The Long Beach Community Foundation was founded in 1996 by the Estate Planning & Trust Council of Long Beach and an advisory board of local community leaders in collaboration with the California Community Foundation.
In 2003, a grant to open an office in Long Beach was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Vandana Shiva, a scientist and environmentalist known for her activism against GMOs, globalization, and patents on seeds and traditional foods, co-founded Navdanya.