Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove Secures $1M HUD Grant for SoLa Foundation’s New Youth Center in Crenshaw

Los Angeles, CA — In a significant step towards community revitalization and youth empowerment, U.S. Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) has secured a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the SoLa Foundation, the nonprofit arm of SoLa Impact. The grant will support the development of a state-of-the-art youth center in Crenshaw, aimed at providing career training in arts, media, technology, and entertainment.

The 10,000-square-foot center, slated to open in the first half of 2025, will be located on the ground floor of SoLa Impact’s “Crenshaw Lofts” — a 195-unit affordable housing project in the LAX-Crenshaw Corridor. The center will provide training to at least 1,000 youth annually and will include facilities like a professional recording studio, indoor/outdoor event space, and collaborative workspaces. It is designed to foster the next generation of creators, entrepreneurs, and innovators from South LA, particularly in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the live events industry.

Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove, who has been a staunch advocate for the Crenshaw and Leimert Park communities, emphasized the lasting impact the youth center will have. “Crenshaw—the heart of Black LA—has seen many revitalization efforts since the 1992 Riots, many of them short-lived,” said Rep. Kamlager-Dove. “By connecting young Angelenos with workforce training in arts, entertainment, and technology careers, SoLa’s new youth center will make a real, lasting impact on South LA for generations to come.”

SoLa Impact CEO, Martin Muoto, echoed these sentiments, saying, “As we develop hundreds of affordable and workforce housing units across Los Angeles, we also want to ensure that the young people in communities like Crenshaw and South LA see a brighter future. Training them for jobs of the future is perhaps the most important way we can build California better.”

The recording studio and performance space are being developed in partnership with Grammy-winning artist and producer James Fauntleroy, and the Innovation Lab will focus on emerging technologies. Patti Neuwirth, a prominent civic supporter, is helping to fund the lab, while LA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson has played a pivotal role in advancing the project.

Sherri Francois, Chief Impact Officer of SoLa Impact and Executive Director of the SoLa Foundation, emphasized the center’s role in addressing systemic inequalities. “This center is about closing the racial digital divide in South LA,” Francois said. “It’s about creating a more equitable playing field. Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove shares this urgent mission, and we are deeply grateful for her support in making our tech center possible.”

The center represents SoLa Impact’s continued mission of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty in South LA by providing education and career opportunities to underinvested communities. The youth center will mark SoLa’s second major technology hub, following the success of the SoLa Technology and Entrepreneurship Center Powered by Riot Games in South Central LA.

For more information on SoLa Impact and the SoLa Foundation’s initiatives, visit www.thesolafoundation.org.