The Awards annually recognize cohorts of four to six leaders whose innovative solutions to critical state challenges improve people’s lives, create opportunity, and contribute to a better California. The goals of the Awards program are to:

• Recognize and support diverse leaders whose work improves people’s lives, creates opportunity, and contributes to a better California
• Advance innovative, effective solutions that merit expansion or replication
• Inform local and statewide policy to expand opportunity for the people of California

All nominations are carefully reviewed by the Leadership Award team, including staff and consultants to The James Irvine Foundation and Capitol Impact. The nominations most closely aligned with the Awards criteria are submitted to an independent Selection Committee of diverse California leaders. The Selection Committee reviews nominations materials and identifies 10-12 finalists. Leadership Awards staff, consultants, and issue experts conduct site visits and additional research with each finalist. The Selection Committee utilizes findings from the site visits and research to identify four to six Award recipients.

We introduced a two-step nomination process for the 2026 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards as a simpler, more inclusive way to nominate leaders. The new process significantly reduces work for nominators which we hope will open the doors to a wider range of Californians to participate in the process. It also empowers nominees to share their own insights and provide accurate, up-to-date information about their work.

Additionally, we wanted to provide an option for leaders to nominate themselves for an award. In that case, nominees will identify a validator who can answer the same minimal questions a nominator would have answered.

Step 1: Nomination Deadline: March 12, 2025

Nominations for the 2026 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards will be accepted between February 10, 2025 and March 12, 2025. Any leader wishing to self-nominate must also do so by March 12, 2025. The deadline will not be extended.

Step 2: Nominee Submission Deadline: April 30, 2025

The second step of the nomination process—when nominated candidates provide detailed submissions—ends on April 30, 2025. In the case of self-nominations, validators also must submit their form by the April 30, 2025 deadline.

We recommend that nominees accept their nomination as soon as possible so they have plenty of time to complete their submission.

We anticipate publicly announcing Award recipients in February 2026.

Award funds typically are directed to the organization that the award recipient leads. If the recipient is a pair of leaders who work for different organizations, grant funds will be directed to only one of their organizations. The leaders may share the funds as they see fit. Recipients may determine how funds will be spent, though funds must support activities in California and may not be earmarked for lobbying or directed toward projects that receive more than 50 percent of their total funding from government resources.

When James Irvine established the Foundation in 1937, he stipulated that its funds “shall be used for such charities that do not enjoy substantial support through taxation.” As a result, we may only make a grant to a publicly funded organization if the grant supports a specific project that does not receive most of its funding from public dollars. For the Leadership Awards, if a recipient’s organization receives more than 50 percent of its total revenue from government sources, the award funds would need to be applied to a specific project that is not supported in majority by government funds.

If you’ve thoroughly reviewed the FAQs on our website and still have questions, here are your next steps:

• Watch the Nominations Webinar: Webinar Recording and Nominations Announcement
• Contact Us: Email us at hello@IrvineAwards.org with your questions.

Please note: To ensure fairness, staff may not advise on the specific content or competitiveness of individual nominations.

We recognize leaders whose work improves people’s lives, creates opportunity, and contributes to a better California. We especially encourage nominations that reflect the diversity of California’s population and regions. The most competitive nominations describe leaders addressing critical issues with innovative approaches that have been proven effective. We ask nominators to review the selection criteria and nominations questions carefully before nominating.

Nominated leaders may:

• Be an individual or a pair of leaders
• Work in any sector (nonprofit, public, or private)
• Work in any field (such as education, health, housing, economic development, or the environment)

Nominees must be residents of California.

The Leadership Awards eligibility requirements consider the following ineligible for an Award:

• • Leaders who are no longer alive (more information below)
  • Leaders who are not residents of California
  • Leaders found to have conflicts of interest with members of the Leadership Awards Selection Committee, staff or board of directors of The James Irvine Foundation, or staff or partners of Capitol Impact Consulting, LLC (more information below)
  • Most leaders whose organizations have recently received funding from The James Irvine Foundation (exceptions apply, more information below)
  • Leaders who anticipate concluding their current role within one year of receiving a Leadership Award (more information below)

Additionally, we seek nominees who have not been extensively recognized for their work through other awards. Nominees with extensive, recent public recognition of their work through other high profile Awards programs are eligible, but less competitive than other nominees.

