James Irvine Foundation

The James Irvine Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit organization established to benefit the people of California. It seeks to promote social equity and enrich the cultural and civic life of America’s most populous state through its grants in three areas: the arts, youth and education, and state governance and civic engagement. [ [http://www.irvine.org/about_irvine/mission.shtml Mission Statement] The James Irvine Foundation.]

The foundation was created in 1937 by James Irvine, an agricultural pioneer, largely in response to the Great Depression. [For the People of California: A History of the James Irvine Foundation, Heather G. Graham, 1991.] Since its inception, the foundation has awarded over $1 billion in grants to more than 3,000 nonprofit organizations. [ [http://www.irvine.org/about_irvine/assets/overview.shtml Assets and Financial Information] The James Irvine Foundation] Today it is the largest multi-purpose foundation focused exclusively on California. [ [http://www.irvine.org/publications/irvine_brochure/brochure.shtml Brochure] The James Irvine Foundation, 2007]

The foundation is based in San Francisco, with an office in Los Angeles.

Grantmaking Programs

The foundation makes grants in three core programs: [ [http://www.irvine.org/publications/annual_reports/2006_annual.shtml Annual Report] The James Irvine Foundation, 2006] [Foundation Annual Reports, [http://www.philanthropy.com/ The Chronicle of Philanthropy] , 2008.]

*Arts
*California Perspectives
*Youth

The goal of the Arts program is “to promote a vibrant and inclusive artistic and cultural environment in California.” [ [http://www.irvine.org/grants_program/arts/arts.shtml Arts program overview] The James Irvine Foundation]

The goal of the California Perspectives program is “to improve decision making on significant state issues by informing public understanding, promoting broader civic participation and encouraging more effective state governance.” [ [http://www.irvine.org/grants_program/cp/cp.shtml California Perspectives program overview] The James Irvine Foundation]

The goal of the Youth program is “to increase the number of low-income youth in California who complete high school on time and attain a postsecondary credential by the age of 25.” [ [http://www.irvine.org/grants_program/youth/youth.shtml Youth program overview ] The James Irvine Foundation]

History

James Irvine's father was an Irish immigrant who arrived in San Francisco in 1849 during the California Gold Rush and established himself as a successful businessman. Later, he branched out geographically and acquired some convert|110000|acre|km2 of land in what is now Orange County. 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. [For the People of California: A History of the James Irvine Foundation, Heather G. Graham, 1991.]

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." [For the People of California: A History of the James Irvine Foundation, Heather G. Graham, 1991.] The foundation became the primary stockholder of The Irvine Company, which owned the Irvine ranch. With the rapid growth of Southern California during the 1940s and 50s, The Irvine Company 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 and agriculture. [For the People of California: A History of the James Irvine Foundation, Heather G. Graham, 1991.]

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. [ [http://www.irvine.org/about_irvine/assets/overview.shtml Assets and Financial Information] The James Irvine Foundation]

Notes and References

External links

* [http://www.irvine.org The James Irvine Foundation] (www.irvine.org)
* [http://www.irvine.org/publications/by_topic/arts.shtml Arts program publications] The James Irvine Foundation commissioned-publications
* [http://www.irvine.org/publications/by_topic/youth.shtml Youth program publications] The James Irvine Foundation commissioned-publications
* [http://www.irvine.org/publications/by_topic/civic.shtml California Perspectives program publications] The James Irvine Foundation commissioned-publications
* [http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/topfunders/top100assets.html The Foundation Center: Top 100 U.S. Foundations by Asset Size] The James Irvine Foundation is ranked number 32.