The James Irvine Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $20 million to nonprofit organizations working to promote the arts, civil society, and Linked Learning initiatives and expand opportunities for the people of California.

Thirty-five grants were awarded to organizations through the foundation's arts program, including $450,000 to the TCC Group to provide technical assistance during the final phase of the foundation's Arts Regional Initiative; $100,000 to the Museum of the African Diaspora to collect and archive first-voice digital narratives of African-American men in Oakland and commission artists to translate those narratives into performance vignettes for presentation at faith-based venues and community centers; and $160,000 to the Riverside Art Museum in support of Riverside Art Make, a series of participatory art-making opportunities presented in accessible, non-traditional venues in the community.

The foundation also awarded twelve grants through its California Democracy program. Recipients include Community Partners, which was awarded $1 million to facilitate efforts to expand voter participation and reform election policy and practices in the state; Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development, which will receive $450,000 to promote district-based elections in Anaheim and establish a civic engagement model in support of voting rights in California; and the California Budget Project, which was awarded $250,000 to conduct analyses of state budget and fiscal issues and related communications and training efforts.

In addition, the foundation awarded five grants through its youth program. Recipients include ConnectEd: the California Center for College and Career, which was awarded two grants totaling $8.2 million to manage and provide technical assistance to the California Linked Learning District Initiative and support universal technical assistance for all twenty AB 790 Linked Learning Pilot sites in the state; the Los Angeles Small Schools Center, which was awarded $1.5 million; the Community Foundation Serving the Counties of Riverside and San Bernadino, which was awarded $1.4 million; and the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, which was awarded $850,000.

For a complete list of grant recipients, visit the Irvine Foundation Web site.