In mid-January, we had the privilege of welcoming to Los Angeles more than 100 exceptional leaders who play an integral role in the Priority Communities initiative in Fresno, Salinas, Stockton, Riverside, and San Bernardino. They attended our first in-person Learning Summit since the initiative launched in 2020 to support community efforts in these cities to create an economy that works for all residents. It was inspiring for our team to have insightful conversations with our partners on what it takes to build inclusive economies and to learn about timely issues such as the future of work, leveraging public dollars, understanding impact, and strengthening the small business ecosystem.  

I was especially struck by keynote speaker Dr. Chris Benner, who called for shifting traditional economic development from being driven by maximizing profits for corporations and select individuals to a model that centers community and worker wellbeing.  

The Summit also coalesced around and reinforced key learnings from the initiative’s work over the last four years: 

• Advancing racial equity remains integral to creating economies that work for all.  
• Organizations need the capacity and support to keep working across sectors to shape the economic futures of their regions so that workers and young people have greater opportunity.   
• It’s vital to continue listening to and collaborating with residents, using their ideas as the basis for investments to create jobs, economic equity, and address social problems.  
• Communities need access to capital and resources to be able to develop their ideas so that they are ready for the influx of federal and state investment dollars. 
• Philanthropy should continue to play a role as a convener to support strengthening networks from key regions so that leaders can learn from one another.    

By the end of the Learning Summit we felt a deep sense of optimism and gratitude for how grantees are challenging the status quo and for their leadership to ensure communities become places for residents and future generations to prosper. To that end, we are eager to share this beautiful poem from Tama Brisbane, City of Stockton Poet Laureate Emerita and the Executive Director of With Our Words. She crafted it during the Summit as an embodiment of the inspirational work of community leaders who have dedicated themselves to creating a better California.    

To learn more about the Summit, including details on panels and key takeaways, click here.