Why
The San Joaquin Valley is central to California’s economy, food and water systems. It’s also home to a young, growing and diverse population with deep ties to place and work. What happens in the Valley shapes the future of California.
At the same time, the region faces interconnected challenges, including unsafe drinking water, groundwater over-pumping and sinking land, severe air pollution, and persistent poverty. Strong local leadership and organizing, along with new public funding and policy reforms, create opportunities to address these challenges in more equitable and lasting ways.
Where
The region spans eight counties and includes major cities such as Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto, and Visalia, along with many small unincorporated communities such as Allensworth, Cantua Creek, and Lanare.
Smart Growth California’s work in the Valley is grounded in place and shaped by local priorities and conditions.
How We Work
Smart Growth California helped found the San Joaquin Valley Funders’ Collaborative in 2012 as the primary space for funders to learn from one another, stay connected to conditions on the ground and explore opportunities to work together. Meet our SJVFC members.
Over time, philanthropic investment in the Valley has grown alongside stronger relationships between funders and community organizations. The San Joaquin Valley Funders’ Collaborative serves as connective tissue, helping funders understand each other’s priorities and, when it makes sense, take collective action by aligning or pooling resources.
Community Ownership and Equitable Land Access
Who owns land, housing, and other community assets affects who can remain in a place, shape its future, and benefit from its growth. The Equitable Land Access Working Group brings together funders and community partners working to expand community ownership in the San Joaquin Valley.
With support from funders including Common Counsel Foundation, Tao Rising, The 11th Hour Project, and The California Endowment, the effort has aligned approximately $2 million for organizations pursuing community ownership of farmland, buildings, and housing.
The effort demonstrated that capital alone is not enough. Funders working through the Equitable Land Access Working Group supported the California Community Land Trust Network to expand its work into the San Joaquin Valley, establish technical assistance and shared learning for organizations pursuing community ownership, and hire a full-time, Valley-based program manager, Jacky Rivera, to work directly with participating organizations.
Broadening the Community Ownership Conversation
Related community-led efforts include the Marigold Fund for Unincorporated California, a participatory grantmaking fund supporting agroecological land stewardship led by farmworkers, small farmers, and Tribes in rural Central Valley communities that often face limited access to capital, public resources, and political representation.
A March 2026 a community ownership panel at Smart Growth California’s Funder Summit brought land and worker ownership into the same conversation and surfaced interest in stronger connections among funders working across regions and ownership models. Building on that interest, funders are exploring how stronger infrastructure, capital, and partnerships could help community ownership grow in the Valley and across California.
Funders are invited to continue the conversation on September 24, 2026, from 2:00–3:30 p.m. PT. Learn more and register.
Water and Power
Earlier collaboration among San Joaquin Valley funders focused on water rights and community power-building. In 2019, spurred by concerns about the equitable implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund, funders created the three-year, $4.2 million Power, Equity and Clean Water Collective. The initiative has since concluded.
Funder Connection
The collaborative brings funders together through virtual meetings every other month and annual learning visits. The next in-depth site visit will take place in Fresno in November 2026, with dates forthcoming. Previous visits have included Merced in 2025, Allensworth in 2024, and Wukchumni Farms in Visalia in 2022. These visits give funders opportunities to deepen their understanding of local conditions and learn directly from people affected by regional policy and investment decisions.
Who’s Involved
The San Joaquin Valley Funders’ Collaborative brings together funders from across the state that are investing in the San Joaquin Valley. The steering committee includes representatives from The 11th Hour Project, Campbell Foundation, The California Endowment, Central Valley Community Foundation, Common Counsel Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, the Merced Central Valley Opportunity Fund, The Packard Foundation, San Joaquin Community Foundation, Sierra Health Foundation, Stanislaus Community Foundation, the Water Foundation, and an anonymous funder.
Smart Growth California also acknowledges The S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation for their active engagement and leadership and engagement through the completion of its grantmaking and spend-down in 2020.
Get Involved
Funders working to create healthy, equitable communities and sustainable natural systems in the San Joaquin Valley are invited to participate in the collaborative. To learn more, contact Diana Williams, Program Manager at Smart Growth California.
