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About Us
Investing in Corpsmembers. Strengthening California.
CCC Foundation supports the young adults of the California Conservation Corps by expanding access to education, professional training, career pathways, and resources that help Corpsmembers succeed during and after their service.
The California Conservation Corps (CCC) serves young adults ages 18–25, and veterans up to age 29, through paid service that combines hands-on work, education, training, and public service. Corpsmembers gain experience while restoring California's natural resources, strengthening communities, responding to emergencies, and preparing for meaningful careers.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance the education, training, leadership development, personal growth, and career opportunities of Corpsmembers while protecting and enhancing California's natural resources.
Grants & Strategic Investment
Turning investment into opportunity.
Grants and philanthropic partnerships allow the CCC Foundation to expand opportunities beyond what public funding alone can provide. By securing and directing resources toward Corpsmember education, workforce development, training, equipment, and community-based projects, the Foundation helps strengthen both the Corpsmember experience and the communities they serve.
These investments help support programs that prepare young adults for the workforce, expand access to specialized training, strengthen California's natural resources, and respond to emerging needs throughout the state.
Through grants and partnerships, we help invest in:
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Education and career development
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Specialized workforce training and certifications
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Conservation and natural resource projects
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Corpsmember support and advancement
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Community resilience and emergency preparedness
The goal is not simply to fund projects—it is to create opportunities that continue long after a Corpsmember's service ends.
Professional Training & Workforce Pathways
Corpsmembers gain hands-on experience, industry-recognized credentials, and career-focused training that prepare them for employment and continued education. Through partnerships with California Community Colleges, Corpsmembers can access training in fields such as firefighting, forestry, construction, culinary arts, energy, emergency response, and skilled trades.
The impact extends beyond service: 100% of the CCC’s 2023–24 outcomes cohort received an industry-recognized credential, 63% enrolled in college or university coursework within a year of leaving, and more than half who entered without a high school diploma earned one during service or within a year after.
Since 2017, the Corps-Community College Partnership has engaged 20,418 Corpsmembers, helping turn service into skills, education, and pathways to lasting careers.
Community & Conservation Projects
Hands-on work. Lasting impact.
Across California, Corpsmembers put their training into action through projects that strengthen communities and protect the state's natural resources.
Their work can take them from forests and watersheds to trails, parks, neighborhoods, and public infrastructure. Projects include trail construction and restoration, invasive species removal, tree planting, habitat improvement, forest health, fuel reduction, energy projects, and other conservation work.
The experience is intentionally hands-on. Corpsmembers learn to work as part of a crew, operate tools and equipment, solve problems in the field, and see the tangible results of their service.
For example, CCC forest-health projects documented 37 projects statewide, nearly 99,000 hours of project work, more than 41,000 hours of training, and 391 acres of fuel reduction.
These projects create a dual impact: California's communities and natural resources benefit from meaningful work today, while Corpsmembers build skills and experience they can carry into tomorrow.
Disaster Response & Wildfire Resilience
Trained to serve when California needs it most.
When wildfires, floods, severe storms, and other emergencies strike, CCC crews are trained to respond alongside agencies including CAL FIRE, Cal OES, and the Department of Water Resources. Their work includes wildfire and flood response, forest health, and projects that reduce wildfire risk before disasters occur.
In 2025, CCC fire crews responded to 355 wildfire incidents, contributing 415,930 emergency-response hours. Forestry Corpsmembers also treated 1,515 acres, removed 1,700 trees for fuel management, and planted 8,000 trees to support forest health and reforestation.
This service also creates career pathways. Since 2018, more than 1,000 CCC-trained young adults have been hired by CAL FIRE into full-time and seasonal wildland fire positions.
For Corpsmembers, disaster response provides hands-on experience and professional training. For California, it builds a skilled workforce ready to protect communities when it matters most.
