Harbor Commission Awards More Than $500,000 to Community Groups

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners this week approved 156 sponsorships totaling $508,150, enabling community organizations to host a wide variety of events and programs. In turn, the events help the Port of Long Beach to highlight its role in international trade and social responsibility.

Since 2007, the Port of Long Beach has distributed more than $10 million through its Community Sponsorship Program to support events and projects that focus on education, the arts, the environment and social justice, while also providing the Port a platform to communicate with residents and other audiences.

The Harbor Commission approved a $1.25 million community sponsorship budget for the 2023 fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Requests for sponsorship funding are open twice a year, in March and September.

“Participating in community investment by sponsoring these admirable organizations is paramount to our mission at the Port,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “As an economic engine for the region, it is our duty to support the community that supports us.”

“We are thrilled every year to fund these very deserving organizations. They breathe life into our communities while celebrating diversity and civic engagement in the region,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Sharon L. Weissman.

Some of the events and programs awarded funds in the latest round of sponsorships are the Alamitos Heights Improvement Association’s Tree Planting Campaign, the Puente Latino Association’s December Holiday Food Distribution and the Catalina Island Conservancy Symposium.

Through their events, sponsorship recipients are required to help the Port get out the word on its maritime and commercial interests. Port staff members also participate in some of the sponsored events to help provide information about the Port.

Additional information about the Community Sponsorship Program and a list of approved sponsorships can be found here.

The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. As the second-busiest container seaport in the United States, the Port handles trade valued at more than $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million trade-related jobs across the nation, including 575,000 in Southern California.