IP Funder Spotlights provide quick rundowns of the grantmakers that are on our radar, including a few key details on how they operate and what they’re up to right now. Today, we look at the James Irvine Foundation and its laser focus on low-income Californians.
What this funder cares about
Founded in 1937, the James Irvine Foundation honors James Irvine, a California agricultural pioneer who sought to reinvest his profits in the state of California. The foundation pursues the goal of a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically, and invests in the millions of low-income workers across the state. Working in select cities, its grantmaking initiatives include Better Careers, Fair Work and Just Prosperity.
The foundation also runs a seven-year, $135 million initiative in five select California cities. Working in Fresno, Salinas, Riverside, San Bernardino and Stockton, the Priority Communities initiative aims to create and protect good jobs that offer family-sustaining wages, benefits and advancement opportunities, and support communities as they create economies that work for all residents. The foundation has previously characterized some of these cities as places that “represent the future of California but do not have the same access to public, private and philanthropic resources as California’s coastal cities.”
Why you should care
No longer associated with any family or company, the Irvine Foundation operates independently with a sole focus on closing the opportunity gap for low-income Californians. The foundation has an endowment approaching $4 billion and is one of the top foundations in California by annual grantmaking, giving away $121 million in 2021. Designed to operate in perpetuity, the foundation spends 5.5% of its endowment each year. The foundation seeks to keep its ears to the ground on some of the most pressing issues facing low-income communities across California. As such, grantmaking touches on issues like housing affordability. Irvine runs a leadership awards program, too.
Where the money comes from
Irish immigrant James Irvine arrived on the West Coast of the United States during the Gold Rush. He began investing in real estate in Northern California and purchased land in the Los Angeles area, leaving behind 110,000 acres of prime ranch and agricultural land. His son, also named James Irvine, steered the Irvine Company, which presided over large swathes of development in Orange County.
The James Irvine Foundation was created in 1937 as the primary stockholder of the Irvine Company. When James Irvine II passed away in 1947, the foundation began receiving the full proceeds from Irvine’s stockholdings, valued at $5.6 million. Thirty years later, sales of Irvine Company shares grew the foundation’s endowment to $184 million. The foundation’s endowment has continued to grow, and exceeded $3 billion in 2021.
Where the money goes
Irvine’s Better Careers initiative mainly makes grants to support career pathways, employer engagement and the workforce development field. During the first four years of this seven-year initiative, Better Careers has granted $91.4 million. Grantees have included the Anti-Recidivism Coalition and California’s Center for Employment Opportunities.
The foundation’s Fair Work initiative works with California’s lowest-wage earners to secure their wages, rights and protections. Past grantees in this area include Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the California Domestic Workers Coalition.
The foundation made a total of 173 grants in 2021, with an average grant size of around $711,000. In 2021, the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley and Los Angeles received the largest percentage of funding. Learn more about local grantmaking by browsing the funder’s online grants database.
Open door or barbed wire?
The Irvine Foundation has an accessible website, but is not accepting unsolicited inquiries for any of its current initiatives or programs. Direct general questions to the staff at (415) 777-0869 or via the foundation’s online form.