The James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors approved $16,132,000 in grants at its quarterly meeting last week. The grants reflect the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to current grantees and initiatives as well as its evolving focus to expand economic and political opportunity for California families and young adults who are working but struggling with poverty. (Read about that new direction here.)

Highlights of this current round of giving include the following:

Linked Learning

A signature initiative by the Foundation over the past seven years (and continuing into the future), Linked Learning prepares students to graduate from high school ready for college and careers, with the skills needed to thrive in the workplace.

A two-year grant of $3.3 million was approved to Jobs for the Future to support the network of Linked Learning Regional Hubs and strengthen those anchor organizations leading regional expansion efforts.

The Foundation will grant $6 million over two years to the Linked Learning Alliance to support the implementation of next-stage Linked Learning expansion goals and the sustainability of the Alliance, a statewide coalition of education, business, and community organizations focused on better preparing California high school students for college and careers.

A two-year grant of $1.5 million was approved to Pivot Learning Partners to achieve the Linked Learning Field leadership goal of accessible, high-quality Linked Learning technical assistance.

Voter and Civic Engagement

Irvine will grant $450,000 to the Inland Congregations United for Change Sponsoring Committee, Inc., to support the organization’s overall mission to address political and economic barriers to civic participation in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

A grant of $1.25 million over 56 months was approved to the PowerPAC Foundation to support a multi-year integrated voter and civic engagement research project through an entity such as the American Majority Project Research Institute.

Policymaker Education

A two-year grant of $700,000 was approved to Capitol Impact, LLC to support the California Legislative Staff Education Institute, expanding its focus into additional policy areas and increasing and diversifying participation among legislative staff.

Poverty Research

A two-year grant of $750,000 was approved for the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality to build a quantitative and qualitative infrastructure for monitoring poverty and evaluating policy in California.

Priority Regions

The Foundation will make a three-year grant of $350,000 to support Food in Need of Distribution Food Bank, Inc. (FIND Food Bank) as the backbone organization of an anti-poverty, collective-impact collaborative in the Coachella Valley.

An 18-month grant of $600,000 was approved to the Inland Empire Economic Partnership Foundation to support the implementation of the Launch Initiative Demonstration Pilot project, which seeks to reduce poverty in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Irvine will grant, over 3.5 years, $1.23 million to McLeod Grant Advisors LLC to support the replication of the Irvine New Leadership Network in Stanislaus County to empower diverse leaders to create a better future in the region.