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As California faces threats from federal budget and policy proposals amid an anticipated flat (no-growth) budget for its 2025 – 2026 fiscal year, strategic choices grounded in values of racial and economic equity are needed to ensure that all residents can thrive. The state’s budget process holds the key to determining which policies will create a more equitable California, and philanthropy has an important opportunity to influence these outcomes over the course of the state’s budget cycle from January to June. 

As the political economy ebbs and flows, California finds itself dealing with significant budget deficits more frequently, which ultimately impacts our state’s most historically marginalized residents. Cuts to important programs impacting housing and homelessness, the social safety net, climate resiliency programs and much more have a disproportionate and adverse effect on women and children, low-income families, rural communities, and neighborhoods of color. Nonprofit and direct service organizations often see an uptick in their clients during economic downturns and are compelled to fill the gap without augmentation in funding and resources.

What does 2022 have in store for public policy in California?

As we enter the third year of the COVID pandemic, relief and stimulus funds continue to flow from state and federal coffers. New redistricting lines are reshaping legislatures as lawmakers introduce bills that will impact the social sector.

To ensure economic securityfor Californians, our public safety net needs to evolve, and that means getting serious about unrestricted cash support at the state level.During this legislative cycle, there are many proposals to provide groups of Californians with direct cash supports. From tax credit proposals to reforms in safety net programs, there are critical policy levers California can and should implement now so that all Californians can have the resources needed to live and thrive in the Golden State.

This program is presented through a partnership between Philanthropy California and the
California Office of Emergency Services and is funded by the Listos California Grant Program.

You can think of a grant budget as another way to describe a program and its activities.
Everything you have proposed to do in the program is represented somewhere in the budget,
and if an activity is missing from the budget, you need to ask why! Grant budgets also represent
partnerships, collaborations, and community involvement activities.

With more than 30 new state legislators taking office in Sacramento, a $25 billion budget shortfall projected by the Governor, and the looming threat of recession, 2023 presents significant changes and challenges for those of us in the charitable sector working to support vulnerable Californians throughout the state.

With major state and federal tax and budget debates on the horizon, California families and communities, particularly immigrant families and communities, may face significant economic hardship in the years to come. Join fellow California funders for a series of engaging and informative sessions exploring critical budget and tax issues affecting the state, including the impact of federal tax and budget measures on California, and what philanthropy can do to influence tax and budget policy discussions.