Evolve Entertainment Fund

Los Angeles is the world’s entertainment hub, and it’s also one of the world’s most diverse cities. Evolve Entertainment Fund supports a cross-sector initiative to help the entertainment industry embrace that diversity and its creative potential.

Los Angeles is home to a vast number of entertainment companies and creative professionals.

The Evolve Entertainment Fund launched in 2017 as a public-private partnership that supports dedicated efforts to deliver a generational change to the industry. The Evolve Entertainment Fund’s primary goal is to bridge the opportunity and skills gap to build a stronger career pipeline in entertainment for disadvantaged youth, women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community.

The Evolve Entertainment Fund partnered with L.A.’s leading studios, city departments, industry suppliers, directors, producers, actors, talent agencies, and nonprofits committed to increasing diversity and inclusion. These partners engaged with Evolve to provide paid internships, mentorships, and educational opportunities to low-income Angelenos ages 18-24 with the goal of securing job offers in the entertainment industry for each participant. Evolve also provided mini-grants to nonprofit organizations working towards these goals.

In 2021, the Evolve Entertainment Fund merged with Group Effort Initiative, an initiative created by Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, to offer more people from under-represented communities employment, training, and mentorship opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Key Impact

425 secured internships
More than 100 employers
Merged with Group Effort Initiative

Issue Area

Economic Development, Education & Workforce Development

Partners

Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
Group Effort Initiative
Over 100 employers in the Hollywood & Entertainment industries

Programs Similar to Evolve Entertainment Fund

News Related to Evolve Entertainment Fund