Priority Communities

The Priority Communities initiative is focused, through 2031, on Fresno, Merced, Stockton, Salinas, San Bernardino, and Riverside. We will also make shorter-term, strategic investments in Bakersfield and the Imperial Valley to support leaders navigating a transition to a green economy.  

The initiative’s community-based grantmaking strategies aim to:

• Increase the capacity, diversity, and coordination of organizations and coalitions to build worker influence and power and build the commitment of public and private institutions to advance equity-driven economic development goals   

• Grow public and private investment in community-led and -owned economic development models that boost the prosperity of resident workers, consumers, and business owners    

• Increase the ability of tribal and Black, Indigenous, people of color-led and-serving organizations to address the economic needs of residents most harmed by structural racism and ongoing lack of investment  

The model for this initiative

Partnering with regranting intermediaries is core to implementing our Priority Communities initiative. We prioritize coalitions, partnerships, and efforts that strengthen a community’s ecosystem and bring multiple leaders together to build enduring community power. We work with trusted, local partners who know the players, have built critical relationships, and have designed solutions for their communities’ challenges. This approach allows us to quickly and strategically award larger grants to local organizations who are implementing key projects that benefit low-wage workers and support the community’s nonprofit infrastructure.