The James Irvine Foundation is a philanthropic

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

established to benefit the people of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The foundation's grantmaking focuses on a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. The

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

was created in 1937 by James Harvey Irvine Sr. (1867–1947), as a charitable organization to hold controlling stock in the Irvine Company, because his intended successor, James Harvey Irvine Jr. (1894–1935) died of tuberculosis in 1935. Since 1937 the foundation has provided more than $1.98 billion in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout California. With about $3.8 billion in assets, the foundation made grants of $129 million in 2021. The foundation is based in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, with an office in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. The current president & CEO of the James Irvine Foundation is Don Howard.

Grantmaking

In 2016, the Irvine Foundation announced it would focus its grantmaking on expanding economic and political opportunity for Californians who are working but struggling with poverty.

History

James Irvine's father was an Irish immigrant who arrived in

in 1849 during the California Gold Rush and established himself as a successful businessman. Later, he branched out geographically and acquired some of land in what is now

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

. Upon his father's death, James Irvine inherited the land, which at the time was used as a stock ranch, and turned it into one of the largest, most productive agricultural enterprises in the state. In response to the Great Depression, James Irvine decided to establish a foundation in 1937 that would promote the "general well-being of the citizens and residents of the state of California." The foundation became the primary stockholder of the

Irvine Company The Irvine Company LLC is an American private company focused on real estate development. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a large portion of its operations centered in and around Irvine, California, a planned city of more ...

, which owned the

Irvine Ranch The Irvine Company LLC is an American private company focused on real estate development. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a large portion of its operations centered in and around Irvine, California, a planned city of more ...

. With the rapid growth of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

during the 1940s and 50s, The

was under pressure to develop its property. But in contrast to the unplanned sprawl nearby, the company worked to ensure that development was well planned and included a range of uses on its property such as

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

. Eventually, in the 1970s, the Irvine Foundation was forced to sell its shares in the company and diversify its holdings. When James Irvine died in 1947, his gift to the foundation was valued at $5.6 million. By 2007, these assets had grown to more than $1.8 billion.Assets and Financial Information
The James Irvine Foundation

References

External links

The James Irvine Foundation
(www.irvine.org)
Arts program publications
The James Irvine Foundation commissioned-publications
Youth program publications
The James Irvine Foundation commissioned-publications
California Democracy program publications
The James Irvine Foundation commissioned-publications

The James Irvine Foundation is ranked number 32.
Leadership Awards
The James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards {{Authority control Non-profit organizations based in California Organizations based in San Francisco Organizations established in 1937 1937 establishments in California