CA Nonprofits of the Year

Honoring the State’s Changemakers

Each year, California Assemblymembers and State Senators are invited to honor a California Nonprofit of the Year for their district. It’s a way for nonprofit honorees to strengthen their relationships with legislators, and vice versa. As policy advocates, we know that when legislators know nonprofits in their district, they listen more carefully to what nonprofits and the communities they represent need.

Since its inception, just over 1,000 California nonprofit organizations have had their moment to shine – within their communities and at the capitol, when honorees and legislators join together at a celebratory lunch. The program is sponsored by CalNonprofits in partnership with the state Assembly and Senate Select Committees on the Nonprofit Sector.

We are honored that nearly every California state legislator now participates in California Nonprofit of the Year, and a majority attend the lunch with their selected nonprofits, an afternoon that also honors California Nonprofits Day, which this year is set for May 20th.

Explore the map below to see which nonprofits have been selected so far for 2026. (The full list of honorees will be announced May 20th.) It’s always a diverse group representing communities in the state’s major metropolitan regions, in suburban neighborhoods, and rural communities.

And here’s a list of local news coverage to date of some of this year’s honorees.

See a comprehensive list of all past honorees.

Sac Metro Honorees 2026

Senate

District 6 Senator Roger Niello has honored Jake’s Journey Home

Assembly

District 4 Assemblymember Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry has honored Yolo Crisis Nursery
District 5 Assemblymember Joe Patterson has honored A Touch of Understanding
District 6 Assemblymember Maggy Krell has honored Roberts Family Development Center
District 7 Assemblymember Josh Hoover has honored Meristem
District 10 Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen has honored My Sister’s House

Bay Area Honorees 2026

Senate

District 9 Senator Tim Grayson has honored Immigrant Action Network
District 7 Senator Jesse Arreguín has honored Urban Tilth
District 10 Senator Aisha Wahab has honored Hively
District 13 Senator Josh Becker has honored Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition
District 15 Senator Dave Cortese has honored Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action

Assembly

District 11 Assemblymember Lori Wilson has honored Solano Community Foundation
District 12 Assemblymember Damon Connolly has honored Ceres Community Project
District 14 Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has honored Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP)
District 15 Assemblymember Anamaire Ávila Faría has honored Community Youth Center
District 16 Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has honored the Open Heart Kitchen
District 17 Assemblymember Matt Haney has honored SF New Deal
District 18 Assemblymember Mia Bonta has honored Urban Village Farmers Market Association
District 19 Assemblymember Catherine Stefani has honored Breast Cancer Prevention Partners
District 20 Assemblymember Liz Ortega has honored East Bay Innovations
District 21 Assemblymember Diane Papan has honored Leadership Council San Mateo County
District 23 Assemblymember Marc Berman has honored Children’s Health Council
District 24 Assemblymember Alex Lee has honored Ohlone Humane Society
District 25 Assemblymember Ash Kalra has honored Working Partnerships USA
District 26 Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens has honored Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)

Sierra Honorees 2026

Senate

Assembly

San Joaquin Honorees 2026

Senate

District 5 Senator Jerry McNerney has honored Three Valleys Community Foundation
District 14 Senator Anna M. Caballero has honored Jakara Movement
District 16 Senator Melissa Hurtado has honored Open Door Network

Assembly

District 9 Assemblymember Heath Flora has honored Lodi House
District 13 Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom has honored League of United Latin Americans Citizens Council #2060
District 22 Assemblymember Juan Alanis has honored Commemorative Air Force Central Valley Squadron
District 27 Assemblymember Esmerelda Soria has honored United Way of Merced County
District 31 Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula has honored Youth Leadership Institute
District 32 Assemblymember Stan Ellis has honored Taft College Foundation
District 33 Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo has honored Salt + Light
District 35 Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains has honored Applecore Project Inc.

Central Coast Honorees 2026

Senate

District 12 Senator Shannon Grove has honored The Clovis Rodeo Association
District 17 Senator John Laird has honored Salinas Regional Sports Authority
District 21 Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón has honored Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Assembly

District 28 Assemblymember Gail Pellerin has honored Community Solutions
District 29 Assemblymember Robert Rivas has honored Everyone’s Harvest
District 30 Assemblymember Dawn Addis has honored Elkorn Slough Foundation
District 37 Assemblymember Gregg Hart has honored Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County
District 38 Assemblymember Steve Bennett has honored 805UNDOCUFund

Los Angeles Honorees 2026

Senate

District 20 Senator Caroline Menjivar has honored Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California
District 22 Senator Susan Rubio has honored Soroptimist International San Dimas/ La Verne
District 24 Senator Ben Allen has honored Vision to Learn
District 25 Senator Sasha Renée Pérez has honored Pasadena Community Job Center
District 26 Senator Maria Elena Durazo has honored WELL, Water Education for Latinos Leaders
District 28 Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas has honored Westside Family Health Center
District 30 Senator Bob Archuleta has honored Heart of Compassion
District 33 Senator Lena Gonzalez has honored Boys and Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles – Bell Gardens Clubhouse

Assembly

District 39 Assemblymember Juan Carillo has honored High Desert Sports Foundation
District 40 Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo has honored Chatsworth Park Elementary PTA
District 41 Assemblymember John Harabedian has honored San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity
District 42 Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin has honored Adelante Comunidad Conejo
District 43 Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez has honored Guide Dogs of America
District 44 Assemblymember Nick Schultz has honored Making It Happen, Inc.
District 46 Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel has honored Every Day Action
District 48 Assemblymember Blanca E. Rubio has honored Looms for Lupus
District 49 Assemblymember Mike Fong has honored Our Savior Center
District 51 Assemblymember Rick Zbur has honored Out Athlete Fund
District 52 Assemblymember Jessica M. Caloza has honored LA Más
District 54 Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez has honored Mexican American Opportunity Foundation
District 55 Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan has honored Our Big Kitchen LA
District 56 Assemblymember Lisa Calderon has honored La Puente Community Foundation
District 57 Assemblymember Sade Elhawary has honored Coalition For Responsible Community Development
District 61 Assemblymember Tina McKinnor has honored Venice Community Housing
District 62 Assemblymember José Luis Solache Jr. has honored Huntington Park Run Club
District 64 Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco has honored The Whole Child
District 65 Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson has honored Connecting Compton
District 66 Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi has honored Grades of Green

Inland Empire Honorees 2026

Senate

District 23 Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares has honored Antelope Valley Blue Star Mothers Chapter 14
District 29 Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes has honored Family Assistance Program
District 31 Senator Sabrina Cervantes has honored Inland Counties Legal Services
District 32 Senator Kelly Seyarto has honored Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center

Assembly

District 34 Assemblymember Tom Lackey has honored Today’s Woman Foundation
District 36 Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez has honored Coachella Valley Rescue Mission
District 45 Assemblymember James C. Ramos has honored Common Vision Coalition
District 47 Assemblymember Greg Wallis has honored Carol’s Kitchen
District 50 Assemblymember Robert Garcia has honored IEHP(Inland Empire Health Plan) Foundation
District 53 Assemblymember Michelle Rodriguez has honored Just Us 4 Youth
District 60 Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson has honored CART (Center Against Racism and Trauma)
District 71 Assemblymember Kate Sanchez has honored RSM Cares

Orange County Honorees 2026

Senate

District 36 Senator Tony Strickland has honored GameChanger Charity
District 37 Senator Steven Choi has honored South County Outreach

Assembly

District 59 Assemblymember Phillip Chen has honored Liuna Laborers Foundation
District 67 Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva has honored National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc – Orange County Chapter
District 68 Assemblymember Avelino Valencia has honored Veterans Alliance of Orange County
District 69 Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal has honored Action Sports Kids Foundation (ASK)
District 70 Assemblymember Tri Ta has honored Vietnamese Catholic Student Association
District 72 Assemblymember Diane Dixon has honored Down for Dance
District 74 Assemblymember Laurie Davies has honored Sempri Fi & America’s Fund

San Diego County Honorees 2026

Senate

District 18 Senator Steve Padilla has honored Desert Recreation Foundation
District 38 Senator Catherine Blakespear has honored Somos Tias
District 39 Senator Akilah Weber Pierson has honored National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Delta Upsilon Chapter
District 40 Senator Brian W. Jones has honored Meals-on-Wheels Greater San Diego, Inc. d.b.a. Meals on Wheels San Diego County

Assembly

District 75 Assemblymember Carl DeMaio has honored Serving Good
District 77 Assemblymember Tasha Boerner has honored San Diego Youth Services
District 78 Assemblymember Christopher Ward has honored KPBS
District 79 Assemblymember Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins has honored Sharia’s Closet
District 80 Assemblymember David Alvarez has honored Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Parish San Diego