FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 2, 2026

Contact: 
Luisa Montes,
Senior Communications Officer
415-356-9940
lmontes@irvine.org

April 2, 2026 — The James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors has approved $185 million over the next seven years to support and expand the Just Prosperity initiative’s goal to advance solutions that make the economy work for all Californians. The Irvine Foundation launched the Just Prosperity initiative in 2022, with a broad focus on advancing policies that reflect the priorities of low-income workers and their families in California.

Since then, Just Prosperity grantees’ efforts have helped inform, protect, and expand more than 400 policies and budget proposals. Grantees contacted and organized approximately 2.6 million low-income Californians, and identified and trained close to 40,000 community residents who can now mobilize on a range of policy needs. 

“Just Prosperity grantees have worked diligently to help vulnerable renters stay housed, increase paid sick leave, and expand supports and tax credits that put more money in the pockets of low-income families,” said Don Howard, President & CEO of The James Irvine Foundation. “The efforts of these community leaders are impressive and have led to tangible improvements in the lives of workers their families.”  

Over the next seven years, the initiative will focus on the following grantmaking strategies, so low-income workers and their families can have more influence on the decisions that impact their lives:   

• Policy research, advocacy, and evaluation to inform the public and policymakers about promising solutions and to ensure policies deliver their intended outcomes to improve affordability for low-income households. 
• Strengthening community organizing to ensure that low-income workers and families have voice, power, and representation in influencing the decisions and systems that affect their lives. 
• Bridging different sectors and ideological perspectives that strengthen coalitions, align interests, and increase the impact of efforts to build power and change policies. 

“The cost of living in California is growing faster than wages, and too many Californians have to make tough choices about food, housing, and care for their loved ones to make ends meet,” said Virginia Mosqueda, Initiative Director of Just Prosperity. “But when we listen to the needs and knowledge of workers and their families, we can find solutions that make our economy work for everyone.”  

The updated Just Prosperity strategy is informed by lessons from an external evaluation of the grantmaking until now, input from a grantee advisory committee, and feedback from the Irvine Foundation Board of Directors.