The Hot and Cool Foundation
"The Hot and Cool Foundation has two components. A non-profit addressing food insecurity through workforce development and a Fund that moves capital into black and brown communities.”
Our Purpose
Homelessness has been declared a is a state of emergency in LA County.
“We believe that personal and communal healing are fueled by economic empowerment. The Hot and Cool Foundation works to manifest this belief by equipping at-risk individuals with the support and experience needed to build a positive future. Now, with the launch of the Hot & Cool Fund, we extend this mission by directly moving capital into our community, bypassing traditional barriers to fund the grassroots organizations and big ideas that drive systemic change.
Thus, our workforce development program centers personal power and prioritizes individuals that are on the margins of society to create a pipeline for gainful, sustained employment.
Candidates are employment-ready, referred by trusted partners, enhancing employability through job experience and financial literacy training.
Graduates access exclusive opportunities for long-term roles at community partner locations.
We offer career pathways promoting autonomy, providing resources for candidates' success in their endeavors.
Empowerment Through Employment: A Step-by-Step Application Process
Referral: Participants must receive a referral from a workforce training program.
Application Completion: Participants are required to fill out an application, which involves self-identifying as part of the target demographic.
Interview: All applicants undergo an interview as part of the selection process.Intake and
Coordination: Once accepted, candidates go through a two-day intake and coordination process tailored to equip them for their program journey and to provide specialized services that minimize barriers to employment.
What We Need
Support our mission in LA County, where Black residents, just 8% of the population, make up a staggering 34% of the homeless. Dive into the roots of systemic poverty, and you'll find communities of color most impacted by food scarcity, housing unavailability, and unequal education.
South Central LA stands out, hosting the U.S.'s largest food-insecure population—over 2 million individuals. We're committed to offering nutritious meals to the 69,144 people without homes. Make an impact. Support us now.
100+
Families Helped
100k
Meals Served
100%
Satisfaction
Tony Jolly
Director
Anthony Jolly is the founder of Hot + Cool Cafe in the heart of Leimert Park Village and Crenshaw Coffee Co. With Hot + Cool, Anthony combined his years of experience sourcing and identifying specialty coffee from Ethiopia and introducing high end premium coffees to the third wave coffee sector, with a plantbased approach to food to create a vegan specialty coffee food space. He intentionally chose Leimert Park as the location for a vegan cafe in what has historically been a food desert for convenient, healthy food choices in South Central. As a certified social enterprise, Hot + Cool Cafe’s mission has expanded to include employment opportunities and training for previously incarcerated individuals.
Tina Amin
Operations
Tina began her career in international human rights law in Africa and eventually became a top 30 under 30 corporate litigator. She found her way back to her roots through the walls of Hot & Cool, providing a healthy physical and eating space, while tackling social justice issues and food inequalities rampant in South LA. She is currently the COO for both Hot and Cool Cafe and Crenshaw Coffee Company, and has helped build both companies from inception, with lots of learning along the way. Her passion for community, creative and healthy food, and forging spaces for people and communities fuel her drive