California Forward

This grant to California Forward would support its ongoing efforts to fundamentally change the way government operates in the state. In 2007, five major California foundations, including Hewlett, jointly invested in this organization’s launch, reflecting shared concerns about the increasing dysfunction of the state’s fiscal and political systems. California Forward was conceived as a six-year project at a minimum, on the premise that its envisioned reforms would take several years to achieve even under the most ambitious scenario. The foundations’ original commitment was for three years of funding, with the expectation of three additional years of support if progress was being made. Over the past three years, the organization has focused on the following objectives: • Helping California’s institutions of governance become more fair, transparent, and responsive to the needs of the state’s residents • Improving the state’s and local governments’ fiscal performance by strengthening their budgeting processes and making their finance systems more rational and equitable • Improving communication between Californians and public officials by strengthening residents’ opportunities to participate more effectively in decisionmaking • Clarifying the roles, responsibilities, and authorities of state and local governments and agencies to make them more efficient, effective, and rational. With a number of notable successes since 2007, California Forward is now widely viewed as a trusted, bipartisan, public interest organization committed to making the state work. One of its early goals, the creation of a citizen’s redistricting commission (which took the form of a ballot initiative), was realized in November 2008. It has since played an important role in improving the implementation of the Citizens Redistricting Commission created through this initiative. California Forward also helped inform decisionmaking that led to an initiative to allow open primaries, voted into law in June 2010, and provided nonpartisan research on term limit options, expected to be decided by voters in 2012. With regard to potential fiscal reform, California Forward has developed a framework for a nonpartisan, comprehensive budget process that would create stability, improve decisionmaking, and restore public trust. Working with community, regional, and state leaders, the organization has developed a set of potential reforms that reflect best practices and broad public values, as reflected in endorsements, polling, and the analysis of independent experts. Over the next three years, California Forward intends to carry out a statewide conversation and engagement effort designed to support a fiscal realignment plan that shifts significant decisionmaking authority and revenue-raising responsibility from the state to local governments. The organization recognizes that in order to succeed, any fiscal realignment must meet the needs of a large coalition of Californians. This proposed grant includes evaluation funding. All five foundations that originally invested in California Forward are planning to renew their support for the organization this year.