Background
In 2021, Governor Newsom launched the $600 million Regional Investment Initiative to create quality jobs and bolster California's resilience to climate and global challenges.
What is Catalyst Funding?
Thrive Inland SoCal received $14 million in Catalyst Funding,
$9 million of which goes to advance sector-specific pre-development projects from early and near-completion stages to "ready-to-go" status, facilitating access to various funding sources.
Project Decisions
Thrive Inland SoCal co-conveners IEGO and the Inland Empire Labor Institute have relationships with a wide range of organizations outside of the work we do through California Jobs First. We do not have decision making authority with regard to Catalyst funding nor are we able to give preferential points to any project. Read the evaluation and approval process below to understand how project decisions are reached.
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Catalyst Awardees
ROUND 1
A.
$25,000
Workforce Mental Development Program
B.
$25,000
Thrift and Thrive Donation Center
C.
$219,849.60
Practically sustainable community growth through backyard urban farming with permaculture and composting in palm springs
D.
$50,000
FAME House
E.
$246,350
CORE Academy
$250,000
F.
$250,000
Littlest Big Farms in the Inland Empire
G.
$250,000
High Desert Black Worker Center: Advocacy, Unity, and Prosperity in Action
H.
$25,000
Pay it Forward Career Pact
I.
$250,000
Preparing for Prosperity
Catalyst Awardees
ROUND 2
1.
$24,980.00
UDW/AFSCME Local 3930:
Helping At-Risk Regions Build for Organized Resilience (HARBOR)
3.
$25,000.00
EcoCAR EV Challenge Team at UC Riverside: UCR EcoCAR EV Challenge Team
5.
$250,000.00
Inland Southern California 211+:
California Jobs First Strategy – Increasing Quality Jobs in the IE
7.
$210,100.00
Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, Inc.: San Bernardino Day Labor Center Initiative
9.
$250,000.00
Inland Empire Community Collaborative (IECC): Inland Empire Nonprofit Policy and Workforce Empowerment Initiative
11.
$1,000,000.00
Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (SoCalCOSH): Establishment of the IE of Disaster Hub - IEDH
13.
$500,000.00
Voltu Motor Inc.:
Voltu Motor Inc.: Driving Job Creation and Workforce Development in the Inland Empire through the Comprehensive EV Training Program
2.
$25,000.00
Community Health Action Network:
Financial Literacy Program
4.
$224,795.00
Inland Empire Prism Collective:Pride Pathways: Skills & Careers for Tomorrow
6.
$249,999.00
Teamsters Local 1932 Training Center: TeamUp: A Workforce Training and Career Pathway Solution
8.
$250,000.00
Growing Outreach Growing Opportunities: GOGO Ready 2 Work
10.
$250,000.00
Starting Over, Inc.:
Path to SEED Staffing Agency
12.
$765,941.78
GRID Alternatives Inland Empire:
Workforce Training for Inland Empire Clean Energy Careers
14.
$325,000.00
City of Moreno Valley:
California Jobs First Strategy – Increasing Quality Jobs in the IE
15.
$175,000.00
St. Mary Medical Center:
Thrive High Desert
Catalyst Awardees
ROUND 3
1.
$25,000
The Pass Progress Collaborative is a pre-development planning initiative aimed at enhancing community coordination and investment readiness in the San Gorgonio Pass region, including cities like Banning and Beaumont. It will create planning tools such as GIS mapping and zoning frameworks to support equitable growth in clean industries like technology and manufacturing. The project prioritizes community engagement, equity, and sustainability to ensure local stakeholders benefit from future investments in the clean economy.
2.
$40,000
The WOW Clean Energy Commissary & Mobile Workforce Hub aims to enhance vocational training and clean technology education via the Mobile Kitchen Social Enterprise. It provides women, reentry individuals, and at-risk community members with workforce skills, entrepreneurship tools, and trauma-informed support, promoting job access, sustainability, and equity for employment or business ownership in culinary and clean tech sectors.
