California is home to incredibly diverse regions—many of which are larger in land area or population than entire states. To build a truly sustainable, resilient, and inclusive economy, we need to ensure that every region prospers: coastal and inland, desert and mountain, urban, and rural.
CA FWD is committed to supporting regional economies through a system-wide approach that brings pragmatic policy tools and investment strategies to state government, regional partners, and on-the-ground projects.
CA FWD’s Thriving Regions portfolio brings together regional leaders, state partners, and industry experts to align inclusive economic growth with the reality of a changing climate. By turning regional priorities into state-level action, we catalyze investment in competitive industries that support a resilient energy transition, and create implementation tools that create lasting benefits for every community. The portfolio includes the following activities and initiatives:
A Regions-Up Playbook for the New California Economy: California’s economy is at a crossroads. The world’s fourth largest economy, the state boasts incredible assets including our geography, natural resources, innovation culture, and human capital. At the same time, the state has some of the country’s highest inequality and poverty rates, a reality felt in both rural and urban regions. Meanwhile, the world faces unprecedented challenges from a fast-changing economy, shifting geopolitical priorities, and a warming climate. CA FWD and the California Stewardship Network are working together to model a state-regional economic development strategy that prioritizes improved coordination, governance, and action at both the state and regional level, as well as new implementation tools to effectively deliver projects throughout the state.
Energy & Industrial (R)Evolution: A more sustainable and resilient economy requires investment into the industries of the future—prioritizing sectors and supply chains that will survive and thrive across every region of the Golden State. CA FWD works with our business and community partners on policies and strategies that leverage the state’s unique geographic, infrastructure, and workforce assets while also stewarding California’s precious land and resources.
Energy Project Benefits: At CA FWD, we believe strong state and regional economies must also create tangible benefits on the ground. Increasingly, communities are turning to project-specific tools like Community Benefits Agreements to ensure growing prosperity is broadly shared. CA FWD is committed to supporting both developers and communities in achieving durable and just project benefits, especially in emerging sectors like clean energy. Our Energy Benefits work includes a searchable digital database developed in partnership with the UC Berkeley Possibility Lab, allowing developers and community organizations to see how others have effectively engaged in project negotiations across the country and the globe. In the coming year, we will be working with many of these groups to add model legislation and governance structures to our database.
Investor Exchanges: In partnership with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), CA FWD has convened a series of Investor Exchanges connecting regional partners and project leads with investors and capital partners. The exchanges connect regional project leads with investors to spark growth in emerging industries like zero-emission vehicles, agtech, and the blue economy—thereby bridging the gap between big ideas and the capital needed to fund them.