We strive to support charitable organizations within the communities in which our members live and play.
And we have a little fun while doing it!
Next event starts in:
Our next quarterly event.
South Bay Nonprofit Quick Pitch Contest
Wed, March 9th, 2022 at 5pm
The Lighthouse Cafe
30 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach
Applicants: If your Nonprofit Organization would like to apply for the Contest for a chance to win $10,000 for making a 4-minute presentation, please apply here (application deadline 11:59PM Wed, Feb 23, 2022):
APPLY
Guests: The event is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP to attend. If you would like to attend, please RSVP here:
RSVP
What we do.
Accolades
On May 1, 2019, the Hermosa Friends Foundation was honored to receive the “Emerging Leader Award” for an outstanding nonprofit organization exercising civic leadership in the community, as jointly presented by the City of Hermosa Beach and Leadership Hermosa Beach.
Some kind words from one of our grant recipients:
Dear Karen and Ryan,
I wanted to thank you for inviting us to HFF’s Anniversary party, for supporting our organization and working to make the community a better place. It is really difficult for small non-profits to fundraise – I know this well. The time, infrastructure and skills that are needed are often beyond the capacity of most small organizations. Charities like yours, that take on this daunting task and support a wide array of non-profits through simple grant funding mechanisms are tremendously beneficial to the longevity of small local organizations. A single organization that raises money for multiple causes has the capacity to be more successful and impactful than the individual charities alone.
On behalf of Pathways staff, students and directors, thank you for creating the HFF!
Victoria Fox, PhD
President and Executive Director
Pathways to Stem Cell Science
Become a Member.
Members help choose the charitable causes we support.
Membership Details
Meet our Board.
Our board was assembled because of their professional experience and dedication to philanthropy in our community.
Ryan Nowicki
2017 Hermosa Beach Man of the Year and Attorney at Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell LLPKaren and I founded HFF as a way to give back to the community in a fun and meaningful way and to encourage our friends, old and new, to do the same.
Ryan Nowicki
2017 Hermosa Beach Man of the Year and Attorney at Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Mitchell LLP
Karen Nowicki
City Treasurer of Hermosa BeachController, Public Counsel
Executive Director, HFF
Ryan and I founded HFF to increase the effectiveness of charitable giving in our community and to have a great time with friends while doing so.
Karen Nowicki
City Treasurer of Hermosa BeachController, Public Counsel
Executive Director, HFF
Kimberly Barbis
Insurance Agent/Sales Marketing ConsultantGiving back to the community is good and something I hope everyone strives for at one time or another, but giving back with new and old friends is great!
Kimberly Barbis
Insurance Agent/Sales Marketing Consultant
Betsy Ryan
Founder of 17th Street Mural HouseBetsy has received United States Congressional, California Senate and International recognition for her accomplishments helping others.
Betsy Ryan
Founder of 17th Street Mural House
Dorothy Forba
Nonprofit DirectorWe look forward to help grow and cultivate the philanthropic community of hermosa beach.
Dorothy Forba
Nonprofit DirectorTake a Look.
Check out our grant recipients.
Please click on each year below and see how we help our community.
Our members went on a pet-store shopping spree and donated $700+ worth of dog and cat food, toys, beds, etc. for pets in their shelter.
We donated a new PA system worth over $300 for use in their museum.
We donated several hundred dollars worth of
holiday toys to Rainbow Services, which provides
much needed services to families who are victims
of domestic violence.
We donated $700 to HBEF. They use the money for under-funded elementary school programs.
We granted a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior who rocked their scholarship essay!
We donated $300 to Live Like Doug to help fund their programs for children who’ve lost a parent.
We granted a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior heading off for Pre-Med at UCLA.
We donated $1,000 through this grass-roots Hermosa Beach organization towards hurricane relief efforts in Texas and Florida.
We provided Loved Ones Victims Services (Culver City) with much needed new office equipment (printer & supplies) valued at over $700.
We donated over $300 toward vet surgery bills for “Dart,” a formerly-abandoned German Shepherd at this no-kill animal shelter in the South Bay. She’s doing great now!
We donated $1,000 to STEM Advantage (L.A.), which assists women and underserved communities with careers in areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
We donated $700 to the Friendship Foundation, which assists children and adults with developmental disabilities in the South Bay.
We again donated several hundred dollars worth of holiday toys to Rainbow Services (Torrance), which provides much needed services to families who are victims of domestic violence.
We purchased fifty $20 tickets at the live performance fundraiser for The Midnight Mission, which combats homelessness in the L.A. area (all $1,000 went to their charitable programs).
We donated $700 to the Nazarene Fund, a nonprofit organization which assists persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East.
We donated $300 toward Adrienne Slaughter’s annual “Search for the Cure” children’s cancer-fighting fundraiser in Hermosa Beach.
We granted two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who rocked their scholarship essays!
We granted two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who also rocked their scholarship essays!
We donated $2,000 to the Woman’s Club of Hermosa Beach for the 13th Annual Adrienne’s Search for Children’s Cancer Cure.
We donated $1,000 to HBEF. They use the money for under-funded elementary school programs.
We provided the Hermosa Beach City School District with much needed new equipment (an iPad & supplies) valued at over $500.
