Irvine Foundation Partners with CFMC on $5 Million in Grant Programs for Salinas
The James Irvine Foundation of San Francisco, California has invested more than $5 million in resident engagement and leadership development in Salinas, CA in three initiatives since 2018. They chose the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) as their regranting partner for these programs.
2018-2021: $1.25 Million Invested
The first initiative regranted $1 million to local nonprofits in Salinas to build their organizational strengths, and $250,000 was used to support the design and implementation of the regranting activities, including community outreach and nonprofit organizational development. The program built upon knowledge about local needs.
Don Howard, President and CEO, James Irvine Foundation
“We are thrilled to partner with The Community Foundation for Monterey County, a trusted community resource that can help Irvine support locally-driven efforts and community leaders who are dedicated to helping Salinas thrive,” noted Don Howard, President and CEO, The James Irvine Foundation.
The partnership aimed to identify organizations with potential or a proven track record, and invest in their organizational capacity as well as support the development of regional leaders. This program focused on organizations and leaders supporting low-wage working families in Salinas.
We are honored and excited to be selected by The James Irvine Foundation to implement this grantmaking program. It will enhance community-led efforts benefiting the Salinas community and is a perfect fit with our vision of ‘healthy, safe, vibrant communities’,” – Laurel Lee-Alexander, CFMC Vice President of Grants and Programs
The goals of this program were: for Salinas residents to have a greater awareness of community engagement opportunities and desire to become involved in local issues, that youth and young adults have increased leadership opportunities, and community organizations that focus on increasing civic engagement have the capacity to implement improvements in how they deliver services.
2020: $1 Million Invested
The second initiative granted $1 million to El Pajaro Community Development Corporation and California Coastal Rural Development Corporation (Cal Coastal) to provide revolving microloan and entrepreneurship programs benefiting low-income residents of color in Salinas interested in becoming entrepreneurs and/or growing their small businesses.
2021-2022: $3 Million Invested – SIEDI
The newest initiative, CFMC’s Salinas Inclusive Economic Development Initiative (SIEDI), allocated $3 million over two years to nine nonprofits collaborating on inclusive recovery and economic development efforts. The SIEDI cohort began meeting in December 2021.
Participants include ALBA (Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association), Building Healthy Communities, CCA (Center for Community Advocacy), Centro Binacional Para El Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO), Hijos del Sol, Loaves, Fishes & Computers, Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, Mujeres en Acción and Rancho Cielo.
SIEDI offers an opportunity for community organizations to think differently about how the Salinas economy can support people who live here. At an April 2022 meeting, representatives from each community organization, mentors, CFMC staff, project managers, partner UC Santa Cruz and SIEDI advisory cohort members gathered to discuss and workshop visionary ideas for reinventing the Salinas economy.
Maria Rodriguez, of Mujeres en Acción, stated that the gatherings feel “inclusive – they are helping me to develop my leadership skills.” Chris Brown of ALBA noted the diversity of the program. “I think we’re often all stuck in our own worlds [in the work we do],” he said. “This is an opportunity to get different perspectives and think bigger.” Jose Garcia of CCA noted the good that can come of bringing people together under one roof. “These conversations really bring us all together.”
Learn more about the SIEDI program on our SIEDI blog.
Priority Regions Grantmaking
The James Irvine Foundation is including Salinas in its Priority Regions grantmaking because it faces challenges shared by the Central Valley and Inland Southern California regions, such as income inequality and low levels of civic participation. Irvine Foundation staff felt that Salinas has many opportunities for learning and impact as well as many assets, including its diversity and its youth.
Our regranting partnerships focus on strengthening civic engagement and developing leaders, both organizations and individuals, with an emphasis on young people,” – Jessica Kaczmarek, Senior Program Officer, The James Irvine Foundation
“We want to collaborate with regranting partners such as the Community Foundation for Monterey County to expand access to our grantmaking dollars for grassroots organizations that are connected to local residents and work with community experts on the ground,” Kaczmarek continued.
Strengthening Communities
The CFMC’s mission, “To inspire philanthropy and be a catalyst for strengthening communities throughout Monterey County” strongly aligns with the mission of Irvine’s Priority Regions grantmaking. The CFMC often partners with other local, regional, statewide and national foundations to support their work in Monterey County and to leverage additional resources for grantees.
The CFMC has extensive experience working with place-based local community organizations both through its grantmaking and capacity building programs offered by the CFMC’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence. Strengthening resident engagement and leadership development have been key strategies and achievements. This new regranting program will add significant resources to support nonprofit organizations and youth leaders in Salinas.
About the Community Foundation for Monterey County
The mission of the Community Foundation for Monterey County is “to inspire philanthropy and be a catalyst for strengthening communities throughout Monterey County.” The CFMC granted $16.7 million in 2017 to more than 400 nonprofits. In addition to providing grants, the CFMC supports local nonprofit organizations by providing capacity building services and leadership development through the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE). It is a fully accredited community foundation that is held to rigorous national standards. For more information, please call (831) 375-9712, visit www.cfmco.org, or stay connected at www.facebook.com/cfmco.
About The James Irvine Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. The Foundation’s grantmaking focuses on expanding economic and political opportunity for families and young adults who are working but struggling with poverty. Since 1937 the Foundation has provided more than $1.6 billion in grants to more than 3,600 nonprofit organizations throughout California. With about $2 billion in assets, the Foundation made grants of $90 million in 2017. www.irvine.org