Inland Empire Community Foundation (TCF)

GENERAL GRANTMAKING Through the generosity of our donors, Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) invested more than $29 million in grants in 2023. Over $6 million of that was for scholarships and education. General Grantmaking alone represents over $13 million in grants in the Inland Empire and beyond. Funds were awarded to a broad spectrum of nonprofits in our 27,000 square miles, two-county region. IECF's grantmaking falls generally into the following categories: Advocacy ($3,633,250)Arts & Culture ($4,491,031)Children & Families ($1,470,681)Civic & Environmental Benefit ($931,205) Health and Human Services ($11,544,141)Other ($15,000)Included in our grantmaking are funds providing support to particular issues or places. These include Field of Interest Funds ($1,219,188) which are restricted to a specific program area or geographic area. As a sampling, funds are currently helping with ADA compliance, the cities of Perris and Idyllwild, the High Desert, victims of domestic abuse, senior pet-owners and vet care, and the treatment and care of low income children in Riverside County. IECF is proud to offer donors a way to invest long term in the issues and places they care about, and sees its geographic funds as crucial investments to strengthen all parts of the Inland Empire. IECF has been administering the S. L. Gimbel Foundation Fund, whose mission is to enhance the quality of life in memory of Susan Gimbel. Program interest areas include health, environmental protection and enhancement, education, and human dignity. IECF awarded $6,436,552 to nonprofits in partnership with the Gimbel Foundation trustees in 2023.In addition to their grantmaking program, in 2023, the S.L. Gimbel Foundation Scholarship Fund awarded $ 1,206,465 in financial support for low-income students. Scholarship awards are for students attending University of California, Riverside (UCR) and California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) who have unmet need to be used for tuition, books, education fees, housing and other educational expenses. Low income students, undergraduate or graduate, accepted to attend the colleges above, and current students from all backgrounds regardless of age, race, religion, gender, sexual preference or national origin are eligible to apply. First generation college-going students, and/or traditionally underrepresented students in higher education are highly encouraged to apply. Additionally, scholarships awards were provided to nonprofit organizations who have scholarship programs that award Inland Empire students with financial need: AVID Scholarship Fund, BLU Education Foundation, CIELO Scholarship Fund, CSUSB Project Impact, Making Hope Happen Foundation, UCR Guardian Scholars.

American Rescue Plan (ARPA) and POLICY & ENGAGEMENT Riverside County Nonprofit Assistance Fund (RCNAF)Established by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to provide grants to eligible nonprofit agencies that have suffered a negative financial impact related to the COVID-19 pandemic within Riverside County. $5.7 million was awarded to 56 nonprofits that respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and/or its negative economic impacts in the areas of: Unemployment, food or housing insecurity, public health, mental health, childcare, child welfare/foster care system, educational disparities or learning loss. Office of Policy and EngagementIn 2023, IECF furthered its work building up the capacity of the Inland Empire to engage on policy issues by hosting capacity building workshops with partners, organizing its first Sacramento Legislative Day and visiting leading electeds in partnership with volunteer board members, and hosting the 3rd Annual Policy Forum with over 400 attendees in person to hear from state and local elected leaders about their thoughts on philanthropy, accessing public dollars, closing equity gaps, and more. IECF's Forum also hosted sessions on big issues facing the region, in partnership with leading coalition: housing, health, inclusive economies, education, and climate and environment. IECF's Board-led Policy Committee was active in developing the summit and various local partners were instrumental in shaping the breakout discussions that will help IECF focus its resources on the most critical issues of the region. IECF's Board-led Policy Committee was active in developing the summit and various local partners were instrumental in shaping the breakout discussions that will help IECF focus its resources on creating communities that thrive. Additionally in 2023, IECF invested time in the coalition building related to a major state investment called the California Jobs First, signed onto various bills consistent with IECF's policy on advocacy and through advocacy efforts in Sacramento, IECF's Black Equity Initiative, secured $1 Million from the state of California.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP PROJECTS2023 Charitable Giving and Marketing embraced the opportunity to solve big problems in the Inland Empire through the board led signature funds listed below. The CIELO Fund @ IECFLaunched in 2022 as a Signature Fund celebrating the Foundation's 80th Anniversary. The CIELO Fund's mission is to uplift and invest in organizations, initiatives and ideas that are led by - and serve - Latinos in the Inland Empire. Chaired and seeded by Board Member Jesse MelgarPromised/Raised: $1M+ to invest directly into the region's Latino communities.Annual event held on September 16, venue generously donated by CSUSB, over 300 guests celebrated a year of impact; The Fund's inaugural $285k grant provided funding to 25 organizations, many who may not receive attention from larger funds or foundations but are critical to the ecosystem and service-delivery for Latino communities.Partnered with KVCR/NPR to co-design IE Latino Voices which has provided a platform for more than three dozen local Latino leaders to share their work and impact with the region.Awarded $125k in scholarships from a separate fundraising pool to support Latino students attending IE colleges and universities, and who intend to stay and work in the region upon graduation.Commissioned two impactful reports that center IE Latino experiences: Inclusive Leadership: Examining Disparities in Nonprofit Leadership for Latinos in the Inland Empire, a report that analyzes Latino representation on 198 nonprofit boards in the Inland Empire; Se Ve! Se Siente! El Pueblo est Presente!: An Analysis of a Region in Transition from the Perspective of Inland Empire Latino Organizational Leaders, a study that offers ideas to empower Latino