With renewed attention on the community surrounding MacArthur Park, Westlake-based nonprofit Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) is stepping up – scaling free programs across its campuses and rallying for its annual HOLA Day of Service.

HOLA provides free, high-quality after-school and youth development programs in academics, arts and athletics for children and teens. Its programs include intensive academics, a youth orchestra, visual arts, sports leagues and clinics, leadership opportunities, counseling services, alumni support, scholarships, and intergenerational programs.

Its central campus serves more than 2,000 individuals, and also more than 1,000 in need at its Watts and South Los Angeles locations.

The Westlake center is close to where federal immigration officers arrived in July alongside California National Guard members for a “show of force” with tactical vehicles, mounted units and armored trucks. It was seen as part of a broader immigration crackdown in Los Angeles that drew legal challenges.

“We serve an area that is two blocks away from the demonstration of force in MacArthur Park,” said chief executive Tony Brown, who has been with the organization since 2007. “On that demonstration day, the snipers and the tanks rolled right past some of our buildings of service. Once again, the people we try to help and support are being pushed back into the shadows.”

Growth amid the challenges

Under Brown’s leadership, the organization has grown its operating budget from $2.3 million to more than $8.7 million annually, reaching 74% more underserved young people with free programs.

To keep students engaged amid uncertainty, HOLA has widened its support: later program hours, trauma-informed counseling, support with homework in small groups and parent workshops in English and Spanish. Employees coordinate with neighborhood schools and legal-aid partners to connect families with resources after disruptive enforcement actions.

Despite the robust growth, Brown is concerned about the challenges ahead.

“Government funding has changed in Los Angeles specifically and across the country,” he said. “There’s different language in those contracts now that absolutely affects the people we serve.”

Brown noted that many of their donors are concentrated on Los Angeles’ Westside, specifically in Pacific Palisades; and they lost to their homes and livelihood due to the wildfires. Many donor dollars also were diverted in 2025 to fundraising for the wildfires. Also, HOLA has had to postpone its fundraising gala because attendees were contending with the fallout from the January disasters.

“I’d say the fires really did a number on the individual support,” said Brown. “L.A.’s nonprofit sector cannot withstand this through private philanthropy alone, but the complications of the fire decimated the neighborhoods that were traditionally supportive of the philanthropic efforts.”