The Inland Empire is not a small region. With more than 4.7 million residents across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, it is larger than 25 U.S. states. That scale makes regional coordination not just useful, but essential. Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) works across this region to align education, employers, and community organizations around one shared…
Growing Inland Achievement (GIA), in partnership with the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, convened the first Business Education Network (BEN) Senior Advisory Council on February 25 at Ontario International Airport. The session was facilitated by the Business-Higher Education Forum. The council brings together leaders from business, K–12, higher education, and workforce systems to better align employer…
A Leading Indicator of College Enrollment and Economic Mobility For many students in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) is the gateway to college. Research consistently shows that financial aid application completion is one of the strongest predictors of college…
As we explore opportunities to thoughtfully integrate AI into our work, we want to share a new open-access resource from our national partner, T3 Advisory. We hope this research and set of tools will be useful as institutions across the postsecondary landscape navigate AI adoption. The AI for Institutional Transformation study draws on interviews with…
The 2025 Annual Report from Growing Inland Achievement reflects a year of collaboration across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. It captures the progress we’ve made together to improve educational attainment and expand economic opportunity in the Inland Empire. Over the past year, with the support of partners like you, GIA has served more students and…
Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) recently hosted ANT Activate 2026, a retreat designed to launch the next phase of cross-sector collaboration across the Inland Empire’s cradle-to-career continuum. Action Network Teams (ANTs)—composed of education, workforce, and community partners—gathered to align strategies, share insights, and coordinate collective action to improve educational and economic outcomes in Riverside and San Bernardino…
Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) has received a $125,000 grant from the Parkview Legacy Foundation to expand its regional College Corps program by launching a new initiative called Education to Career. The funding will support additional career development opportunities for College Corps Fellows, students who commit to community service in exchange for financial support under the…
This year, Growing Inland Achievement celebrates 10 years of collaboration, learning, and progress in the Inland Empire. From our earliest convenings to the launch of a bold new strategic plan, every milestone has been made possible through partnership. To mark this anniversary, we asked GIA Board members and key collaborators to share their reflections—on what…
On November 13, 2025, more than 200 educators, students, and community leaders gathered at Cal State San Bernardino for the Educational Leadership Summit, themed “Education in the Balance: Advancing Equity and Social Justice in Today’s America.” Among the keynote speakers was Dr. Ashish Vaidya, President and CEO of Growing Inland Achievement (GIA), who delivered a…
RIVERSIDE, CA — Growing Inland Achievement (GIA), a regional nonprofit focused on improving education and economic mobility in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, has been selected as a 2025 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder. The award includes $200,000 in flexible funding over two years and leadership development training. The grant will support the launch of GIA’s Business Education…
