In 2007 and 2008, the foundation started to support initiatives designed to improve regional planning in California.

The Northcoast Regional Land Trust is working in the five northern California counties of Humboldt, Del Norte, Mendocino, Trinity and Lake to establish a long-term plan for sustainable development and conservation. In the Sierra region, the Sierra Nevada Alliance is analyzing planning tools that can be applied to a 23-county region in California and Nevada. The foundation is also supporting the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, now known as TRANSFORM, to work with regional agencies and 50 cities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area to encourage transit-oriented development that reduces automobile use, greenhouse gas emissions and loss of valuable farmland while encouraging affordable housing, open space and local job creation.

In the San Joaquin Valley, the Great Valley Center plays a key role in the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint, bringing together government officials, farmers, farm labor and other businesspeople to plan for the next 40 years of this key food-producing region. The foundation is supporting efforts by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) to build its capacity for regional planning and Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE) to develop creative solutions to the need for increased food production at the edges of California’s urban areas.

With support from the foundation, the California Historical Association completed the archives of California Tomorrow, the state’s seminal regional planning organization, making its work available to practitioners and scholars.