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"California has a unique opportunity to further its efforts to build a'regions' approach to development that brings together goals surrounding economy, equity, and environment," says Ashley Swearengin, former mayor of Fresno and current president and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, per the Public Policy Initiative of California.
That means investing in rural parts of the state, she says, "actually means a brighter future for other parts of the state."
That's why the Little Hoover Commission is applauding Gov.
Gavin Newsom's $600 million Regional Investment Initiative, launched in 2021 to support regional economic development efforts.
The initiative "offered a tremendous opportunity for the state to strengthen and expand existing grassroots coalitions and accelerate more inclusive and sustainable regional economic growth," the commission found in a November 2022 report, per the Fresno Bee.
But the commission also found that the initiative suffered from challenges, including balancing among different outcome goals, ensuring that regions receive the scale of investment necessary to change their economic trajectories, and coordinating the range of state programs that can support inclusive regional economic development.
In its report, the commission also recommended that the state better support regions as they seek to execute economic development strategies, such as focusing on industries with high growth potential and connecting members of disadvantaged communities with the quality
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
PepsiCo has selected eight startups from the Middle East and North Africa region as finalists in its Mega Green Accelerator program, which aims to " nurture the next generation of innovators as they...more
A vegan restaurant chain in Los Angeles is adding dairy and beef to its menu, reports the Los Angeles Times. Sweetgreen, formerly known as Sage Vegan, says it will start serving dairy and beef by...more
Funding for green technologies is on the rise in India, and the country's biggest investment fund is aiming to raise $1 billion for a climate-related fund by 2022, Bloomberg reports. The fund,...more
When Richard and Mary Jane Weeks of Fallbrook, Calif., died last November at the age of 90, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, they left behind legacies so large that it's hard to believe they...more
Foundation: Oshkosh Area Community Foundation
A nurse in Fond du Lac, Wis., is this year's recipient of the DAISY Award, given to those who go "above and beyond" to provide excellent patient care. Haley Birschbach, a nurse in medical...more
When Ferdinand and Mafalda DelGrosso were starting out in the food industry in Pennsylvania in the 1940s, they didn't have much. But over the next 77 years, the DelGrossos have donated millions...more
If your child is struggling with self-esteem, depression, or anxiety, there's a summer camp for you. The Lukin Center for Psychotherapy in New Jersey is offering a week-long " Therapeutic...more
Missouri's Department of Economic Development has announced the 37 organizations that will receive a total of $6 million in state tax credits through its Youth Opportunities Program, the Kansas City...more
A Canadian university is breaking ground on what it says will be the largest investment in medical research in the country's history. The CBC reports on the Advanced Medical Research Center, a...more
Rayees Rahman may not be a household name, but he's the winner of a prestigious life-sciences investment competition in the United Arab Emirates. The 21-year-old won the JP Morgan Asset...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Vertical Farming: The Way to Feed a Global Population
Vertical farms are designed in a way to avoid the pressing issues about growing food crops in drought-and-disease-prone fields miles away from the population centers in which they will be consumed.
