The James Irvine Foundation, a returning Independent Sector member, works to achieve a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. President and CEO Don Howard explains their efforts to give every Californian — regardless of who they are or where they live — the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families.
The origin of The James Irvine Foundation begins with the story of an immigrant who left Ireland to join other immigrants in California as part of the 1849 Gold Rush. Can you connect the dots for us leading to the founding of the organization?
The James Irvine Foundation’s story begins with land originally stewarded by the Tongva and Acjachemen peoples — used for hunting, gathering, and trade. After Spanish colonization in 1769 and Mexican land grants post-1821, James Irvine Sr., an Irish immigrant and Gold Rush participant, acquired 110,000 acres in Southern California. His son, James Irvine Jr., transformed it into a leading agricultural enterprise and founded The Irvine Company. In 1937, he devoted about half of his wealth to create The James Irvine Foundation, which now supports California communities through strategic grantmaking.
Unequal access to economic opportunity due to racial discrimination has deep roots in California’s history, culture, and systems. How do you approach addressing something so ingrained to reduce barriers and create opportunities for low-income workers?
Irvine supports systemic solutions focused on economic equity. Our north star is a California where ALL low-income workers have the power to advance economically. By “all” we mean “all.” We support grantees that address racial discrimination in the economy by breaking down barriers to economic advancement that are rooted in racial discrimination. Our grantmaking aims to strengthen organizations and communities, ensure all Californians are treated fairly and have equal opportunity to get ahead, and advance policies and systems that better reflect the needs of workers and their families. For example, we support worker centers that serve all workers paid low wages who are rooted in the Black, Asian, and Latino communities — and have expertise in addressing economic barriers that uniquely impact these communities.
You have an initiative called “Better Careers” that supports efforts to build a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient workforce system. Tell us more about the initiative.
Better Careers connects Californians who are working hard yet struggling to get by to good jobs with family-sustaining wages and opportunities to advance economically. The initiative, launched in 2018, aims to make California’s workforce system more fair by strengthening and expanding registered apprenticeship programs, ensuring public workforce services can serve everyone, and backing trusted organizations that are run by and answer to their communities so they can help people who have been locked out of multiple systems move into quality jobs and careers.
What concerns do you have for your organization and the charitable sector as we grapple with these tough, challenging times?
Leading in the social sector today is more challenging than ever, but also more vital. Our grantees face reduced public funding, strained philanthropic resources, and a dismantled federal infrastructure. Yet, I’m deeply inspired by the resilience and leadership of our grantees and community partners. At Irvine, we’ve deployed emergency funding through our Safety and Security Project to support nonprofit security and resilience in collaboration with the Center for Empowered Politics. While we can’t return to the past, we can move forward — stronger, more united, and more determined to meet this moment with courage and care.
How will joining Independent Sector help you better achieve your mission and goals?
Independent Sector’s work that supports funding protections, builds sector resilience, and fosters collaboration is key to Irvine’s efforts to advance equity and build community power. In this moment, it’s critical that the sector remains united, connected, and that we have the right tools and resources to continue supporting the critical work of our grantees on the ground. Independent Sector is an important partner that can help us do just that.
The James Irvine Foundation President and CEO Don Howard
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