The following criteria are used to evaluate Leadership Awards nominations.

• Significance: The leader’s work addresses an issue that is critical to California, and the issue is anticipated to affect the quality of life of a substantial number of Californians into the future.
• Innovation: The leader is advancing an innovative strategy that directly improves people’s lives. The work represents an entirely new approach, is not widely known or practiced, or applies a proven approach in a new way or within a new context.
• Effectiveness: The leader has been highly effective in achieving positive change. Their work has a measurable record of accomplishment.
• Inclusiveness: The leader helps build bridges among people with differing viewpoints or different backgrounds. The leader brings diverse experiences to their work and creates opportunity for underserved communities.
• Timing: The leader’s project is at a stage conducive to replication and informing policy, and there exists urgency or opportunity for the nominee to expand their work.
• Leadership Capacity: The leader is well-positioned and prepared to take the next step in advancing change.

Irvine does not consider nominations for leaders who have financial or close family relationships with representatives of Irvine (defined in this case as members of the Leadership Awards Selection Committee, staff or board of directors of The James Irvine Foundation, and staff or partners of Capitol Impact Consulting, LLC). If a representative of Irvine could benefit financially from a nominee’s receipt of a Leadership Award, the nominee is not eligible.

No representatives of Irvine may nominate leaders for a Leadership Award or help prepare individual nominations.

Additionally, anyone participating in the nominations review process, including staff and members of the Selection Committee must alert Leadership Awards management if they have any potential conflict of interest with nominees they are assigned to evaluate. This includes any relationship or knowledge that would prevent the representative from evaluating a nomination fairly and without bias. In such cases, management determines whether a conflict of interest exists and, if so, requires recusal from decision-making on that nomination.

Most current and recent Irvine grantees are not eligible for Leadership Awards.

As a Foundation deeply committed to racial and economic equity, we want to ensure the Awards program is accessible to leaders who might not have extensive access to philanthropic funding. Additionally, prioritizing nominations of leaders and organizations not currently or recently associated with Irvine, the Foundation hopes to benefit from new perspectives, develop new relationships, challenge our existing thinking, and sharpen our capacity for innovation.

Exceptions may be made if one or more of the following apply:

• The nominee’s organization does not currently receive funding from Irvine and any recent grants concluded more than two years before submission of the nomination.
• The leader is nominated for a project that is not financially supported by Irvine and is not aligned with Irvine’s current grantmaking priorities.
• The nominee is part of a leadership pair, working in partnership with a leader from a separate organization that is not supported by Irvine.
• The current or recent grant Irvine made to the leader’s organization was for work not associated with Irvine’s priority grantmaking initiatives (for example, Research & Development).
• The current or recent grant to the leader’s organization totaled less than $250,000 and is unlikely to renewed.
• The funding the leader’s organization received was a regrant or subgrant of funds initially provided by Irvine but awarded by a separate entity. However, this exception is applicable only when the separate entity is responsible for choosing the organization to receive the regrant or subgrant.

We recommend nominating a leader who expects to remain in their role for at least one year after their Leadership Award would be announced. The Awards were designed to help leaders inform policy, scale their operations, and inspire replication. Irvine aims to help leaders leverage their Awards by providing extensive resources, tailored support services, and recognition among policymakers and the public that we hope will be useful for years to come.

No. The awards are designed to provide an opportunity for recipients to educate policymakers and others in their field about the solutions they have implemented, thereby expanding the number of Californians who benefit from their work.

Nominating a leader is a meaningful way to validate their work and indicate the importance of their leadership. Many nominated leaders express gratitude and a sense of validation when a trusted colleague has recognized their work by nominating them for a Leadership Award. Some nominees also appreciate the opportunity the nomination process provides to reflect on their body of work.

