San Francisco, CA — The James Irvine Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation are providing more than $700,000 in grants to organizations that are cultivating the next generation of arts leaders in California through professional development, networking and mentorships. Hewlett’s Board of Directors approved $400,000 in grants in support of such efforts in November, and Irvine’s Board of Directors approved $340,000 in grants last month, with additional funding possible.

Research conducted by both foundations found that the arts sector faces critical leadership challenges during the next 10 to 15 years as the “baby boom” generation of arts leaders enters retirement age. Although there is a good supply of midcareer arts managers who are able to fill the roles, most arts organizations lack the resources for training and other kinds of professional development that will better prepare these promising young leaders to become effective nonprofit executives, the research found.

To help address this issue, Irvine and Hewlett are supporting several professional networks of emerging arts leaders that are providing their members with seminars, workshops, networking opportunities and other forms of professional development. Both Hewlett and Irvine provided grants to the San Francisco Bay Area Emerging Arts Professionals (through fiscal sponsor Intersection for the Arts) and GenArts Silicon Valley (through fiscal sponsor 1stACT Silicon Valley), as well as the Center for Cultural Innovation ’s Creative Capacity Fund, which offers arts professionals direct support for professional development. Irvine also provided a grant to the San Diego Foundation for its San Diego Emerging Leaders of Arts and Culture program.

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In January 2010, the following published articles mentioned the work of the Foundation or our grantees:

• O.C. Museum of Art Reports Positive Quarter, Large Grants
  (Orange County Register, 1/29/10)
• Date Lines: Well-appointed
  (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/28/10)
• Help Redistrict California
  (San Luis Obispo New Times, 1/27/10)

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Just south of downtown, Santee Education Complex is one of Los Angeles' newest high schools, a huge, modern campus with more than 3,500 students. Many of its students come from poor neighborhoods where gang-related violence is common, and those who end up graduating and attending college are often the first in their families to do so.

But few Santee students ever do go to college. Since it opened in 2005, Santee has grappled with low test scores, dispirited students and a nearly 50 percent dropout rate.

"At a school where almost one in two kids now drop out, our students will be graduating with a double diploma — and with double the opportunity." – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

"So many of our students simply don't see the benefits of a high school diploma because they aren't exposed to (those benefits) in their communities," says Brunel Merilus, assistant principal of the Travel, Tourism and Culinary Arts Academy, one of six small learning academies that make up Santee.

Now, Santee is embarking on a new initiative designed to curb the school's high dropout rate and help students see the benefits of going to college. The program will send Santee students to college-level classes in tourism, culinary arts and other fields, while giving them hands-on work experience in these fields through internships with local businesses.

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San Francisco, CA — The James Irvine Foundation has provided grants to seven organizations to help them adapt to the economic downturn and build long-term financial health. The Foundation made the grants as part of the new, $2 million Fund for Financial Restructuring, which assists selected grantee organizations that are actively and creatively responding to the current economy in ways that can build long-term financial health.

“With revenue down and needs increasing for so many nonprofits, we want to support grantees that are ready to develop new business models that better align revenues and expenditures,” said Jim Canales, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Irvine Foundation. “We believe this Fund can both help the grantees directly, as well as uncover best practices that can be shared with other nonprofits.”

Through a competitive application process, the seven organizations were selected to receive grants of up to $150,000. These organizations are pursuing strategic alliances or mergers, re-examining their revenue streams to diversify funding sources, and/or changing operational structures to adapt to economic pressures. A complete list of grantees follows:

Organization	Grant Amount
Balboa Park Cultural Partnership	$150,000
Kala Art Institute	$150,000
L.A. Stage Alliance	$150,000
Oakland East Bay Symphony	$150,000
San Francisco Chanticleer	$144,000
Theatre Bay Area	$150,000
Valley Public Television	$150,000

A second round of grants will be announced in the spring of 2010. For more information about the fund, please visit www.irvine.org/ffr. 

Contact: Ray Delgado, 415.356.9917, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

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In November, California voters approved an overhaul of the state’s redistricting system, the once-a-decade process of drawing the boundaries of state lawmakers’ electoral districts.

Historically, state legislators had been in charge of the redistricting process, drawing the district boundaries in which they and others would run. The passage of Proposition 11 places that district-drawing power in the hands of a 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission, chosen from a pool of citizen applicants with a history of regular voting.

