The James Irvine Foundation

08/19/2026

Every quarter, The James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors approves grants that advance our goal of a California where all low-income workers can advance economically. We pursue this goal primarily through our four initiatives: Better Careers, Fair Work, Just Prosperity, and Priority Communities.

During the second quarter of the year, we provided 34.5 million in grants. This included a two-year, $3.15 million grant to the Community Foundation for Monterey County to support the Salinas Inclusive Economic Development Initiative (SIEDI), which is helping create more good jobs in the region that pay workers enough to support themselves and their families. SIEDI does this by funding nonprofits and community groups working to grow the local economy for everyone.

One example is the ALBA - Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, which assists aspiring small business owners by providing training in business accounting and management. Through ALBA’S FEED program, about 80 farmers each year receive affordable education, land, farming equipment, and technical assistance, along with training in organic production and marketing.

SIEDI and ALBA’s work is having a real, tangible impact on the lives of Californians. We are proud to support them because they are proving that when people have the resources and support they need to succeed, and when we invest in our communities, lasting economic opportunities can be created for individuals, families, and communities across California.

Want to learn more about their work?

Check out SIEDI at https://irvine.ly/4yY8YCG and ALBA at: https://irvine.ly/4fCg9c5

08/18/2026

Whether AI delivers on its promise of prosperity or deepens existing inequities depends on our political and economic systems. Who decides the future of AI, who benefits from it and who is harmed by it are among the defining questions of our time.

On September 2 at 10 a.m., Irvine’s L*l Tesfai, Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy's Elaine Chang, Economic Security California’s Teri Olle, and California Policy Lab’s Janey Rountree will discuss research on how algorithmic rent-setting, surveillance pricing, and AI-driven data centers are deepening California’s affordability crisis, as well as LA County’s groundbreaking AI-powered homelessness prevention program.

The webinar is co-hosted by Philanthropy California and Asset Funders Network California and will be moderated by AFN’s Rebeca Rangel. Register now:

08/12/2026

One thing that became clear last year is that many are unaware of the impact have on our lives and how helps make their work possible. That’s why we’re making a more intentional effort to share how nonprofits are addressing the challenges Californians face and how foundations help organizations and community leaders deepen their impact.

Irvine grantees Prosper California and Parent Voices CA, for example, are working to make child care and public benefits more accessible for California workers and their families.

Parent Voices is a parent-led organization advocating for greater access to affordable, quality childcare, so families face fewer barriers to work and economic stability. Its work has included eliminating family fees for those earning at or below 75% of the state median income and capping fees at 1% for those earning more. Meanwhile, Prosper CA advocates for increased cash payments and other policies to create opportunities for Californians, including expanding the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) to cover historically excluded families. These efforts mean more money in families’ pockets for essentials like groceries, rent, and health care.

This work is meaningful, and it requires sustained funding—and that's where philanthropy plays a critical role.

Nonprofits like Prosper California and Parent Voices California do the day-to-day work to ensure everyone in our state can thrive, not just survive. Meanwhile, foundations like Irvine provide long-term, flexible funding, trainings, and spaces for organizations and community leaders to learn from one another to help them deepen their impact.

Learn more about Prosper California at https://irvine.ly/3RSriwi and Parent Voices at https://irvine.ly/4pVLzxv

08/07/2026

We’re excited to share that Merced County’s three new job centers will officially open on August 13!

To celebrate the launch, Prospero, formerly Worknet Merced County, is hosting two hiring events, bringing together more than 25 employers. The new facilities, which received funding from Irvine’s initiative, will offer job and social services, along with workspaces and offices for local community-based organizations and nonprofits.

More event details are below. Admission is free.

08/05/2026

We’ve seen a lot of new faces follow our page lately, so we wanted to reintroduce ourselves!

If you’re new here, we’re The James Irvine Foundation, a private, independent foundation working toward the goal of a California where all low-income workers can advance economically. We support nonprofit organizations that ensure workers with low incomes are treated fairly and have equal opportunities to get ahead, while also advancing policies and systems that better reflect the ideas and needs of workers and their families. Our work is rooted in a long tradition of generosity — something that has been part of what it means to be American throughout U.S. history. In both good and bad times, neighbors have shown up for one another.

That generosity is often reflected in the nonprofit organizations serving our communities every day and in the foundations that support them. Yet what became clear last year is that many people are unaware of the impact nonprofits have on our lives — and how charitable foundations help make their work possible. That’s why we’re starting a new content series highlighting how nonprofits are helping address the challenges Californians face and the role philanthropy plays.

