Workforce Development and Community Resilience for Catalyst Funding Round 2
IRVINE, CA (July 28, 2025) — Orange County Business Council (OCBC) is proud to announce the recipients of $4.6 million in funding through the California Jobs First (CJF) initiative, supporting a range of high-impact, job-creating projects across Orange County.
Since 2023, OCBC has served as the CJF Regional Convener for Orange County, leading a local collaborative composed of regional business leaders, labor representatives, California Native American Tribes, government agencies, academic institutions, and community-based organizations. Together, they identified priority projects aimed at boosting equitable economic development, preparing the region’s workforce for long-term success and uplifting underserved communities.
“These awardees reflect the spirit, strength, and diversity that make Orange County exceptional. These are visionary organizations working on the ground to solve real challenges and create real opportunity,” said Jeffrey Ball, President & CEO of OCBC. “We’re proud to stand alongside them as they develop the next generation of workers, support underserved communities, and help move our economy forward.”
The grants serve as catalytic funding for local projects so they can become implementation ready. Some of the projects supported from this round of funding include the creation of a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a food incubator and culinary training center, courses to train Certified Nursing Assistants into Licensed Vocational Nurses, and a centralized platform to drive AI innovation, workforce development, and entrepreneurship, among others.
Orange County, with OCBC leading this effort, is one of only 13 regions statewide to be part of CJF, which aims to drive sustainable economic growth, innovation and access to good paying jobs across all of California.
“These investments reflect a shared commitment to building a more inclusive, future-ready economy,” said Jeffrey Ball, President & CEO of OCBC. “We congratulate the recipients for putting forward bold, community-driven solutions, and we’re grateful to our collaborative partners who helped make this possible. We commend the state for prioritizing equitable job creation and economic resilience. Congratulations to the local organizations selected.”
View the full list of awardees here.
About Orange County Business Council
For more than 25 years, Orange County Business Council (OCBC) has been representing and promoting the region’s business community together with government and academia to enhance Orange County’s economic development. The Council’s core initiatives include developing pro-business solutions that lead to economic growth, education development that leads to a competitive workforce, advocating for a range of housing, and advocating for adequate investment in regional and statewide infrastructure for the nation’s sixth most populous county. Member investors include businesses and local organizations representing a diverse cross section of industries including biomedical, construction, education, financial services, health care, manufacturing, municipalities, nonprofit, real estate, technology, tourism, transportation and utilities. For more information, visit ocbc.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sarah Ghebrial
Vice President of Public Affairs, Orange County Business Council
[email protected]
