As Imperial Valley attracts growing interest in data centers, infrastructure, natural resources and other major economic investments, the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) is unveiling a national model for how communities can come together to shape their own economic future and have a voice before major development decisions are made.

The roadmap, Community Visioning Process: A Community-Led Roadmap for a Strong, Inclusive Economic Future for All, will be unveiled Tuesday, September 1, at 5 p.m. at the Old Eucalyptus Schoolhouse in El Centro as part of Activate Imperial, LCF’s community-centered regional initiative.

More than 80 Imperial Valley residents and representatives from community-based organizations, educational institutions, local businesses, public agencies, and civic and community leadership participated in the Community Visioning Process from April through July 2026.

The Activate Imperial Steering Committee includes Imperial Valley Equity & Justice, Comité Cívico del Valle, The Becoming Project, Unwind & Design, Ashley Contreras and Michael Morales, who helped guide the community visioning process.

The effort takes a different approach to economic and regional development by starting with community visioning, local leadership and shared priorities. The goal is to bring public, private, philanthropic and community partners together around what residents say they want and need for their communities, and how investment can support those priorities.

“Imperial Valley is at an important crossroads,” said Julián Castro, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation. “There is tremendous potential for economic growth and investment, but we must make sure that growth benefits everyone, not just big corporations, and that it reflects the priorities of Imperial Valley residents. Activate Imperial aims to show what can happen when communities come together to define the future they want and then work with public, private, and philanthropic partners to make their community vision a reality.”

A Community Vision Before Development

Between April and July 2026, Activate Imperial engaged community members through in-person community conversations, virtual discussions, community surveys and a leadership convening.

Rather than beginning with a predetermined list of projects or investment priorities, community members identified the issues and opportunities they believe should guide Imperial Valley’s long-term future.

The resulting report unveils six interconnected Strategic Investment Priorities and organizes them into a phased Strategic Investment Roadmap.

The priorities reflect the reality that housing, transportation, education, healthcare, environmental health, economic opportunity and belonging are interconnected and cannot be addressed in isolation.

The roadmap is designed to align public, private, philanthropic and community investment around priorities identified through the community process.

Importantly, the report does not prescribe individual projects. Instead, it establishes a community-informed framework to guide future planning, partnership development and investment decisions.

“Economic development should not happen to a community, it should happen with a community,” said Daniela Flores, Executive Director of Imperial Valley Equity and Justice. “This process gave people across Imperial Valley the opportunity to define what they want for their communities and what they believe is necessary to ensure that growth improves quality of life and expands opportunity.”

From Imperial Valley to a National Model

Activate Imperial comes at a pivotal moment for Imperial Valley, where major development and investment could significantly reshape the region’s economy, workforce, infrastructure and communities.

Across the country, rural and historically underinvested communities are confronting similar questions as new industries, infrastructure projects and large-scale investments arrive: How can communities ensure that economic development reflects local priorities? Who gets to define what progress looks like? And how can residents have a meaningful voice before decisions are made?

Activate Imperial offers one potential answer.

By bringing residents, community organizations, educators, businesses, public agencies and civic leaders together before developing a project-specific agenda, the initiative is creating a framework for community members to articulate shared priorities and establish a vision to guide future investments that advance equitable and sustainable development.

The model has particular relevance for rural, Latino and historically underinvested communities seeking to balance economic opportunity with quality of life, equity, environmental health, local leadership and long-term community benefit.

Building the Next Phase

The release of the Community Vision Report marks an important milestone for Activate Imperial and establishes a foundation for the initiative’s next phase of partnership, planning and implementation.

The process also responds to a history of unmet promises by emphasizing transparency, consistent communication, meaningful community participation and visible follow-through.

The initiative’s next phase will focus on continuing to build partnerships and translating the community’s priorities into opportunities for collaboration and investment.

Activate Imperial Community Visioning Process Report Release

WHAT: Unveiling of the Community Visioning Process: A Community-Led Roadmap for a Strong, Inclusive Economic Future for All

WHEN: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Old Eucalyptus Schoolhouse, 796 W Evan Hewes Hwy, El Centro, CA 92243

WHO: Latino Community Foundation, Activate Imperial community partners, residents, local leaders and members of the Activate Imperial Steering Committee

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: Community members and local leaders will be available to discuss their participation in the visioning process and their priorities for Imperial Valley’s future. LCF CEO Julián Castro will also be available for media interviews on September 1 and until early afternoon on September 2.

About Activate Imperial

Activate Imperial is a community-centered regional initiative of the Latino Community Foundation focused on strengthening local leadership, supporting community organizations and building cross-sector collaboration to help Imperial Valley residents shape an inclusive economic future for the region. The initiative is designed to create a community-led roadmap that could serve as a national model for other communities facing significant growth and investment.

About Latino Community Foundation

The Latino Community Foundation (LCF), based in San Francisco, CA, is on a mission to unleash the civic and economic power of Latinos in California. LCF has the largest network of Latino philanthropists in the country and has raised $100 million to build Latino civic and political power. It is the only national foundation solely focused on investing in Latino communities in California, the Southwest region and across the country. In 2023, LCF named former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro as their CEO. For more info, please visit: latinocf.org.

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