The James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors approved 17 grants totaling more than $25 million last week. The grants included support for the Foundation’s two initiatives focused on low-income Californians (Better Careers and Fair Work), and our culminating initiatives (Linked Learning, Postsecondary Success, and Voter and Civic Engagement).

The board also approved a two-year grant of $5 million to the College Futures Foundation, following the conclusion of the Foundation’s Postsecondary Success pilot. As Irvine focuses on its initiatives related to low-income workers, this partnership allows College Futures to regrant Irvine funds to institutions and organizations working to increase completion rates for California baccalaureate students.

The full list of board-approved grants includes:

Initiatives

Better Careers

Chaffey College Foundation
A two-year grant of $1.3 million to support the InTech Center’s pre-apprenticeship to job placement pipeline at Chaffey College.

Foundation for California Community Colleges
A two-year grant of $1.07 million to support apprenticeship readiness and expansion throughout California community colleges.

Goodwill Industries of Southern California
A two-year grant of $750,000 to engage manufacturing sector employers to create a career pathway program.

Growth Sector
A three-year grant of $1.33 million to create an engineering technologist apprenticeship pathway to high-wage careers for traditionally underrepresented Californians and those with fewer job skills.

Jobs for the Future, Inc.
A two-year grant of $3 million to support implementation of The Future of California, a state-based impact strategy to advance sustained education and employment opportunities for Californians who are working but struggling with poverty.

National Skills Coalition
A two-year grant of $1.25 million to build a diverse California coalition that will advance lasting workforce development policies.

Rubicon Programs, Inc.
A two-year grant of $1.5 million to equip East Bay communities for lasting economic mobility through guided participation and achievement in four domains: Income, Assets, Wellness, and positive Social Connections.

San Diego Workforce Partnership, Inc.
A two-year grant of $1.2 million to create TechHire San Diego, a program designed to increase access to technology careers and lead to a larger, more diverse tech workforce.

Small Business Majority Foundation Inc.
A two-year grant of $1.5 million to support California workers by integrating small business into workforce development pipelines.

State Center Community College Foundation
A two-year grant of $500,000 to scale the Central Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program, which would build the local apprenticeship pipeline by focusing on enhancing job readiness for high-need populations.

Fair Work

Partnership for Working Families
A two-year grant of $2.7 million to support the engagement of workers with low-wages throughout California, while strengthening member organizations’ ability to raise standards for workers and expand access to quality jobs.

Culminating Grantmaking

Linked Learning

Linked Learning Alliance
An 18-month grant of $1.8 million to expand Linked Learning in California and beyond, ensuring that public dialogue, policies, and practices are anchored in equity and quality.

Postsecondary Success

California State University – Northridge Foundation
A two-year grant of $972,000 to support the California State University Chatbot Consortium for Student Success. This consortium includes seven campuses working together to demonstrate how innovation and institutional reform can improve student outcomes in the CSU system.

Foundation for California Community Colleges
A two-year grant of $500,000 to support the California Acceleration Project. This effort aims to reduce equity gaps and increase the proportion of California community college students who complete transferable courses in English and Math.

Voter and Civic Engagement

Advancement Project
A two-year grant of $675,000 to support Advancement Project California to both develop a California-focused policy agenda on civic engagement with Million Voter Project and to culminate Irvine’s longstanding VCE investment.