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To uplift our residents as we uplift our regional economy, growing from within to create transformative opportunities for more than 2 million people across 6 Central Coast counties.
To create an inclusive economic resilience plan for the region through creative, community-led efforts.
The six-county Uplift Central Coast region developed a community economic development plan focused on the unique priorities and opportunities of the Central Coast. Through state funding and support under the California Jobs First umbrella, Uplift Central Coast identified opportunities to maximize the impact of available resources and established a framework for investing in the region’s economic future.
By working directly with local stakeholders and inviting traditionally underserved parties to the table – as well as experts in job development, workforce training, housing, financial services, enterprise development and other fields critical to economic growth.
The Central Coast is rich with talent, opportunity and assets that can help communities build resilience and create lasting prosperity. Uplift Central Coast recognized that those best positioned to strengthen a community are the people who live, work, and invest in its future. By bringing six counties together around shared priorities, the initiative helped elevate the visibility of the region as a whole and build greater awareness of the Central Coast’s collective potential.
See the faces behind Uplift Central Coast, including the team, board and committee members.
The three primary economic development organizations that compose Uplift – Economic Development Collaborative, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership and REACH – have a history of collaboration on the Central Coast. The three groups initially worked together on grant applications for the federal Build Back Better program, which fell through. Next, they turned their energy to the State of California’s program, known as CERF. As Uplift, the group was awarded the grant with 129 letters of support.
California Jobs First (formerly the California Community Economic Resilience Fund, or CERF) is a statewide approach to economic development designed to center disadvantaged communities and build an inclusive, sustainable economy as California transitions to a clean energy, carbon-neutral future.
The Central Coast’s six-county region was one of 13 regions selected to receive a $5 million planning grant. The grant supported the development of an inclusive regional economic development process centered on equity, sustainability, job quality, economic competitiveness and resilience—and provided the foundation for Uplift’s regional planning, stakeholder engagement and implementation efforts.
October 20, 2022 | California awards Uplift planning grant
Uplift worked to mobilize a diverse Central Coast ecosystem of stakeholders, developed a vision and goals, and crafted an inclusive outreach and engagement plan and process.The State of California awarded the Uplift Coalition a regional California Jobs First grant, providing resources to advance this work and develop a comprehensive regional strategy for equitable economic growth. The grant supported the coalition’s efforts to deepen regional collaboration, engage a broad cross-section of Central Coast communities and stakeholders, and identify strategies and opportunities that build on the region’s existing economic assets while expanding access to quality jobs and economic opportunity.
2023-2024 | Phase I: Planning
Uplift then moved into a 2-year planning phase. This involved: building out the Central Coast ecosystem to include additional voices and perspectives, implementing an inclusive outreach and engagement plan and developing a regional plan with collaborative partnerships. Our regional plan was submitted to the State of California in September 2024.
2024-2025 | Phase II: Programs & Projects
Uplift was awarded $9 million to implement the Catalyst Predevelopment Phase (formerly referred to as the “Catalyst Program” or “Catalyst Fund”) intending to bridge the gap between planning and implementation and enable regions to develop ready-to-go projects that can compete for funding opportunities from federal, state, and private sources. The goal of funding Catalyst Predevelopment Phase projects, as shared by the state of California, was to invest in industries that advance priorities identified during the Planning Phase, fund projects that ensure workers and disinvested communities are the primary beneficiaries, and to leverage federal, state and private dollars.
2026 & Beyond | Phase III: Implementation
With the planning phase complete, Uplift is moving into implementation, with grants awarded to develop the Space Vandenberg initiative across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties and Advanced Air Mobility Corridors Initiative (CAAMCI) across Monterey Bay, underscoring priority industry initiatives and putting the region’s shared vision into action. Going forward, Uplift will continue to strengthen partnerships across the six counties, support implementation of regional priorities, and connect the Central Coast with the State of California and other regions to advance the case for continued regional collaboration and investment.
The Uplift partnership assembled a collaborative regional coalition that reflects the diversity of the Central Coast to work together to build a more inclusive economy. Our coalition includes:
