FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 21, 2021

Contact:
Vaishalee Raja,
Senior Communications Officer
213-283-2007
vraja@irvine.org

SAN FRANCISCO (June 21, 2021) — The James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors approved 16 grants totaling $19,020,000 last week. The grants primarily support the Foundation’s three initiatives focused on working Californians (Better Careers, Fair Work, and Priority Communities).

The full list of board-approved grants includes:

Initiatives

Better Careers 

AlliedUP Cooperative Inc.

A two-year grant of $750,000 to provide low-wage, allied health workers with union scale wages, benefits, and upskilling.

Community College League of California

A two-year grant of $500,000 to advance economic mobility and shared prosperity for all Californians through statewide advocacy and policymaker education focused on workforce development and training.

Jobs for the Future, Inc.

A three-year grant of $1.5 million to support the design, prototyping, and expansion of education and workforce development innovations to address equity gaps in employment and training outcomes across the state.

Year Up, Inc.

A two-year grant of $2.5 million to expand impact, innovate new models, and create an equitable future for Opportunity Youth — young adults aged 18-24 with a high school diploma or GED who are not currently in school, not working or are underemployed — in the broader workforce.

Fair Work

Center on Policy Initiatives

A two-year grant of $1.05 million to support the Center on Policy Initiatives and the incubation of a Black worker center in San Diego.

Community Partners

A two-year grant of $620,000 to support the development of a regional hub for Black workers in Southern California, through an entity such as the Los Angeles Black Worker Center.

Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement

A two-year grant of $900,000 to support Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement and the incubation of a Black worker center in the Inland Empire.

Tides Center

An 18-month grant of $600,000 to advance racial and geographic equity within the worker justice ecosystem through support for leaders in under-resourced regions of California, through an entity such as The LeadersTrust.

Priority Communities   

Ampac Tri-state CDC Inc

A three-year grant of $1.5 million to provide capital, technical assistance, and a learning environment to women and minority-owned small businesses in the Inland Empire.

Community Foundation for Monterey County

A two-year grant of $3 million to support the Salinas Inclusive Economic Development Initiative, which will support local community-based organizations as they engage with local economic development processes in ways that center the voices, assets, and needs of low-income community residents.

Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation

A two-year grant of $2.5 million to establish the Fresno Bonding, Technical Assistance, and Contract Financing Program (BTAC) to support the technical and capital needs of small businesses owned by women and BIPOC in the construction industry.

Hartnell College Foundation

A two-year grant of $600,000 to implement a racial equity framework and to expand agriculture technology workforce programming for Latinx residents with community partners in Salinas.

Radio Bilingue, Inc.

A two-year grant of $600,000 to sustain and strengthen high-quality journalism for Latinx and Spanish-speaking audiences.

Additional Grantmaking              

Southern California Public Radio

A two-year grant of $400,000 to support community engagement in journalism on economic security and advancement, and to deepen the reach and impact of journalism in underserved communities.

CalMatters

A two-year grant of $500,000 to support the California Divide, a statewide media collaboration to raise awareness and engagement about poverty and income inequality.

Tides Foundation

A one-year grant of $1.5 million to respond to future crises and provided regrants to organizations addressing needs of migrants at the southern California border, through an entity such as the California Dignity for Families Fund.