Following are remarks made by Jim Canales, Irvine's President and CEO, at the Fresno Regional Foundation's 45th anniversary luncheon on Oct. 26, 2011. At the luncheon, the Fresno Regional Foundation announced plans to establish a new Fund for the San Joaquin Valley, using a $3 million grant from Irvine, to advance local giving and address critical issues in the region.

President John F. Kennedy had a plaque on his desk in the Oval Office. Inscribed on the front in brass were the words of an old fisherman’s prayer: Oh God thy sea is so great… and my boat is so small. That captures pretty well the thought of just about any foundation CEO. With seemingly infinite need and relatively finite resources, effective philanthropy can be a challenge. Moreover, when I look out at the problems swelling around California and then consider the scope of Irvine’s resources to do something about it… that sea looks quite vast, and the boat looks very small indeed.

I also find inspiration in the perspective of another “nautical” philosopher. In Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws”, when the character of Police Chief Martin Brody first sees the size and power of his foe… when he sees just how big that shark actually is... he kind of stumbles back a bit, but then recovers and calmly tells the scruffy captain: “You're gonna need a bigger boat.”

And that’s the spirit that we celebrate today. At the Fresno Regional Foundation, together we are building a bigger boat. Each of us plays a critical role as donor, supporter, advisor, champion or just a caring citizen who knows the value that a strong community delivers.

Dear Friends,

Last year, the philanthropic community was engaged in a vigorous debate about diversity and whether private foundations in California were investing sufficiently to support minority communities. This dialogue was prompted in large measure by a proposed California law which would have required large private foundations to collect and report race and ethnicity data about themselves and their grantees. Although Irvine and a broader coalition of private foundations opposed the bill for a number of reasons, the debate it generated identified some important underlying issues and, ultimately, led Irvine and others to take specific, constructive steps to address these issues. This quarter’s letter provides an update on our activities in this regard.

Most significantly, last year’s debate helped to surface a broad need to augment support to nonprofit organizations serving low-income people and communities of color across the state. The discussion also focused on the need for strong leaders and effective organizations in these communities. So, as an extension of our various efforts already dedicated toward this end, Irvine partnered with the Packard and Hewlett foundations to launch the Community Leadership Project, an $8 million commitment by our three foundations over a three year period. The focus of this collaboration is on strengthening organizations, building capacity and developing leadership in three regions of shared interest to our three foundations: the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Coast and the San Joaquin Valley.

In June, our three foundations announced the first round of grants to nine intermediary organizations, totaling $5.7 million. The Community Leadership Project works through intermediary organizations, where possible tapping the expertise of community foundations because of their understanding of the needs of the targeted communities. During the summer, we requested letters of inquiry for a second round of grants. Not only did we receive a large number of applications, but the proposed ideas are creative and compelling, and the applicants have strong networks in the targeted regions. As a result, the three foundations have agreed to contribute an additional $1 million of funding to support some of these proposed projects, bringing the level of funding to $9 million. We expect to announce a new set of partners later this year.