WEHOonline’s “25 For 2025 Year-End Giving Guide”

Research suggests giving can genuinely lift your mood. The brain’s reward system lights up, with people reporting a real “helper’s high” that feels better than actually getting something for themselves.

So, let the giving continue, with a twist, you actually get something in return: a dopamine rush that’s tax deductible.

Below is WEHOonline’s “25 for 2025” Year-End Giving Guide. A list of organizations to consider making a donation to. We vetted them through Charity Navigator and stand behind their reputation for spending donation dollars in the best ways possible.

For 2025 year-end giving, even 5 bucks can make a difference. The list is mostly West Hollywood, Hollywood, and Westside-friendly, plus a few bigger orgs that a lot of WeHo residents already support. Take a look and remember, every penny counts. The list is alphabetical.

1. AIDS Healthcare Foundation
   Iconic organization with L.A. roots, and a focus on HIV/AIDS care and prevention that still matters. Donate here

2. APLA Health
   Local health care provider with deep ties to LA’s LGBTQ community, offering HIV care, primary care, and more. Donate here

3. Best Friends Animal Society
   A large, organized animal-welfare group with a strong presence in L.A., good if you want your donation to stretch. Donate here

4. Cedars-Sinai
   Close to home for WeHo, and this week comes with a strong incentive. Cedars says year-end gifts will be doubled, dollar for dollar, up to $180,000, supporting patient care and medical advances going into 2026. Donate here

5. Downtown Women’s Center
   Targeted support for women experiencing homelessness, including housing and supportive services, a focused mission with real urgency behind it. Donate here

6. FixNation
   A practical way to help community cats long-term through spay and neuter and basic care support. Donate here

7. Friends of the West Hollywood Library
   Your dollars support programming and resources tied to the West Hollywood Library. Donate here

8. Hollywood Food Coalition
   Direct, local help, meals, and essentials for neighbors who are unhoused or struggling. Donate here

9. LA Family Housing
   Housing plus services, one of the big players in our region’s effort to move people from the street into stability. Donate here

10. Los Angeles LGBT Center
    One of the most visible LGBTQ+ safety-net organizations in our area, covering health care, housing, youth services, legal support, and more. Donate here

11. Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
    A high-volume, countywide network that supports many partner agencies, solid if you want broad impact. Donate here

12. Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation
    Local animal rescue with a real following. If animal welfare is your lane, it’s a recognizable L.A.-area option with a reliable name behind the organization. Donate here

13. MAK Center for Art and Architecture
    For donors who want to support culture and preservation near home, MAK is a West Hollywood-friendly pick. Donate here

14. My Friend’s Place
    Focused on youth experiencing homelessness in Hollywood, with services that help young people get back on their feet. Donate here

15. One Institute
    LGBTQ+ history, archives, and education, a very WeHo-type cause, keeping community memory from getting erased. Donate here

16. PATH
    A major homelessness-services provider, supporting housing and wraparound services at scale across California. Donate here

17. Planned Parenthood Los Angeles
    A straightforward year-end option that supports reproductive health care, education, and access. Donate here

18. Project Angel Food
    Medically tailored meals delivered to people dealing with serious illness, simple concept, huge day-to-day impact. Donate here

19. Safe Place for Youth
    Westside-focused work to end youth homelessness through services, support, and housing pathways. Donate here

20. Saban Community Clinic
    Neighborhood-level health care access, a solid choice if you like supporting clinics that serve regardless of ability to pay. Donate here

21. The People Concern
    Long-running L.A. organization focused on homelessness services and supportive housing, broad reach across the city. Donate here

22. The Trevor Project
    A widely known name in LGBTQ+ youth crisis support, especially meaningful if you want your giving to help young people who are struggling right now. Donate here

23. Trans Lifeline
    Trans-led crisis support and direct-help programs, a focused way to support the trans community beyond talk. Donate here

24. West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation
    One of the most direct “help your own neighborhood” donations on this list, focused on affordable housing and supportive services in WeHo. Donate here

25. WeHo Community Cats
    If you’ve seen the neighborhood cats, this is part of the volunteer network behind feeding and care. Support and donation info: Donate here

Thanks for doing something good in the final week of 2025. Yes, the tax deduction is nice, but the real payoff from your “helpers high” is knowing you helped someone or something that really needs it.

Happy New Year!