communities for the future based on conversations with select Inland Empire Latino organizational leaders.Incredible communication outreach and narrative change work done through KVCR and the Desert Sun.FRieNDS OF VETERANS FUNDEstablished in 2022 to benefit veterans residing in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties whose needs include but are not limited to legal aid services, postmilitary education and skills-building, housing, basic needs, and physical and mental health.Raised $90,000Launched the IE State of Veterans Report at an event at March Field Air Museum.Consistent themes emerged during this study, which align with established best-practices summarized below: Awareness - Veteran awareness of where and how to access the benefits and services they earned. Community awareness of challenges and opportunities of our Veterans and their families. Access - Providing wrap-around services through a public-private partnership and multi-solvers, relying on a "no wrong door" policy for benefits and services. Engagement - Create a movement of community support to embrace our Veterans so they have a better sense of belonging, which in turn strengthens our civic muscle.Fund for a Creative IE Supports arts organizations and help them connect with their communities and funding possibilities. Contributions help enable arts organizations to advocate locally and statewide, create partnerships with businesses and government to increase access to the arts for vulnerable and underserved populations, and build the capacity of cultural leadership in an equitable way.Promised/Raised: $80,000 for private donorsChaired and seeded by Board Member Ann ShefferArts and Economic Prosperity study created for the IEHere for Good FundEstablished to provide annual support and community leadership on multiple issues, including advancing regional innovation and nonprofit capacity-building through regional fundraising and advocacy programs.Michelle Decker and Randall Lewis chaired the effortPromised/Raised: $300,000+ Supported Policy & Engagement Forum, Signature Funds Campaign, Strategic Planning; and President's Innovation Fund.Inland Empire Black Equity Fund (BEI)IECF, IE Funders Alliance and the Black Equity Initiative of the Inland Empire joined forces in 2020 to establish the IE Black Equity Fund as a regional pooled fund to advance racial equity and combat anti-black racism, and to support long-term investments in Black-led organizations. One of the first of its kind, the fund planned to raise $5 million for Black-led organizations in the Inland Empire.In 2023, BEI exceeded its goal and raised $6M+ in promised multi-year gifts and commitments though a trust-based philanthropy model including a $1 million appropriation from the state.The effort funded 15 organizations at $20,000 each for a total of $300,000; 7 organizations into the emerging tier for a total of $227,500.A new technical assistance grant program that coupled funding with technical assistance programming was launched and 40 organizations were awarded $10,000 each for a total of $400,000To celebrate its success an event for BEI was held on November 3, honoring Dr. Bob Ross.Launched the data report with Black Voice News and Mapping Black CA (MBC)Successfully engaged media partners to share the $1.2M that has gone to grantees this year; $6M+ raised; and the MBC report that will help us chart our path ahead.Journalism Innovation Hub+ FundEstablished in 2022 to support local and regional journalism and media and build the pipeline of talent for the sector. In these days of rampant disinformation and loss of local journalism outlets, it is essential to cultivate reliable sources of news based on fact and integrity.Promised/Raised: nearly $1MChaired and seeded by our Board President, Dr. Paulette Brown- HindsPaulette created the first of its kind report for all Community Foundations to support journalismHeld California Journalism Summit at Stanford, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 9am-4pmGift of $500,000 from James Irvine FoundationPlanning Kick-Off June 2024Build Coachella Valley FundSupports the critically urgent social, economic, and environmental resilience of the Coachella Valley and surrounding communities. The fund will advance the health, housing, education, workforce development and climate/environment opportunities of the region.Promised/Raised: $125,000Chaired and seeded by Board Member, Jeremy HobbsBuilt strategy to rebrand a valley-wide, equity focused, and aligned with vital conditionsHeld donor education event planned with panel of experts on food insecurityWomen's Giving FundThe Women's Giving Fund (WGF) is an inclusive opportunity for female donors to learn about women's economic security issues, focus giving on issues impacting women and children, and experience the power of collaborative philanthropy.Promised/Raised $100,000+Chaired by Board Member and incoming Board Chair (2023) Nefertiti LongHeld our Fall Soiree on October 15Women's Giving Strategic Planning Session completedOther Community Leadership Efforts: Inland SoCal Creative CorpsIECF, serving as the fiscal sponsor and CA state administrator, received a 4.7 million grant from California Arts Council (CAC) for a new statewide arts program that targets high priority communities based on the Healthy Places Index. Arts Connection (the Arts Council of San Bernardino County), California Desert Arts Council, Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF), and Riverside Arts Council --- the Inland SoCal Creative Corps, is a program that will provide funding and support Inland Empire artists, cultural practitioners, and nonprofits in new work to create awareness related to public health and pandemic recovery, water and energy conservation, disaster preparedness and recovery, civic participation, and social justice in high priority communities across the region. Twenty six nonprofits and twenty six individual artists were awarded a total of $3.8 million.Expanded Learning Advancing Educational Equity - This $2.7 million initiative purpose is to advance educational equity, address learning loss and close learning gaps caused by the COVID pandemic affecting students ages 5 to 19, residing in San Bernardino County. Twenty four nonprofits were awarded $2.6 million. Regional Fire and Forest Capacity Program - The RFFC grant for $1.6 million is to convene Inland Empire partners to understand and discuss regional and organizational capacity needs and project priorities on managing the Inland Empire's forest and other ecosystems, wildfire potential, and wild-urban interface. View the newly created webpage on the IECF website: httpswwwiegivesorgfundsrffc