The benefits for those who receive Leadership Awards are extensive, including: a $350,000 grant to each award recipient’s organization, widespread recognition among policymakers and their peers, customized communications campaigns and assets that promote their work, and strategic support to advance their goals. Many past Award recipients also experience renewed vigor for their work and report appreciating the personal validation the award provides.

Additionally, your nomination might spur important actions, such as policy change, opportunities for leaders to serve more people or expand their offerings, and potential replication of the nominee’s model in other communities.

We welcome nominations from anyone well acquainted with the nominated leader who can describe the leader’s alignment with the award criteria and tell the story of how their work has been impactful.

Some nominators have a broad understanding of a policy field and can describe how a nominee’s approach might be different from their peers. Other nominators can speak to the opportunities a nominee might have to inform policy or advance replication of their model. A nominator might be a key partner in the nominee’s field or an unexpected ally. Some nominators can describe how they and others have been affected directly by the work of the nominee.

Starting this year, leaders may nominate themselves.

Yes, so long as they have not previously received a Leadership Award. Several past Award recipients were nominated in multiple years before receiving their Award.

Yes, you may nominate or serve as a validator on as many nominations as you like.

Please do not nominate a single person more than once. The Selection Committee will only consider one nomination for a leader or leadership pair. If multiple nominations for one leader or pair are submitted, the nominated candidate(s) will have the opportunity to designate which nomination they would like to be considered. Otherwise, Leadership Awards staff will select the nomination we believe most clearly aligns with the selection criteria.

We recommend submitting only one nomination per nominee. Starting this year, joint nominations are no longer accepted. Each nominator must submit their own nomination for an individual leader or leadership pair.

The Selection Committee will only consider one nomination for a leader or leadership pair. If multiple nominations for one leader or pair are submitted, the nominated candidate(s) will have the opportunity to designate which nomination they would like to be considered. Otherwise, Leadership Awards staff will select the nomination we believe most clearly aligns with the selection criteria.

We do not recommend nominating a leader from an organization that has already received an Award, unless the organization is very large and the nominee’s work is entirely distinct from that of past Award recipients at the same institution. If a leader of a small- to mid-sized organization were to receive an Award, another leader from that same organization would be unlikely to receive an Award, especially if they are addressing similar challenges.

Starting this year, leaders may nominate themselves. The content provided in the nomination will be nearly identical, but the process will have a few differences.

In Step 1: Nomination:

• Self-nominees will be asked to provide basic information on the nomination form, including their name, organization, and demographic information. If you are nominating yourself as part of a leadership pair, you will also need to provide details about your second nominee.
• Leaders who indicate they are self-nominating will need to provide the name and contact information of two validators, one primary and one secondary in case the primary validator is not able to participate. The self-nominee’s validator will be asked to answer the short narrative questions that a nominator would have answered in the first round.

In Step 2: Nominee Submission:

• The second-round nomination is the same for self-nominators.
• The Leadership Awards team will send reminders to validators to complete the materials before the deadline. If we have not heard from a nominee’s primary validator by Wed, April 16, 2025, we will contact their alternate validator. In the case that we receive submissions from both validators we will defer to the primary’s submission. However, if we do not receive a response from either validator, the nominee will be deemed ineligible.

As this is a new process, we anticipate additional questions may arise during the nominations period. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or suggestions: hello@IrvineAwards.org.

Validators will likely know, as being asked to serve as a validator is only necessary when someone self-nominates. However, nominees will not be identified as self-nominated in any public materials. Once the nominations process is complete, all validators will be referred to as nominators and all nominees (self-nominated or otherwise) will be identified as nominees.

A leadership pair consists of two leaders who have both played critical, complementary roles in developing their approach and/or implementing it effectively. They may work for the same organization or for two different entities. If a leadership pair works for different organizations, we will direct grant funds to only one of their organizations. The leaders may share the funds as they see fit.

