Priority Communities

We support community efforts in five cities to create an economy that works for all residents.

This seven-year, $135 million initiative in Fresno, Salinas, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Stockton aims to create and protect more good jobs that offer family-sustaining wages, benefits, and advancement opportunities for workers in low-wage jobs — and support communities as they create economies that work for all residents.

The initiative builds on and replaces previous grantmaking we called Priority Regions — communities that represent the future of California but do not have the same access to public, private, and philanthropic resources as California’s coastal cities.

Listen to Irvine CEO, Don Howard, talk about closing the San Joaquin Valley’s opportunity gap on “The Maddy Report,” a radio and television program for and about the valley produced by the Maddy Institute.

Recent Grants

To invest in the implementation of five core projects that improve economic mobility and job creation in Fresno, as identified through the Developing the Region’s Inclusive and Vibrant Economy (DRIVE) initiative.

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To support the Salinas Inclusive Economic Development Initiative.

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To support workforce and small business programs Positive Futures and the Black and Brown Opportunity for Profit Business Academy, to increase employability and economic mobility for Black and Brown justice-impacted women in San Bernardino.

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