San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance secures $10.4 million grant to amplify local manufacturing industry growth

CVCF’s Sierra San Joaquin Jobs (S2J2) Initiative is celebrating a $10.4 million award from Governor Gavin Newsom for the Sierra San Joaquin Jobs region. Our partners at the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SJVMA) secured the grant to accelerate the growth of our local manufacturing sector.

In 2023, S2J2 led a broad community outreach effort that included local and regional tables, an economic analysis and 4,000 community surveys. The results showed that advanced and circular manufacturing is vital to the regional economy. Advanced manufacturing uses state-of-the-art technology to develop new products and streamline productions, while circular manufacturing aims to sustain supply resources through practices such as redesigning and recycling. According to SJVMA,  the manufacturing industry employs more than 115,000 people in the San Joaquin Valley and contributes over $19.3 billion to the Valley’s economic output.

“Though we don't have a single large company, like Boeing, we do have several thousand small, family-owned machine shops across the Central Valley,” said CVCF Chief Impact Officer (CIO) Christy Patch, J.D., Ph.D. “This "hidden" network provides specialized parts for companies across California and is the backbone of our state's manufacturing industry.”

Created by the Fresno Business Council in 2016, SJVMA brings together Central Valley manufacturing leaders to champion the industry and build a top-tier local workforce. S2J2 awarded the alliance $400,000 over two years to serve as one of four coordinators developing and implementing the S2J2 Regional Plan, plus $75,000 to conduct a skills gap assessment and build a data collection tool that identifies the job skills local manufacturers need. The data will go to educators to help align curricula with real-world industry needs. SJVMA also convened the stakeholder group that worked together to apply for the California Catalyst Grant opportunity.

 The state selected SJVMA to lead collaboration in the sector and develop investment plans based on regional needs and growth opportunities. The investment will fund new lab space at Fresno State (“The Forge”), a new CNC machining training program, expansion of the FAME Advanced Manufacturing Technicians program at Reedley College and a revolving loan fund for local manufacturers. This award is an example of the S2J2 Regional Plan in action.

To learn more about S2J2’s Regional Investment Plan Draft, click here, and to get involved with SJVMA, visit https://sjvma.org/our-work/.