When nominating a pair, nominators are encouraged to describe how the leaders’ roles are distinct as well as how they collaborate.

Thank you for playing a critical role in the nomination process by serving as a validator. The Selection Committee strongly values learning from the perspectives of colleagues, community leaders, clients, and others familiar with the work of nominees.

The nominee will provide extensive information about their work and how it aligns with the selection criteria. From validators, we are interested in learning about their perspective on the nominee and their work, including why the nominee’s work is important to California, what inspires them about the nominee, and how the nominee creates opportunities for underserved communities.

Here’s how the process works:

• When someone submits a self-nomination, the Submittable platform will automatically email validators a link to a brief form to complete. Please submit your responses by April 15, 2025. If we have not received your portion of the nomination by April 15, we will reach out to an alternate validator identified by the nominee and invite them to submit the form.
• If you missed the initial email from Submittable, the self-nominator may log into their Submittable account and send a reminder. Submittable does not allow the Awards team to resend this link.

We must receive a completed form from either the primary or alternate validator by April 30, 2025 in order for the nomination to move forward. If we receive materials from both validators, we will defer to the materials provided by the primary validator.

After April 30, validators will be referred to as nominators in all external communications.

Nominators will submit basic information about the nominee, such as their name and contact information, along with brief reflections on the nominee and their work. If you wish to nominate yourself, we will request the name and contact information for a validator who can answer the same questions as an external nominator.

Nominators/validators will be asked to answer the following questions about the nominee and their work:

1. Why is the nominee’s work important for California?
2. What about this leader or their work inspires you?
3. How does the leader create opportunities for underserved communities?

Download and print a copy of the questions.

The Leadership Awards team will consider all substantive information in both parts of the nomination, including the nominator’s and nominee’s responses to the narrative questions. The team will also consider demographic information about the leaders. In the case of self-nominations, the team will also review the responses provided by one validator, as identified by the nominee.

The time required varies; however, we anticipate that it may take up to one hour to prepare and submit a nomination. We recommend starting early to ensure you have enough time to thoughtfully complete each portion.

Nominators and validators cannot save a draft and return to it later. The nomination or validator’s submission must be completed and submitted in one session.

No. References and/or letters of support are not necessary – and are not considered during the nominations review process.

On March 14, 2025, nominated leaders will receive an invitation to submit additional information at the email address provided to us by their nominator. The email will include information about the awards process, ask the leader to accept or decline their nomination, and will provide links for the leader to complete the second step of their nomination.

We will contact nominators in late summer 2025 to notify them of the status of their nomination.

In accordance with our long-standing practice to maintain fairness, we are unable to offer individual feedback on nominations. For general guidance about submitting competitive nominations, please see the nomination tips on our website.

On March 14, 2025, nominated leaders will receive an invitation to apply at the email address provided to us by their nominator. The email will include information about the awards process, ask the leader to accept or decline their nomination, and will provide links for the leader to complete the second step of their nomination.

If you are nominated for a Leadership Award, you should receive an email on March 14, 2025 alerting you to your nomination. You may accept or decline your nomination by clicking the appropriate button in the email.

If you accept the nomination, you will be invited to use the Submittable platform to complete your nomination. On Submittable, you will see the questions nominees are required to answer. Once you start your submission, you may save your work and return to it any time before the deadline. You may also download the nominations questions and prepare your answers offline.

If you decline your nomination, we would appreciate the opportunity to learn why. We will email you a survey and welcome any information that might help us improve the process for future nominees.

If you believe you were nominated for a Leadership Award but did not receive an email inviting you to participate in the second round of the nominations process, please contact hello@IrvineAwards.org before April 30, 2025. Likewise, if you nominated someone and believe they did not receive a second-round invitation, please contact us.

Note that we only send invitations to the second round of the nominations process to the nominee email addresses provided by nominators. If a nominee does not receive an invitation to the second round, we will make every effort to accommodate their participation.

