Today we announced a new set of board-approved grants. We encourage you to read and share the press release below.

Irvine Board of Directors Approves $7.35 Million in Grants on February 9, 2017

Last week The James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors approved $7.35 million in grants to five organizations working within the Foundation’s new area of focus: increasing economic and political opportunity for Californian families and young adults who are working but struggling with poverty.

The grants aim to expand the impact of effective organizations while allowing the Foundation to learn from the field, explore innovative approaches, and inform its grantmaking.

Three of the grants are part of Career Readiness and Living-Wage Work, a grantmaking area that the Foundation is exploring to ensure that low-income Californians can secure and succeed in family-sustaining jobs (as employees or entrepreneurs) — and that employers are able to create such opportunities.

There are also two grants for another area of exploration, Worker Voice and Influence, which focuses on increasing the ability of low-wage workers to engage in the economic and political decisions that affect their lives and communities, and foster partnerships that can lead to tangible gains for workers. (To learn more about the Foundation’s focus, visit here.

The board-approved grants include:

Career Readiness and Living-Wage Work

Chaffey College Foundation

A two-year grant of $1 million to support work-based learning programs at Chaffey College’s InTech Center. The goal is to increase job readiness in advanced manufacturing careers for residents of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation

A two-year grant of $700,000 to create a replicable, scalable training model that results in new and expanded pathways for Opportunity Youth in creative technology careers. This includes preparing graduates for employment opportunities that can sustain a family while improving collaboration on a systems level.

Rubicon Programs, Inc.

A two-year grant of $1 million to implement the Rubicon Empowerment model in Contra Costa County. Rubicon’s model equips participants to climb their socioeconomic ladders through guided participation and achievement in four domains: Income, Assets, Wellness, and positive Social Connections.

Worker Voice and Influence

Chinese Progressive Association

A three-year grant of $900,000 to address the economic needs of low-wage immigrant workers while strengthening the Association’s efforts to raise standards for workers and expand access to quality jobs in the San Francisco area.

National Domestic Workers Alliance

A three-year grant of $3.75 million to strengthen a network of organizations serving domestic workers in California and advance policy and industry innovations that improve the lives of domestic and home care workers in the state.