“The main issue going forward is getting people to apply to the commission who are from all walks of life, who are representative of California, and who can bring their views to the commission.” – Robert M. Stern, President of the Center for Governmental Studies

Many experts agree that if the new redistricting system is to succeed, it will require a broad-based pool of applicants to the new commission that reflects the state’s diversity, as well as broad public participation to inform the commission’s plans.

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San Francisco — The James Irvine Foundation today announced the appointment of Josephine Ramirez as Program Director for the Arts. Ramirez will join Irvine from the Los Angeles Music Center and brings more than two decades of substantive experience in the arts to this leadership role.

Since its founding in 1937, the Irvine Foundation has been a major supporter of the arts in California. Today, Irvine is one of the largest arts funders in the state, with more than $19 million in grants in 2009. The goal of Irvine’s Arts program is to promote a vibrant and inclusive artistic and cultural environment in California.

“Josephine has been successful in a variety of leadership roles in the arts sector, from arts education to grantmaking to the development of cultural policy,” said Jim Canales, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Irvine Foundation. “She has a stellar reputation for inclusiveness and strategic thinking, and a deep commitment to diversity and cultural engagement, all attributes that will serve to further the aspirations of Irvine’s Arts program.”

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San Francisco — The James Irvine Foundation today announced the election of Peter J. Taylor, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the University of California, as the new Chair of its Board of Directors. Taylor succeeds Gary B. Pruitt, the President, CEO and Chairman of the McClatchy Company, who retired from the board in December and served as Chair since 2006. In addition, the Foundation has elected Virgil Roberts to the Board of Directors to fill the vacancy created by Pruitt’s retirement.

Taylor joined the Irvine Foundation board in 2001 and has recently served as Vice Chair. His professional experience includes a lengthy career in investment banking, most recently as Managing Director with Barclays Capital, Executive Director of the Coro Foundation and six years on the staff of the California State Assembly. Engaged in a wide range of community activities, Taylor is a past president of the UCLA Alumni Association and the UCLA Foundation, and previously served as Chair of UCLA’s African American Admissions Task Force. He also serves on the board of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles.

“Peter has been an active and engaged member of our Board of Directors for the past nine years, and all of us at the Foundation look forward to working with him in his leadership role,” noted Jim Canales, Irvine’s President and CEO. “His broad and deep community engagement combined with his professional background in education and finance will serve us well as we work to expand opportunity for the people of California.”

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When the financial crisis struck in the fall of 2008, Jan Karlin was in the middle of her two-year grant from Irvine’s Fund for Leadership Advancement (FLA). Karlin had had great success as cofounder and executive director of Southwest Chamber Music in Pasadena. The ensemble had won two Grammy Awards, been on three world tours in the previous four years, and secured federal funding for the largest-ever cultural exchange with Vietnam, sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

“As an organization, we were looking at what we could do next,” Karlin says. “I thought the FLA grant would help move us to the next level.” Karlin used FLA funds to hire an executive coach, take seminars, and boost the capacity of her staff and board to help realize the vision she was creating. “So by the time the recession hit, we had a lot of things in place to be able to weather the recession,” Karlin recalls. “I won’t say it’s been easy, but I don’t think we’re in any danger as an organization.”

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Dear Friends, The New Year always brings with it an orientation toward the future, as we set new goals and start the year with a fresh perspective. In this context, I wanted to report on an exciting partnership we are engaged in with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation focused on cultivating the next generation of arts leaders in California. Research commissioned by each of our foundations recently found that the arts sector faces a critical leadership transition during the next 10 to 15 years as the current “baby boom” generation of arts leaders enters retirement age. The good news is that there is no shortage of smart, engaged and dedicated midcareer professionals available to fill these roles. Many of them began their careers as practicing artists and have now been drawn into managerial roles. The challenge we found is that most arts organizations lack the resources for training and other kinds of professional development that will better prepare these promising young leaders to become effective nonprofit executives. The recession has only made this problem worse. As organizations downsize, resources for professional development and travel are often among the first areas to be cut. Meanwhile, the need for training is only greater during an economic downturn, as employees are called upon to assume additional responsibilities and leadership is spread across the organization. These sacrifices might be manageable in the short term but they can hurt an organization’s long-term ability to retain and cultivate the talented young professionals who will lead them into the future.

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In December 2009, the following published articles mentioned the work of the Foundation or our grantees:

• For the Arts, ‘09 Ends on a Hopeful Note
  (Laguna Beach Independent, 12/31/09)
• A Festive 'Snow Queen'
  (Los Angeles Times, 12/18/09)
• California Watch Says 'Yes' to Open, Networked Investigative Reports
  (PBS MediaShift, 12/17/09)

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