The San Francisco-based James Irvine Foundation has announced $7.5 million in new grants to nonprofit organizations working to expand opportunities for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, inclusive society.

Grants approved in this round of funding included $1 million to the San Francisco-based Pacific News Service to launch "News from the New California," a service designed to enhance ethnic media coverage of state policy issues. The grant also will support a pilot fellowship program to enhance ethnic media's capacity to report on state policy issues and provide multi-lingual polling on California issues.

In addition, the foundation awarded $1.6 million to four arts training schools that offer career programs to low-income high school and college students. The grants will enable more students to explore their interests in the arts, media, or design, and will facilitate the development of partnerships among the grantee schools and high schools, community colleges, and arts organizations that serve youth.

"California's educational system should offer young people multiple pathways to successful careers," said foundation president and CEO James E. Canales. "The kind of arts education programs we are supporting through these grants will help to provide high school students who are interested in these fields with a motivating and engaging entry point for academic study and career training."