Economic Mobility & Wealth Creation Grant

The Economic Mobility & Wealth Creation grant program focuses on ensuring that all Californians, particularly communities of color and low-income communities, have opportunities to secure good-paying jobs, build successful businesses, and achieve financial security. This program prioritizes workforce development and entrepreneurship initiatives tailored specifically to the needs of these populations, with special attention to systems-impacted individuals, such as formerly incarcerated men and women. Funding is directed toward comprehensive workforce development efforts that meet several criteria: placement into living-wage jobs that offer robust benefits and career advancement opportunities; job retention services; and case-managed wraparound support services. Additionally, the program supports initiatives that strengthen small businesses through culturally-effective advising services and provision of trustworthy capital for owners who are persons of color, immigrants and refugees, or low-income individuals. Public policy efforts are also eligible for funding if they focus on advancing comprehensive workforce development approaches or strengthening supports for small businesses. However, the grant program specifically does not fund workforce development efforts that target populations other than formerly incarcerated adults, emphasize only resume writing or interview skills, or place individuals into low-wage jobs with minimal support services. Additionally, grants are not intended to support an organization’s internal workforce or the expansion of its own business ventures, including social enterprises. Several organizations have previously received funding under this initiative, providing examples of the types of projects supported. These include Flintridge Center in Pasadena, which received $300,000 over three years for economic mobility initiatives targeting formerly incarcerated individuals; Santa Cruz Community Ventures, which was awarded $300,000 over 33 months to support worker cooperative-grounded economic efforts for Latino immigrants; Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, which received $300,000 over three years for small business development and access to trustworthy capital; and the Inland Empire Black Workers Center in San Bernardino, awarded $300,000 over three years to advance quality jobs and equitable hiring. Important dates such as the open date, close date, and deadlines for application submission were not provided. Similarly, detailed information about application questions, evaluation criteria, or specific contact information for the grantor was not included. Interested applicants should seek further information directly from the funder or related sources.