We donated $1,000 to the Hermosa Beach Sister Cities Association to help them foster their 50+ year charitable relationship with their sister city of Loreto in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
We again donated several hundred dollars worth of holiday gift cards to Rainbow Services (Torrance), which provides much needed services to families who are victims of domestic violence.
Our members went on a local pet-store shopping spree and donated $2,000+ worth of cat food, toys, beds, etc. for kittens in their shelter awaiting 4ever homes.
We donated $500 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help fund their programs for children battling cancer.
As the winner of our first Nonprofit Quick Pitch Contest, we granted $10,000 to CASA to assist their great work with local foster youth.
We granted two $1,000 scholarships to local trade school students who rocked their scholarship essays!
We granted two $750 scholarships to graduating seniors who also rocked their scholarship essays!
We granted two $750 scholarships to graduating seniors who rocked their scholarship essays as well!
We granted $667 to this local nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting arts education in our local schools and raising awareness of local artists.
We granted $400 to this exceptional nonprofit that educates and trains local students about advances in biomedical science.
We granted $400 to the South Bay Artist Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting youth art education and raising awareness of local artists.
We granted $267 to iFoster to assist their great work with local foster youth.
We granted $267 for school supplies to this exceptional local elementary school in Rancho Palos Verdes.
We granted $100 toward this excellent adult leadership program that educates, trains and connects our next local leaders.
We granted $500 toward Hermosa Valley School’s Music Program.
We granted $2,000 to the 14th Annual Adrienne’s Search for Children’s Cancer Cure (sponsored by the Woman’s Club of Hermosa Beach).
We granted $1,000 to this local nonprofit that supports pancreatic cancer fighters through fun and light-hearted athletic events.
We granted $500 to this local organization that provides suitcases to foster children (often moved from one foster home to another) who do not have a suitcase of their own.
We granted $1,000 to the nation’s largest not-for-profit law firm, based in L.A., specializing in delivering pro bono legal services to those most in need.
We granted $4,000 to this local organization dedicated to ending homeless felines through the safe placement, spay and neuter of cats and kittens.
We granted $500 to this local organization that mobilizes volunteers and resources to better our South Bay communities.
We granted two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who aced their scholarship essays on “How have my friends (or a friend) inspired me?”
We granted two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who also aced their scholarship essays on “How have my friends (or a friend) inspired me?”
We granted two $1,000 scholarships to local trade school students who rocked their scholarship essays!
We granted $2,000 to this worthy organization that provides free meals for local small business employees and emergency room staff.
We granted $1,000 to the Los Angeles Mayor’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
We granted $500 to this excellent local organization that mentors children of loved ones affected by cancer.
We granted $2,000 to the Downtown Hermosa Beach Small Business Relief Fund, which provides financial assistance to qualifying local small businesses during the Pandemic.
We granted $2,000 to the South Bay Artist Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting youth art education and raising awareness of local artists.
We donated $1,000 to the Hermosa Beach Sister Cities Association to help them foster their 50+ year charitable relationship with their sister city of Loreto in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
We donated $500 to HBEF. They use the money to supplement under-funded elementary school programs in Hermosa Beach.
We granted $1,000 to South Bay Music Connection, which provides young musicians with a professional place to showcase their talent by creating events and venues with a professional stage, PA system and sound engineers.
We granted $500 to this excellent nonprofit dedicated to celebrating the rich history of the South Bay surfing culture, introducing families, youth, and our community to all aspects of ocean activities and being guardians of our local shoreline.
We granted $500 to this South Bay nonprofit that leads the way in helping children, families, and communities reach full capabilities through innovative therapy, education, and research programs.
We granted $2,000 to this local South Bay nonprofit that offers seasonal retreats to young women with cancer lovingly designed for deep healing and restoration.
We granted $2,000 to this exceptional nonprofit that cultivates life skills, leadership abilities and creativity in teenagers in the South Bay and Harbor Area of Los Angeles.
We granted $2,000 to the Hermosa Beach chapter of this organization that empowers and inspires students of all ages and backgrounds to become the environmental leaders of the future.
We granted $2,000 to HBHS to assist them with preserving the history of the Best Little Beach City.™
We granted $2,000 to HBYM to help them initiate and develop music education programs to benefit the children in Hermosa Beach.
We granted $2,000 to the Hermosa Valley & View Social and Emotional Wellness Committee to advance their charitable and educational programs.
We granted $2,000 to this compassionate South Bay nonprofit organization that rescues the most broken, sick and unwanted dogs from high-kill shelters and finds them permanent homes.
We granted $2,000 to this exceptional nonprofit that educates and trains local students about advances in biomedical science.
We granted $2,000 to this local nonprofit dedicated to bettering the lives of underprivileged children in Cameroon, Africa.
We granted $2,000 to the South Bay Artist Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting youth art education and raising awareness of local artists.
We donated $2,000 to the Woman’s Club of Hermosa Beach to help them advance their charitable endeavors.
We donated $1,000 to Casa De Los Angelitos (South Bay L.A.) to help them provide a safe, secure, compassionate and structured environment for women in crisis pregnancies and for their newborns.
We donated $1,000 to the Nazarene Fund, a nonprofit organization which assists persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East.
We granted two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who aced their scholarship essays on “How have my friends (or a friend) inspired me?”
We granted two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who aced their scholarship essays on “How have my friends (or a friend) inspired me?”
Please reach out to us if you have any questions.
