The OC Economic Justice Initiative (OCEJI) supports nonprofits advancing economic justice in marginalized OC communities. Led by regional nonprofit Charitable Ventures and funded by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation, the initiative was launched to provide grants, capacity building, regional stakeholder collaboration and to lift key research and community initiatives addressing economic justice in OC.
Focusing its regranting to Native-led and nonprofit organizations promoting economic justice, the OC Economic Justice Initiative specifically champions efforts to heal and rebuild disinvested communities.
Focuses on identifying and supporting local tribal and Native-led organizations with unrestricted grants to be used for purposes of advancing their missions.
Capacity-building and coaching tailored to the needs of BIPOC-led organizations focusing on economic justice efforts in Orange County.
Provides economic data synthesis and stories of Individuals, organizations, and leaders that help inform the larger OC economic justice narrative.
To understand how systemic inequalities influence well-being, economic justice must look at economic conditions through a holistic lens, recognizing that access to quality education, fair job opportunities, meaningful employment, affordable housing, food security, health and community connection are essential for breaking cycles of poverty and expanding opportunity and participation in the economy.
Economic justice is a broad concept centered on the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from the economy. It is about fairness in how wealth is distributed and how economic opportunities are made available. As a framework, economic justice helps stakeholders build economic conditions that create opportunities for all to thrive.
Economic justice underscores that prosperity and justice are inextricably linked. In essence, economic justice is about creating an economy that works for everyone, not just a select few.
No region is immune to economic inequities, but Orange County (OC) is a region that has substantial disparities across its many cities and communities. While OC is often reflected by images of beautiful coastlines, luxurious mansions, world-class shopping venues and Disneyland, a 2023 United Way study showed that one third of OC households live below the poverty line. Additionally, over 28% of OC’s 3.2 million residents qualify for Medi-Cal, the public health insurance program designed for low-income individuals at or below the 138% of the poverty line.
The county has one of the fastest-growing income gaps, predominantly affecting working-class communities facing structural barriers to economic opportunity. These disparities span employment, education, housing and health. Moreover, Native Americans have the highest unemployment rate (19.5%) in OC, followed by Latino (18.7%), Black (13.5%) and Asian or Pacific Islander (12.3%), Mixed/Other (11.8%), compared to White (7.3%).
Wage and employment disparities hold back the entire economy. Orange County’s economy would have been $97.4 billion stronger in 2022 if racial income gaps did not exist. While there have been efforts at the policy and grassroots level, to strengthen these often-overlooked communities in OC, there’s a pressing need for greater support.
“Working for worker justice also means considering the right to housing, to speak your language and to voice your vision for the future,” emphasized a community leader from Orange County Congregation Community Organization.
Many organizations in OC are doing vital work to advance economic justice. While our initiative highlights a select few, we recognize and appreciate the countless others whose efforts are equally impactful.
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Working people, that includes immigrants and refugees, are the economic backbone of Orange County, yet they have been systematically excluded from decision making in local government which has resulted in even greater economic inequality.
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In Orange County, working-class and immigrant communities face the harsh impacts of systemic injustice and rising costs. Through collective action and solidarity, we can unite, challenge the status quo, transform the conditions that keep us struggling, and create a future where our communities not only survive but truly thrive.
