SAN FRANCISCO (March 22, 2021) – The James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors approved 14 grants totaling $22,635,000 last week. The grants primarily support for the Foundation’s three initiatives focused on working Californians (Fair Work, Better Careers, and Priority Communities).

Board-approved grants include:

Initiatives

Better Careers

Chaffey College Foundation

A two-year grant of $1.3 million to support the Chaffey College InTech Center’s pre-apprenticeship to job placement workforce pipeline for advanced manufacturing and other growing industries in the Inland Empire.

Foundation for California Community Colleges

A two-year grant of $1 million to support apprenticeship readiness and expansion throughout California, especially within community colleges.

Goodwill Industries of Southern California

A two-year grant of $750,000 to expand career pathway training programs that support living-wage careers in the manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and logistics sectors.

Jewish Vocational & Career Counseling Service

A three-year grant of $3 million for general operating support.

LeadersUp

A three-year grant of $2 million to support LeadersUp’s work to advance economic mobility and better career outcomes for California’s next generation of BIPOC talent.

National Skills Coalition

A two-year grant of $1 million to develop and advance workforce development policies through policymaker education and analysis, with a focus on increasing racial equity in skills training, to help more Californians access good jobs.

Rubicon Programs, Inc.

A three-year grant of $1.5 million to ensure East Bay communities have access to workforce development and supportive services in order to achieve full economic and civic participation.

San Diego Workforce Partnership, Inc.

A two-year grant of $1.5 million to support the CyberHire San Diego initiative, a workforce talent pipeline that aims to increase the number of unemployed/underemployed and low-wage workers in quality cybersecurity careers.

Small Business Majority Foundation Inc.

A one-year grant of $750,000 to support California’s small business employers through the COVID-19 pandemic and into recovery.

State Center Community College Foundation

A two-year grant of $500,000 to support the Central Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program.

Fair Work
Partnership for Working Families

A two-year grant of $2.3 million to expand engagement of low-income workers in regions throughout California, while strengthening collaboration and the work of member organizations to improve workplace standards and access to quality jobs.

Priority Communities

Inland Empire Community Foundation

A one-year grant of $835,000 to support the backbone functions and build participation among community-based organizations for the Inland Economic Growth and Opportunity (IEGO) initiative.

Additional Grantmaking

College Futures Foundation

A two-year grant of $5 million to support a partnership with College Futures Foundation to increase the completion rate for bachelor’s degrees in California, particularly for Black and Latinx students, through more student-centered pathways. This is the second grant as part of the transition from Irvine’s prior Postsecondary Success grantmaking.