The James Irvine Foundation's vision is a California where all low-income workers have the power to advance economically. While their focus is singularly on California, their policies (to help the economically disadvantaged overcome obstacles) translate across state lines.
The Foundation published an important document in 2008 which still provides keen insight to public policy grantmaking in 2020. Public policy challenges change over time, but numerous trends identified in 2008 continue today. Many philanthropic funders, including our family foundation, are realizing that grantmaking strategies to advance real change will require long-term and substantial resource commitment.
If public policy grantmaking makes your ears perk up and your heart go all a-flutter, please enjoy this paper as much as we did:
https://community-wealth.org/sites/clone.community-wealth.org/files/downloads/paper-coffman.pdf
Although the report offers broad strategies related to public policy grantmaking, it also offers several specific examples to keep in mind when grantmaking in this area. Thank you to the James Irvine Foundation and report author Julia Coffman for this insightful policy paper. https://www.irvine.org/