Dear Readers,
As the holiday season arrives, many in the professional world use philanthropy as a way to give back to the communities they do business in. In that spirit, November’s Business by LA Times Studios.

BUSINESS - LEADING WITH EMPATHY
CREATIVE SERVICES & ADVERTISING OPERATIONS.

Are We in a Corporate Giving Recession?
More than half of companies surveyed say federal pressure on DEI affected philanthropy

Future-Proofing Fundraising
GoFundMe, the now-ubiquitous website used for generating donations that support individual causes, is expanding into a more formal infrastructure for both donors and recipients.

UCI’s ‘Brilliant Future’ Campaign Raises More than $2.4 Billion
Largest fundraising effort in O.C. history will fuel innovation and impact

Philanthropy Supports Vital Services for Regional Healthcare Provider
For Dignity Health, philanthropy is a two-way street – the healthcare provider has boosted its efforts to connect with donors while expanding services for the communities in which it operates

Impact, Influence & Empathy
The Artemis Agency supports philanthropic endeavors by connecting celebrities, tastemakers and charitable organizations.

Top Philanthropic Gifts in Southern California
LA Times Studios presents the 40 largest gifts made to charitable organizations in Southern California. The list includes gifts made from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.

Hundreds of Millions in Charitable Giving Support Southern California's Core Institutions
Major gifts reflect commitments that support the construction of new university buildings, hospital wings and support for endowments

GIVING BACK
Southern California is the home of so many nonprofit organizations that help so many people it can be difficult to discern the sheer breadth of time, manpower and dollars that go into each of them.

ALZHEIMER’S LOS ANGELES
Alzheimer’s Los Angeles is the leading local community-based organization nationally and internationally recognized for providing high-impact support and education programs to people living with the disease and their families.

CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION
At Dignity Health, we believe that every individual deserves compassionate, highquality care. California Hospital Medical Center Foundation offers myriad avenues for individuals and organizations to join us in this vital mission, fostering a healthier and more humane Los Angeles.

NATIONAL DISASTER SEARCH DOG FOUNDATION
The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation has rescued and trained more than 300 dogs that have, in turn, rescued humans in disasters.

UNION RESCUE MISSION
URM is one of the largest and oldest privately funded shelters in the city of Los Angeles, helping over 5,000 people each year break the cycle of homelessness and achieve a pathway to long-term stability and a self-sufficient future.

ALL FOR KIDS
Join us in creating a world where every child is safe to grow by becoming a donor. Support from caring individuals and forward-thinking foundations and corporations enables us to work in communities throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties and beyond to help ensure children can thrive.

ALLIANCE FOR A BETTER COMMUNITY (ABC)
Alliance for a Better Community (ABC) grew out of the “Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club,” a group of civic leaders who began meeting in the mid-1990s to address challenges facing Latina/o communities in Los Angeles.

BLIND CHILDREN’S CENTER
We are located in the heart of Hollywood and serve families across Los Angeles County.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SANTA MONICA
Our Clubs are safe, empowering spaces for young people after school and in the summer. This past year, we’ve implemented over 30 state-of-the-art programs that help kids shine.

CATHAY BANK FOUNDATION
The Cathay Bank Foundation was founded in 2002 for the purpose of raising and administering funds to benefit community-based nonprofit organizations. Through our support of affordable housing, small business development and workforce training, we help build stronger, more resilient communities.

Walking Together for Hope: Cathay Bank’s Journey of Compassion and Community
Cathay Bank started participating in Walk for Hope in 2007. Since then, we have raised an estimated total of $600,000 from 2004 to 2024. Our involvement has steadily increased, with more clients, team members, their families and friends joining us each year.

CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE
Children’s Institute supports thousands of children and families each year. Using a holistic, whole-family, multigenerational approach, we provide education, counseling services, parenting support and enrichment programs at our early education centers, K-12 schools and neighborhood hub sites.

FARM2PEOPLE
Imagine a Los Angeles where nobody is hungry, families can feed their children locally grown fruits and vegetables and nearby farms are operationally stable. California is the nation’s largest food producer, yet one in four L.A. households are food insecure.

