Supporting the Engineers of Systems Change

he singular goal of The James Irvine Foundation is a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. Our grantmaking focuses on achieving individual success for working Californians, strengthening the communities they live in, and changing statewide systems and policies for more long-term, transformative impact.

Supporting organizations engaged in advocacy and policy work is one important way we do that. Another central piece of our approach is understanding that our grantees know best what changes to seek, and how.

What that looks like varies greatly. A few examples:

Our Fair Work initiative supports those that engage low-wage workers in securing their wages, rights, and protections. This includes grantees like the Warehouse Worker Resource Center, which uses education, advocacy, and action to change poor working conditions across the Inland Empire, the largest warehousing hub in the country.

The Better Careers initiative supports organizations connecting low-income Californians to jobs with family-sustaining wages and advancement opportunities. This includes grantees focused on state policy, like the National Skills Coalition, and on specific constituents and policy changes, such as the Anti-Recidivism Coalition.

Our Priority Communities initiative funds grassroots engagement in economic planning for residents of inland California cities who do not have the same access to public, private, and philanthropic resources as Coastal city residents. This program also funds research on topics like poverty, the housing crisis, workers’ rights, workforce training, employment strategies, and the critical role immigrants play in our state, aiming to educate and engage California’s policymakers.

Our goals for systems change also mean fostering partnerships with other grantmakers, labor unions, and the public officials and agencies committed to expanding opportunities for low-wage workers. These partnerships take different forms, but all are driven by the reality that we must maximize efforts, bring good ideas to scale, and build strong nonprofits and fields for the greatest possible impact in California.