Greg Perlman & Jodi Perlman

Jodi and Greg Perlman do philanthropy differently, and they have a message for other donors: Try it our way. They founded the Los Angeles nonprofit The Change Reaction in 2019 after partnering with social workers at UCLA Hospital to provide rapid support for families with hospitalized loved ones.

With a staff of 11, the organization relies on over 1,500 “change agents”—social workers, case managers, nonprofit leaders, clergy, and others on the front lines—who channel small grants to people with immediate needs. Funding moves fast. The Change Reaction has received over 63,000 requests, approving 96% of them and paying most within 72 hours, disbursing over $77 million in the past five years.  

“We empower all of these great organizations to help the people they serve,” says Greg, who founded GHC Housing Partners, an affordable housing developer, in 1993. “The network is what makes it all work. Everything is vetted.”

They recently branded their unique giving mechanism as “Zip-Aid,” emphasizing its quickness and geographic precision. Emergency grants can go toward home furnishings, medical expenses, even car repairs. During L.A.’s deadly wildfires, the Perlmans partnered with local nonprofits and clergy to distribute checks to thousands of families.  

“It touches your heart in such a way that you almost can’t explain it, unless you do it,” Jodi says. The Perlmans have personally read almost every Change Reaction grant request. “This type of giving is contagious. Imagine this in every city, how many individual people can be helped.”