GERMAN SHEPHERD RESCUE OF ORANGE COUNTY
German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County (GSROC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity organization dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing purebred German Shepherd Dogs that have nowhere else to turn.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES
International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA) was founded in 1914 to help immigrant women and girls adapt to their new lives in Los Angeles. We are proud to continue that legacy of over 110 years through an expanded mission in the greater L.A. area.

LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK
As a nonprofit organization, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank relies on your generosity to provide essential food and nutrition assistance to people throughout Los Angeles County.

ORANGE COUNTY UNITED WAY
From strengthening local resilience to expanding youth opportunity, financial stability, and access to stable housing, we’re working toward an Orange County where everyone has the support they need to reach their full potential..

PARA LOS NIÑOS
Founded on Skid Row in 1980, Para Los Niños (PLN) partners with more than 10,000 children, youth and families each year through integrated education, wellness supports and advocacy, addressing individual and systemic barriers to create pathways to success.

PASADENA HUMANE
Pasadena Humane is more than an animal shelter; we are a community-supported animal resource center providing compassion and care for all animals.

PUENTE LEARNING CENTER
Support the work of PUENTE Learning Center this giving season by making a charitable donation today. Your gift helps PUENTE continue to unlock the full potential of every student, addressing and disrupting inequity and injustice for children, youth, and adults.

ST. VINCENT MEALS ON WHEELS
For nearly 50 years, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels has been serving homebound seniors with compassion, care, and nutritious meals, and the need is only growing.

Carving Out a Niche: The New Entrepreneur Boom is Built Around Solving Problems
Los Angeles’s niche-focused startups find wins by addressing ultra-specific industry pain points

Southern California Advertising Agencies Focus on Key Campaigns; New Executive Appointments
From major campaigns to the upcoming big game, advertising agencies are at the forefront of many major multimedia campaigns connecting brands and audiences

TOP ADVERTISING AGENCIES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The Santa Monica-based firm recently announced the promotion of longtime leader Brett Bender from executive vice president to president.

California’s AI Laws Are Setting the National Trend
As Congress stalls on artificial intelligence regulation, California’s sweeping AI legislation is setting the benchmark

Getting Your Team to Play in the Sandbox with AI
When the “new hire” is a robot – how leaders can turn fear and skepticism into curiosity, confidence and creativity

Movers & Shakers: Highlights of Recent Executive Hires and Climbs
JLL has announced that it has expanded its Southern California office brokerage business. The firm has hired 10-year Los Angeles commercial real estate veteran Blake Olson as senior vice president.

Out-of-the-Box AI: Innovative applications disrupt unexpected industries
From personalizing the medspa experience to problem-solving for HR teams to managing bike lanes on busy city streets, AI innovations are making surprising inroads across a wide range of industries.

Southern California Industrial Development Slows Amid Economic Uncertainty While South Bay Office Leases Grow
Commercial real estate markets throughout the region showed varying states of growth or stall in Q3, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield – the Southern California office leasing market had higher levels of activity in Q3 of 2025 compared with the first half of the year

LOS ANGELES COUNTY
The Los Angeles office market vacancy rate was 23.9% and negative net absorption of 515,035 square feet resulted in a year-to-date decline in occupancy following a positive first half of the year.

ORANGE COUNTY
The overall office market vacancy rate climbed to 19% as tenants have uncertainty about long-term occupancy needs. The Greater Airport Area was the most active area within the Orange County office market, accounting for 58% of leasing activity during the past quarter.

INLAND EMPIRE
The Inland Empire is primarily an industrial market with about 650 million square feet of warehousing and manufacturing space. The overall vacancy rate climbed to 7.8% even as activity increased.

SAN DIEGO
San Diego’s office vacancy rate held steady quarter over quarter at 14.3%, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield.Tenant activity remains strongest for leases below 10,000 square feet as tenants are focused on higher-quality spaces with downsized footprints.

M&A Roundup
Andrew Ritter, CEO of Cairns Health, called the app’s ability to manage medications by scanning a label "game-changing," noting it was a "perfect fit" for mobile vision technologies complementing Luna. Together by Renee has over 50,000 users and remains free.

VC Roundup
Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a Los Angeles-based biotech firm specializing in regenerative medicine, has successfully raised $120 million in a Series B funding round.