Monterey County, California — The James Irvine Foundation of San Francisco, California will invest $1.25 million in resident engagement and leadership development in Salinas, CA. They have chosen the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) as their regranting partner for an 18-month pilot program. $1 million dollars will be regranted to local nonprofits in Salinas to build their organizational strengths, and $250,000 will be used to support the design and implementation of the regranting activities, including community outreach and nonprofit organizational development. The program will build upon knowledge about local needs and grant application details will be announced in the fall of 2018.
“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’,” said Laurel Lee-Alexander, CFMC Vice President of Grants and Programs.
The partnership aims 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 will focus on organizations and leaders supporting low-wage working families in Salinas.
“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 details of the pilot regranting program are expected in the fall of 2018. The goals are; for Salinas residents to have 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.
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,” says 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.
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.