As our CEO, Don Howard, says in the video below, we see our role as being a source of funding that helps organizations and community leaders better serve their communities.

Follow along to learn more about how nonprofits and foundations work together to make a difference in !

08/04/2026

With the largest population of public school students in the country, and an even larger workforce, has a lot riding on how it educates its future workforce.

So how can California think outside the box, including embracing non-traditional learning approaches, to stay competitive? And how can regions like the create stronger pathways for future workers interested in healthcare, manufacturing, and green technology?

Join Zócalo Public Square tomorrow from 6:30-8:30 p.m. for the “How Will California Educate Its Future Workforce?” panel in Riverside or online. Hear insights from Health Career Connection's Vicky Bocanegra, California Competes' Su Jin Jez, Growing Inland Achievement's Ashish Vaidya, and CalMatters.org's Adam Echelman: https://irvine.ly/4fmxMwx

07/31/2026

We know our state will thrive when all Californians are paid a living wage. Yet today’s reality is that nearly half of all people in the United States live in economically insecure families, according to the Urban Institute.

So what will it take to make life more affordable for Americans?

The Urban Institute believes that addressing the affordability crisis requires raising wages, reducing costs, and expanding access to resources for working families. As the article notes: “It will be equally important to expand the resources available to economically insecure families by ensuring all people have access to the schooling and training they need for employment in the changing economy, and that institutional supports for working families, such as the minimum wage, collective bargaining, and assistance paying for child care and health care, also expand.”

Read on:

Easing the affordability crisis and increasing economic security requires policies that both reduce costs and boost workers’ earnings.

07/29/2026

As AI continues to reshape the workforce, a new report from Irvine grantee San Diego Workforce Partnership explores the technology’s impact on the region's labor market and what it means for local workers, employers, industries, and communities.

The report finds that more than 440,000 San Diegans work in roles with lower adaptive capacity, while young workers in AI-exposed jobs are already experiencing fewer early-career opportunities.

In response, the report calls for a coordinated regional response that combines AI literacy and targeted upskilling with career navigation support, work-based learning, and geographically accessible workforce services. It also highlights the need for training pathways that prepare job seekers for roles where human-centered skills, such as judgment, coordination, and relationship-building, remain critical.

Check out the full report at:

Innovation & the Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence & the Human Value of San Diego's Workforce examines how AI is reshaping local work.

07/27/2026

Interested in learning more about the role of apprenticeships in expanding and diversifying the early care and education (ECE) workforce?

Check out the latest podcast episode from Irvine grantee Early Care & Education Pathways to Success, where leaders from public school, higher education, and county systems discuss how they are implementing ECE youth apprenticeships and building “grow-your-own" pathways in Alameda, San Joaquin, and Contra Costa counties.

As ECEPTS’ Shanell Brumfield shared, make becoming an educator more accessible by helping young people pursue postsecondary education at little or no cost while gaining work experience. At the same time, they help build a more diverse workforce that reflects and responds to the multicultural and multilingual needs of students and families in .

Listen here: https://irvine.ly/3TlxSvH or here: https://irvine.ly/4yKrHl2

Early Care & Education: All Things Workforce · Episode

07/24/2026

What does the affordability crisis feel like in the lives of Californians, and what should be done to address it?

That’s the question Economic Security CA (ESCA), the state affiliate of the Economic Security Project, asked more than 250 Californians. Workers, caregivers, renters, students, small business owners, and parents described the difficult tradeoffs they make between rent and medical bills, things they’ve stopped doing, and a future for themselves and their children that feels increasingly out of reach.

Shelby, a San Diego resident, shared: "My mom then was taking time away from her career…she was out of the workforce for three or four years. She thought that she could retire, but then everything's gotten so much more expensive that she couldn't retire. So now she's back at work. She's about to turn 70."

Sadly, Shelby’s mom’s experience is far from unique. Across , people are being forced to work harder just to make ends meet as the cost of living continues to rise and wages fail to keep up.

That’s why ESCA developed the California Affordability Agenda, which calls for stronger tax credits, guaranteed income, easier access to public benefits, and ensuring that AI doesn’t reinforce the same dynamics that are making life less affordable for Californians.

Read on:

Over the past six months, team Economic Security CA (ESCA) has traveled across California not to deliver a message, but to receive one. From Los Angeles to the Inland Empire, Bakersfield to San Diego, we held listening sessions with more than 250 Californians with diverse perspectives including work...