Larry Kaplan

Larry Kaplan advises on fundraising strategy and program design, grant writing, marketing and communications, strategic planning and staff development, board development and recruiting, public policy analysis and advocacy for community-based social justice nonprofits, collaboratives and philanthropists in Southern California.

Larry can be your strategic thought partner -- he can help you focus on your true priorities and manage your limited resources. He has turned around troubled non-profit organizations and started up new ones. He has built and maintained elected officials' offices, managed political campaigns, and has a solid understanding of the impacts of public policy.

He is a problem solver, a "fixer," and is passionate about urban communities and social justice. He is a strong writer and editor, with solid marketing communications skills. He also offers freelance writing and interim executive director services.

In 2018, Larry was the managing director of Fairwarning, a nonprofit investigative news organization, where he was responsible for all of the non-editorial functions of the website, primarily fundraising, marketing and administration.

As the Los Angeles Area Director for the Trust for Public Land, a national land conservation organization, Larry managed its urban park program, and was instrumental in developing a new paradigm for urban parks and playgrounds in low-income communities. He was executive director of Workplace Hollywood, a non-profit dedicated to increasing the workforce diversity of Los Angeles' signature industry.

Larry was the CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and helped a national civil engineering firm market its services to both public and private sector clients. His career includes serving as Regional Director for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, covering the state from the Tehachapi’s to the Mexican border, during her first term. And, he served a number of state and local elected officials, including L.A. Councilman Mike Woo in his first term.

Larry, a long-time Angeleno, began his career in journalism, and is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism. He regularly contributed to the Nonprofit Quarterly over the past few years, and currently volunteers with Taproot and Catchafire, providing guidance, coaching and counsel to various non-profit organizations.

Larry served on the California Board of Accountancy from 2011 to 2017, and on the Los Angeles County Local Governmental Services Commission from 2013 to 2018. In 2017, he was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly to the Bar Examiners Committee of the California State Bar, and in 2018, he was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to the Economy and Efficiency Commission. He also chairs the board of Worksite Wellness Los Angeles.