3.
$60,000
Redlands’ NextGen Ready will create early job pathways for youth in the clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and technology sectors through industry-aligned learning, mentorships, and internships. This initiative supports high school students aged 16-18 in and around Redlands, CA, and aims to prepare students, particularly those from historically excluded communities, for high-demand, family-sustaining careers by bridging the gap between education and employment.
4.
$157,640.80
The Mechanical Insulation Thermographic Assessment Program (MITA) seeks to minimize energy waste and greenhouse gas emissions in the Inland Empire. It focuses on enhancing mechanical insulation assessments and developing the workforce by up-skilling union members from disadvantaged communities and performing thermographic evaluations of facilities. The program promotes climate resilience, economic equity, and the growth of clean energy careers.
5.
$230,000
The Cybersecurity Entrepreneurship Academy at the Entrepreneurial Resource Centers (ERC) in San Bernardino, Palm Desert, and Temecula will enhance support for small businesses. It will provide general assistance, including business counseling and training, and specifically promote the development of cybersecurity enterprises. The initiative aims to foster small business growth as a strategy for improving economic and social mobility.
6.
$243,568
Alianza aims to empower farmworker children as leaders in clean energy and sustainable agriculture. Collaborating with Lideres Campesinas and Pitzer College's SoCal Earth curriculum, the project will provide GIS training for sustainable agriculture, agrivoltaic-siting, and community mapping. It aims to integrate environmental justice with labor rights and economic development, aligning with the organization's mission.
7.
$250,000
The Green Business Attraction and Incentive Program aims to boost clean technology investment, create jobs, and enhance environmental and economic resilience in the Inland Empire. It offers flexible capital, matching grants, and support through a Green Revolving Loan Fund to aid early-stage and expanding clean tech businesses.
8.
$307,926.26
The Garcia Center for the Arts aims to enhance San Bernardino's creative economy by supporting artists, educators, and entrepreneurs through the Creative Instructor Program and Mercado 536. These initiatives offer access to space, equipment, training, and mentorship, creating a replicable model for arts-based workforce and small business development in the Inland Empire.
9.
$410,000
The Inland Empire Advantage aims to enhance the region's manufacturing sector through modernization, workforce upskilling, and supply chain activation. This initiative will boost productivity, promote clean technology, and help retain quality jobs for sustained economic growth.
10.
$501,000
PCC Hydrogen (PCCH2) is developing a “Hydrogen Energy Hub” to accelerate hydrogen adoption for industrial and transportation decarbonization. The project in Riverside will couple PCCH2’s hydrogen production process with commercial hydrogen refueling and EV charging in a strategically located area to serve high-volume trucking routes and fleet operators. The grant will fund the last mile of customer and partnership engagement to get completely launch-ready.
11.
$907,000
Ryvid plans to develop a next-generation Battery Management System (BMS) to enhance lithium-ion battery performance, safety, and lifespan for electric mobility and energy systems. This initiative aims to localize production, reduce import dependence, and strengthen California's clean-energy supply chain. It will also create quality jobs and workforce opportunities in advanced manufacturing, fostering equitable economic growth and clean-tech innovation in the Inland Empire.
Activation Plans
We are now strategically shifting our focus toward implementing our comprehensive activation plans to drive tangible, long-term impact across key sectors. These crucial plans, which you can explore in detail, are centered on accelerating progress in the Clean Economy, fostering innovation in Advanced Manufacturing, and strengthening our defenses in Cybersecurity.
Advanced manufacturing is vital to Inland Southern California's economy, employing nearly 100,000 workers, with over 35,000 jobs in the metals and machining sector.
The clean economy is one of the fastest-growing global markets, driven by consumer demand, state policies, investor criteria, and the urgent need to reduce environmental impact.
The focus on cybersecurity will enable us to have strong national leadership because of CSUSB’s Center for Cyber & AI holds federal NSA/DHS/NSF designations, shaping national standards.