The goal of the Youth program is to increase the number of low-income young people who complete high school on time and earn a postsecondary credential by age 25.

Far too many young people disengage from education today. The dropout rate is too high. The percent of young people achieving a postsecondary credential is too low. And, for those who have left school, the way back is too hard. As a result, their lifelong opportunities and income are limited, and California communities are less vibrant.

Our Youth program is focused on overcoming these challenges and giving California’s youth the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential. That’s why our largest investments are with Linked Learning, a promising approach to education that is gaining ground as it produces measurable results in communities across the state.

Watch an audio slideshow of how Irvine and our grantees are developing the Linked Learning approach:

Linked Learning helps young people learn what they love. It combines preparation for real-world professions with rigorous academics, transforming education into a personally relevant, wholly engaging experience — and opening students to career and college opportunities they never imagined.

Encouraged by progress to date, Irvine and a growing field of education policymakers, providers and partners are determined to make Linked Learning available to all of California’s low-income youth, ages 14 to 24. By 2015, we want to strengthen this field and advance the adoption and results of Linked Learning through three grantmaking strategies:

• Broaden the practice of Linked Learning in systems that serve young people — high school districts, postsecondary institutions and community organizations that engage out-of-school youth
• Build public will through a broad base of support for Linked Learning
• Support policy that can fuel expansion of Linked Learning across California

Grant Inquiries

While we accept unsolicited inquiries from grantseekers, we are able to fund very few of them. Learn more about submitting a letter of inquiry. Full proposals are accepted by invitation only.