The Great Central Valley is a 450 by 50 mile wide mountain-walled valley that stretches from Mount Shasta in the north to the Tehachapis in the south.

It is separated from the Pacific Ocean on the west by the Coast Ranges and on the east by the Sierra Nevada.

• The Valley is home to more than 6.5 million residents and is among the fastest growing regions in California.

• The Valley includes 19 counties and more than 100 cities.

• The Valley is the most productive agricultural region in the country, a critical element of the state’s economy and of the nation’s food supply. If the Central Valley were a separate state, it would rank first in agricultural production in the nation.

• The Valley traditionally has lower per capita incomes than state averages.

• In most counties, the Valley has higher rates of poverty and unemployment than state averages.

• The Valley attracts less than half of the state’s per capita average for philanthropic support.

The Great Valley Center is a nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Directors.

GVC's Board of Directors has adopted a policy of non-advocacy. As such, the GVC does not endorse candidates or ballot initiatives.

Daily operations and individual programs are managed by the Center’s staff and through partner organizations, including the University of California, Merced.

We also rely on many partnerships with businesses, foundations, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, community based organizations, and local, state, regional and federal government agencies.

The Great Valley Center is also supported by several Regional Advisory Boards made up of prominent leaders from all parts of the Valley. They provide local feedback, information, resources and insight. There are three Regional Advisory Boards: the North Valley Advisory Board (north of Sacramento to Redding) and the San Joaquin Valley Advisory Board (San Joaquin County to Kern), and the Sacramento Metropolitan Region Advisory Board (Sacramento Metropolitan Region).

GVC's Corporate Advisory Board is a diverse group of leading firms and organizations with interests in the Valley's well-being. This group helps make certain the contribution and experience of private sector leaders are incorporated into the Center' s work. It acts as a sounding board and review panel as well as suggesting new initiatives and approaches.





Initial support for GVC was made possible through a cooperative effort by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Today, GVC continues to be supported by foundations, individuals and corporations with an interest in ensuring the Great Central Valley's future as a full partner with California's other regions.

GVC depends on hundreds of supporters who believe that now is the time to act if the Valley is to improve. Any contribution made to the Great Valley Center will return gains marked by higher paying jobs, a modern transportation system, and a diverse set of effective leaders.




• The Agricultural Transactions Program (ATP) educates land owners, land trusts and land use professionals on how voluntary agricultural easements can be a profitable way to continue farming in areas with urban development pressures.

• GVC’s Annual Conference is California’s largest gathering focused exclusively on issues important to the Central Valley from Redding to Bakersfield. Experts, policymakers and residents from around the region participate.

• The Great Valley Leadership Institute is GVC’s ethics based leadership program for local elected officials. With the help of faculty from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, GVLI has become the most challenging program of its kind in the state.

• The Institute for the Development of Emerging Area Leaders program is designed to train emerging leaders from all ethnic backgrounds to be more effective in their own communities. The program uses real issues and service projects to connect them to experts in health care, land use, the economy and agriculture.

• The Renewable Energy program is helping local businesses and utilities realize the economic gains that are possible through the adoption of alternative renewable sources of power showing great promise in the Valley. GVC’s energy programs will be a catalyst to increasing their use and deployment.

• Pixley Connect is providing access and technology training to a rural community in Tulare County.




• The Central Valley Digital Network was a five year initiative that enabled people in rural and Spanish-speaking communities to learn about technology through the establishment of technology training centers. During the program's duration, more than 35,000 user sessions were recorded. The program was assisted by Americorps VISTA volunteers.

• The Grant Advisory Boards for Youth, also known as GABY, enabled teenagers to learn while they allocated a small pool of philanthropic dollars to youth groups. GABY was a partnership with community foundations in Shasta, Sacramento, Fresno and Kern Counties. Since 2004, the program has continued independently with locally supported community foundations.

• Established in 2001, the Community-based Assistance Program was a three-year strategic effort to reinforce the capacity of Central Valley nonprofits. Over the course of the program, dozens of Valley nonprofits received training on financial management, corporate governance, technology and board development.

• New Valley CONNEXIONS was a suite of programs designed to increase and improve economic development through the use of technology. The relationships and publications developed by NVC’s work have developed the foundation for reinvigorating the local economy.

•The CATAPULT Youth Leadership Program provides mentors to high potential teenagers from around the Valley. GVC uses the study of public affairs to teach them leadership skills. As of 2007, this program is being facilitated by the Youth Leadership Institute.

• Established in 2001, the Great Valley Fellows Program was a four year effort that provided bright, energetic college graduates a chance to supplement their educations with 11 monhts of in-the-field experience with Valley businesses, local governments and nonprofits.

GVC is a nonprofit organization that organizes:

(1) Leadership development programs for elected officials and emerging rural leaders,

(2) Regional-level conferences and events focused on public policy issues,

(3) and Regionally oriented data and research reports.

These initiatives help other individuals, organizations, and communities reach their own goals and improve overall regional outcomes. GVC’s programs and publications are designed to increase the capacity of the region to act on its own behalf.




The Great Central Valley is among the fastest growing areas of the state. The Great Valley Center was founded in 1997 based on the belief that the Valley's social, economic and environmental future depends on a balanced approach to public policy and the development of strong, diverse leaders.

The Great Valley Center is located in a renovated 1920s-era building located in downtown Modesto. See you soon. Printable Directions

Great Valley Center
201 Needham Street
Modesto CA 95354
Telephone: (209) 522-5103
Fax: (209) 522-5116
Email:info@greatvalley.org

Directions if you're driving on northbound Highway 99:

Take the Central Modesto exit onto 6th Street
Turn right onto K Street
K Street turns into a one way and ends at Needham Street
Turn right onto Needham Street
GVC will be the first building on the left on the corner of Needham and Elmwood.
If you get to McHenry Avenue, you have gone too far.

Directions if you're driving on southbound Highway 99:

Take the Kansas Avenue exit
Turn left onto Kansas Avenue
Turn right onto Franklin Street
Take an immediate left onto the Beech Street Overpass
Beech Street turns into Needham Street
GVC will be several blocks down on the left on the corner of Needham and Elmwood.
If you get to McHenry Avenue, you have gone too far.