Yes, nominees will have the opportunity to see what their nominator wrote about them. We will email the nomination(s) to each nominee, along with their invitation to accept the nomination, on March 14, 2025. If you receive more than one nomination, we will ask you to select the one you would like us to review. In your detailed submission, you will need to specify the name of the nominator whose nomination you have chosen.

Nominated candidates will be invited to accept their nomination and provide more detailed information about their work.

The narrative portion of the detailed nominee submission contains the following seven questions, each with its own word limit. If your nomination is for a pair of leaders, please reflect the work of both leaders in your answers.

Overview – In 200 words or fewer, briefly describe the work of your organization and your role in that work. If your nomination focuses on a specific project you lead, please also describe that project. To the extent possible, focus on your current work as opposed to prior work with other organizations.

Significance – In 250 words or fewer, please address how your work helps solve an issue that is critical to California. Please describe and indicate the size of the California population that may be affected by the issue you address. Please also discuss how the issue affects the quality of life of this population.

Innovation – In 500 words or fewer, please describe how you use innovation or uncommon practices to improve people’s lives. You may indicate how your work represents an entirely new approach, an approach that is not widely known or practiced, or applies a proven approach in a new way or within a new context. Discuss how your work is different from or an improvement upon usual practices in the field.

Effectiveness – In 500 words or fewer, please indicate how you have been effective in achieving positive change, including any measurable record of accomplishment. Strong nominations typically include quantitative data demonstrating impacts or outcomes on populations or communities. Other examples of effectiveness might include summaries of evaluations or internal studies, a description of your role in changing one or more policies or practices, affirmation by external sources, compelling anecdotes, and/or notable engagement from key partners and community members. Data about organizational effectiveness, such as budget increases, are less compelling.

Inclusiveness – In 300 words or fewer, please address how you help build bridges among people with different viewpoints or backgrounds. If possible, use examples to demonstrate how you collaborate with key stakeholders. Describe the demographics of the populations with whom your organization works or serves. If applicable, consider discussing how your work creates opportunity for underserved populations.

Timing of Recognition – In 350 words or fewer, please address whether your work is at a stage of maturity where recognition could substantially aid your efforts to advance it. If possible, address the methods you might use to advance your work, such as altering people’s beliefs or behaviors, changing public policies or spending, expanding or replicating services at additional sites, or training others to deliver services. You may also describe any evidence that the policymaking environment is conducive to progress in the near future or that current circumstances provide greater urgency or opportunity for you to expand your organization’s work.

Leadership Capacity – In 200 words or fewer, please describe your readiness to take the next step in advancing change. This may include a description of how you are positioned within your field, experience working with policymakers or the public, and/or experience guiding replication or expansion of your work. If your nomination describes a pair of leaders, please describe how each of your roles are distinct as well as how you collaborate.

Download and print a copy of the questions.

The Leadership Awards team will consider all substantive information in both parts of the nomination, including the nominator’s and nominee’s responses to the narrative questions. The team will also consider demographic information about the leaders. In the case of self-nominations, the team will also review the responses provided by one validator, as identified by the nominee.

The time required varies; however, we anticipate that it may take as much as 6-10 hours to prepare and submit a completed nominee submission. We recommend starting early to ensure you have enough time to thoughtfully complete each portion.

The Submittable platform works best on Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported. Please make sure you are using a supported browser.

Nominees may log into their Submittable account at any time and check the status of your nomination.

Yes, nominees can save their progress. Submittable auto-saves your progress as you go. You can return to the saved draft of your work in your Submittable account to submit at a later time.

If you need to make changes to a submitted information before the deadline, please withdraw your submission and resubmit.

If anything critical changes with the information you submitted after the deadline, you may request to edit the submission. The opportunity to edit is not guaranteed.

Finalists will be contacted in early August 2025. All other nominees will receive updates regarding their nomination status in August 2025.

We will follow-up with you about your submission by email through the Submittable platform. Please be sure to safelist notification emails from Submittable and check the email you used to sign up for your Submittable account.

If there are two nominators, only the primary Submittable account associated with the nomination will be contacted in the Submittable platform.