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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
DATE: DECEMBER 17, 2024
FROM: HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: RATIFY SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE
JAMES IRVINE FOUNDATION BETTER CAREERS GRANT
AND ACCEPT GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $520,000
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 22
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: NO
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council, by Motion, ratify the submission of the Better Careers Grant application to The James Irvine Foundation; increase the Housing and Community Development Department’s FY 2024/25 budget by $520,000; and authorize the Director of the Housing and Community Development Department, or her designee, to execute all agreements and other documents necessary to implement and administer the grant activities on behalf of the City of Anaheim.
DISCUSSION:
The James Irvine Foundation is a California-based philanthropic non-profit organization. Its goal is to empower low-income workers to advance economically.
The Foundation recently took an interest in the work performed by the California Local Workforce Areas and the services provided through the America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs). As part of their fact-finding and learning about the California workforce system, a representative met with and spent a day learning from the Anaheim workforce team.
Subsequently, the Foundation issued a Notice of Funding Availability for its Public Workforce Capacity Fund, made available only to California Local Workforce Areas.
The Anaheim Housing and Community Development Department Workforce Development Division (WDD) prepared and submitted a proposal. That application was not successful. However, because the proposal aligned in many ways with the Foundation’s objectives, the City of Anaheim Workforce Development Board was invited to resubmit its proposal for a different opportunity called the Better Careers Grant also offered by the Foundation. The submission for the second grant opportunity has been approved for an award of $520,000.
The proposal (Attachment 2) is to invest in developing the local workforce system by strengthening partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) and local agencies, educating and supporting employers in their efforts to improve job quality, Ratify Submission of Grant Application for James Irvine Foundation December 17, 2024
and bolstering the workforce team’s ability to better serve the wide spectrum of individuals who use the workforce system.
The awarded funds will be used for four (4) activities: 1) to support an existing staff member as a Partnership Engagement Officer (PEO) who will identify and engage CBOs to share and learn how we can best collaborate and then act to implement that collaboration; 2) to train our Business Services team how to discuss and teach job quality concepts to employers; 3) to deploy staff to shadow and learn from other Workforce Areas how they serve and support historically underrepresented and underserved communities; and 4) to provide workforce team members with instruction and support fostering their mental and emotional resilience.
The agreement (Attachment 1) between The James Irvine Foundation and the City of Anaheim awards the City $520,000 to achieve the above goals and objectives over a 24-month period beginning from the date of execution.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
The Housing and Community Development Department’s Workforce Development Division Grant Funds FY 2024/25 budget will be increased by $520,000.
Respectfully submitted,
Grace Ruiz-Stepter
Director of Housing and Community Development Department Attachments:
1. The James Irvine Foundation Grant Agreement
2. James Irvine Grant Application