James Irvine Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About James Irvine Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation concentrates funding in California with an emphasis on building inclusive regional economies, worker power, and civic engagement for low-income communities and communities of color. They fund intermediaries, community foundations, and grassroots organizations to advance fair work, workforce training/apprenticeships, and place‑based economic development in Inland Empire, Central Valley, Stockton and Bay Area neighborhoods. Grants frequently support policy and organizing campaigns, capacity building, and multi‑partner initiatives that connect local organizing to statewide policy change.
Focus Areas
Workforce advancement and apprenticeship capacity in California (Better Careers, apprenticeship programs)Fair work and low-wage worker organizing (Fair Work in California, domestic and warehouse workers)Place-based economic inclusion in Inland Empire, Central Valley, and StocktonCapacity building and pooled funding for community foundations and intermediariesLatino and other communities of color leadership and civic engagement (Latino Power Fund, leadership fellowships)
Who They Fund
low-wage workers in California (including day laborers and domestic workers)
About James Irvine Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation’s largest recent grants point to a clear pattern: it backs California intermediaries that can move money into worker organizing, community economic development, and housing advocacy at scale. In 2023, it gave $15,000,000 to Tides Center to strengthen worker organizations in California, followed that with $14,000,000 to Sierra Health Foundation Center for Health Pr to launch CEMI, and later used similar large grants to expand statewide efforts tied to fair work and inclusive economies. That emphasis shows up across several parts of its portfolio. The foundation funds community foundations, university-based centers, and coalition intermediaries rather than only direct service providers. Recent examples include $10,440,000 to Central Valley Community Foundation for Fresno’s inclusive economy and $9,345,000 to Inland Empire Community Foundation for community economic development. It also supports housing and labor infrastructure, with major awards to organizations such as San Francisco Foundation, Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc, and Regents of the University of California. The pattern is consistent with a funder focused on building regional capacity, worker power, and policy-oriented partnerships in California.
What James Irvine Foundation Funds
Workforce development is a major thread in the foundation’s giving. It awarded $4,400,000 to Foundation for California Community Colleges to support Better Careers in California, and $6,500,000 to Regents of the University of California on behalf of its Merced campus for the Community and Labor Center. The same area also includes support for apprenticeships and workforce systems through intermediary partners. Fair work and worker rights are another clear area. The foundation gave $3,600,000 to National Domestic Workers Alliance Inc to support Fair Work in California, $3,700,000 to PowerSwitch Action to support low-income workers in California, and $2,600,000 to Regents of the University of California on behalf of its Los Angeles campus to support workers' rights organizations. Housing advocacy appears in the grant list as well. It provided $7,550,000 to San Francisco Foundation to support Housing Affordability in California, $7,500,000 to the same foundation to expand the capacity of housing advocates, and $3,100,000 to Liberty Hill Foundation to support tenant organizing.
How James Irvine Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$155.3M
Total Assets
$3.4B
Total Revenue
$350.2M
Total Expenses
$196M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $3K and $200K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$200K
Geographic Reach
Local20 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
DONALD J HOWARD
PRES/CEO/DIR
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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