Uplift awards $9 million in grants to Central Coast organizations, included $3.45 million for Monterey County.

A total of $3.45 million will be spread out across 13 projects in Monterey County meant to drive economic development.

The Uplift Central Coast Coalition announced Feb. 4 it will award $9 million to 36 organizations across six counties on the Central Coast. 

Uplift consists of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, REACH and the Economic Development Collaborative, covering Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

In October, Uplift invited entities, including nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, local governments and others, to apply for grants, known as Catalyst Predevelopment Funding. The funding is intended to go to programs that benefit workers and grow the economy.

The grant opportunities are part of California Jobs First, a state program which distributed $182 million earlier in 2024 across 13 “Jobs First Collaboratives” throughout the state. Uplift was awarded $9 million to spread among the six counties it represents. 

Many of the funded initiatives span multiple counties, according to Uplift. In the tri-county region of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, the recipient organizations and their projects are:

• Action Council of Monterey County, Inc.: community-driven planning for a health equity community resilience hub project

• Cabrillo Community College District: new child care center for student parents

• County of San Benito: workforce upskilling

• Esperanza Community Farms: rebuilding an equitable food chain on the Central Coast

• Esselen Tribe of Monterey County: capacity building and organizational development

• Hartnell Community College District: Roots of Resilience: empowering communities through ag tech innovation 

• Monterey Bay DART: Advancing advanced air mobility jobs and infrastructure

• Mujeres en Acción: building a workforce development intermediary with strategic partners and the workers of the Pajaro and Salinas Valleys to ensure access to jobs in precision manufacturing, advanced business services and health care

• Rancho Cielo: vocational training and certification expansion for economic mobility

• San Benito County Arts Council: building the pipeline of visual and performing arts teachers in the tri-county region

• Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship: Stewardship Corps, a low-income youth economic and career development pilot

• UC Santa Cruz: Drones Uplifting the Central Coast

• Ventures: the Futuro program

Organizations were invited to apply for grants in three categories: Concept (up to $50,000), Accelerator (up to $250,000) and Launchpad (up to $1 million). 

Quinn Brady, project director for the Uplift Central Coast Coalition, says the awardees are currently in the contracting process, and the amounts awarded to each organization is not currently public.

Uplift’s goal is to see all funds invested by summer 2026. 

“We look forward to working alongside grantees every step of the way, fostering collaboration, supporting implementation and celebrating milestones as the vision for a brighter future becomes reality,” Tahra Goraya, president and CEO of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, said in a press release.