woo in his first term.
Larry, a long-time Angeleno, began his career in journalism, and is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism. He regularly contributed to the Nonprofit Quarterly over the past few years, and currently volunteers with Taproot and Catchafire, providing guidance, coaching and counsel to various non-profit organizations.
Larry served on the California Board of Accountancy from 2011 to 2017, and on the Los Angeles County Local Governmental Services and Economy and Efficiency Commissions from 2013 to 2023. In 2017, he was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly to the Bar Examiners Committee of the California State Bar. He also serves on the board of Worksite Wellness Los Angeles.
Larry is a problem solver, a “fixer,”
and is passionate about urban communities
and social justice.
Learn about Larry Kaplan's Clients
8Minutenergy Renewables – Kern Agriculture & Energy Ed. Fdn.
Academy of Music for the Blind
Afriat Consulting Group
Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Aspen Journalism
Assistance League of So CA – Volunteer Ctr of Los Angeles
Autism Resource Project
Brainerd Foundation
Bob Gold & Associates Public Relations
Books for Babies
Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson, CA
California Assemblymember Mike Gatto
California Center for Health Reporting
California Greenworks
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla
California State Summer School Arts Foundation
Cancer Support Community, San Gabriel Valley
Catchafire
Celiac Disease Foundation
Chinatown Service Center, Los Angeles
City of Carson, CA
Climate Resolve
Coalition for Clean Air – California Cleaner Freight Coalition
Coalition for Economic Survival
Coalition to Protect L.A. Neighborhoods & Jobs – No on Measure S
Communities for a Better Environment
Community Coalition of South L.A.
Comprehensive Community Health Centers
Council for Watershed Health
Dare U to Care Outreach Ministries
David & Lucille Packard Foundation
Devine Writing & Consulting Solutions
Downtown (L.A.) Women’s Center
EmpowerHer Institute
Equality California
Executive Service Corps of Southern California
FairWarning
Families in Schools
Friends of the Los Angeles River
Friends of the Pasadena Public Library
Gary Bess Associates
Green LA Coalition
Grossman Burn Foundation
GRYD Foundation
Hard Hat Communications
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
ICPR Public Relations
Initiate Justice
Jericho Road Pasadena
Kapolczynski Consulting – Progressive Strategy Partners
Latino Donor Collaborative
Levitt Pavilion MacArthur Pk – L.A.
Licensed Adult Residential Care Assoc.
L.A. Big Picture H.S.
L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti
L.A. City Councilmember Mike Woo
L.A. City Community Development Dept.
L.A. County Parks Foundation
L.A. County Parks & Recreation Dept.
L.A. County Recreation & Parks Open Space Dist.
L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina
L.A. County Workforce Investment Board
L.A. Metro
Licensed Adult Residential Care Assoc., Los Angeles
Multicultural Learning Center
National Health Foundation
National Immigration Law Center
National Network of Fiscal Sponsors
Outfest – The LGBT Film Festival
Outward Bound Adventures — Pasadena
Pasadena Police Activities League
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Remember Us: The Holocaust B’nai Mitzvah Project
Ricardo Montalban Foundation Theatre
Rivers & Mountains Conservancy – WCA
Saving the West
School Leaders Network
Sierra Club – San Gabriel Mountains Forever/Nature for All
Southern CA Committee for the Olympic Games – Ready Set Gold!
Southern CA Jewish Repertory Theater
Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education
Taproot Foundation
Theodore Payne Foundation
Tiyya Foundation
Trust for Public Land
U.S. Bureau of the Census
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
Unite HERE Local 11 – Hospitality Training Academy
University of Southern California
Valley Nonprofit Resources
Visual Effects Society
Walden Family Services
Washington State Association for Justice
Water Education for Latino Leaders
Wolf Connection
Workplace Hollywood
Worksite Wellness Los Angeles
Learn about Larry Kaplan's Clients
8Minutenergy Renewables – Kern Agriculture & Energy Ed. Fdn.
Academy of Music for the Blind
Afriat Consulting Group
Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Aspen Journalism
Assistance League of So CA – Volunteer Ctr of Los Angeles
Autism Resource Project
Brainerd Foundation
Bob Gold & Associates Public Relations
Books for Babies
Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson, CA
California Assemblymember Mike Gatto
California Center for Health Reporting
California Greenworks
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla
California State Summer School Arts Foundation
Cancer Support Community, San Gabriel Valley
Catchafire
Celiac Disease Foundation
Chinatown Service Center, Los Angeles
City of Carson, CA
Climate Resolve
Coalition for Clean Air – California Cleaner Freight Coalition
Coalition for Economic Survival
Coalition to Protect L.A. Neighborhoods & Jobs – No on Measure S
Communities for a Better Environment
Community Coalition of South L.A.
Comprehensive Community Health Centers
Council for Watershed Health
Dare U to Care Outreach Ministries
David & Lucille Packard Foundation
Devine Writing & Consulting Solutions
Downtown (L.A.) Women’s Center
EmpowerHer Institute
Equality California
Executive Service Corps of Southern California
FairWarning
Families in Schools
Friends of the Los Angeles River
Friends of the Pasadena Public Library
Gary Bess Associates
Green LA Coalition
Grossman Burn Foundation
GRYD Foundation
Hard Hat Communications
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
ICPR Public Relations
Initiate Justice
Jericho Road Pasadena
Kapolczynski Consulting – Progressive Strategy Partners
Latino Donor Collaborative
Levitt Pavilion MacArthur Pk – L.A.
Licensed Adult Residential Care Assoc.
L.A. Big Picture H.S.
L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti
L.A. City Councilmember Mike Woo
L.A. City Community Development Dept.
L.A. County Parks Foundation
L.A. County Parks & Recreation Dept.
L.A. County Recreation & Parks Open Space Dist.
L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina
L.A. County Workforce Investment Board
L.A. Metro
Licensed Adult Residential Care Assoc., Los Angeles
Multicultural Learning Center
National Health Foundation
National Immigration Law Center
National Network of Fiscal Sponsors
Outfest – The LGBT Film Festival
Outward Bound Adventures — Pasadena
Pasadena Police Activities League
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Remember Us: The Holocaust B’nai Mitzvah Project
Ricardo Montalban Foundation Theatre
Rivers & Mountains Conservancy – WCA
Saving the West
School Leaders Network
Sierra Club – San Gabriel Mountains Forever/Nature for All
Southern CA Committee for the Olympic Games – Ready Set Gold!
Southern CA Jewish Repertory Theater
Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education
Taproot Foundation
Theodore Payne Foundation
Tiyya Foundation
Trust for Public Land
U.S. Bureau of the Census
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
Unite HERE Local 11 – Hospitality Training Academy
University of Southern California
Valley Nonprofit Resources
Visual Effects Society
Walden Family Services
Washington State Association for Justice
Water Education for Latino Leaders
Wolf Connection
Workplace Hollywood
Worksite Wellness Los Angeles
To learn more about Larry, check out this interview podcast by Business Innovators Magazine about his work as an advisor to community-based social justice nonprofits, charities and collaboratives in Southern California. The interview encapsulates his philosophy, approach and views on the nonprofit sector, including fundraising, messaging, overall strategy, and what Larry calls “the failure to focus.”
https://bit.ly/30f6jbG
Or check out Larry’s chapter in the flip-book “Remarkable Experts,” beginning on page 95: