About Us
About Us
The Harbor Community Benefit Foundation (HCBF) was created as a result of the settlement known as the “TraPac MOU,” an historic and precedent-setting agreement whereby the Port of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles agreed to address the negative cumulative environmental and public health impacts of its business operations on its neighbors – local port communities and their residents.
As part of the San Pedro Bay port complex, the Port of Los Angeles
is the largest industrial port in the United States and among the largest cargo ports in the world. The harbor is a gate of entry for import cargo destined for local and regional markets (served by trucks via roads and freeways) and national destinations (served by rail). At the same time, the scale and wide variety of Port operations generates impacts both on and off port lands, including increased air emissions, traffic, noise and constraints on alternative, community-serving land uses.
Our Mission
Harbor Community Benefit Foundation invests in the quality of life for communities impacted by port-serving industries.
What Does This Mean?
We dedicate ourselves to keeping ports and port-serving industries in check to ensure that the surrounding communities have a clean and safe environment to thrive in for years to come. In partnership with the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, the foundation administers the Port Community Mitigation Trust Fund (PCMTF). The PCMTF was established to mitigate the off-port impacts of Port operations. It will help disadvantaged communities who often live in close proximity to industrial activity.
Our Founding Documents
Here are some key documents to provide a general understanding of how HCBF was established and the original criteria for our funding.
TraPac Memorandum of Understanding (“TraPac MOU”): The Agreement with the City and Port to establish a Port Community Mitigation Trust Fund (PCMTF) that HCBF would exclusively administer. Provides an overview of funding categories and designated projects (Land Use Study, etc.).
HCBF Bylaws: Provides guidance for board meetings and Board of Director participation and selection.
Port Community Mitigation Trust Fund Operating Agreement: Provides an overview of project funding, how grant are approved, selection criteria, and additional processes.