James Irvine Foundation: the California workforce pathway and economic mobility framing

The Strategy

The James Irvine Foundation funds work that expands economic and political opportunity for low-income Californians. Their workforce funding focuses on career pathways — helping low-income workers move into family-sustaining jobs through education, training, and employer partnerships. The career pathway framing: Irvine funds work that builds career pathways — sequences of education, training, and work experience that lead to family-sustaining employment. If your proposal is 'we will provide job training,' it is less competitive than 'we will build a career pathway from pre-apprenticeship to registered apprenticeship to journey-level employment in healthcare, with employer partners committed to hiring.' The employer partnership: Irvine requires employer partnerships. Show the employers committed to hiring your graduates, the jobs they will hire for, and the wages. Proposals without employer commitments are not competitive. The California focus: Irvine is a California-only funder.…