When a group of young adult queer and trans people of color (QTBIPOC) in the Inland Empire set out to truly connect to LGBTQ+ youth for leadership development, the results can be powerful.
And empowering.
Inland Empire Prism Collective, a non-profit organization that supports the development and well-being of QTBIPOC youth through a variety of resources and networking, wants to keep that traction going, building on its early beginnings nearly 10 years ago.
A recent Gates Educational Advancement Grant via Inland Empire Community Foundation will help on that front. 
“These resources will allow us to stay focused on many school issues, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ student rights,” said Miguel Rivera, IE Prism Collective’s Development Director. “The grant will help with youth organizing and education. We’re really strained and overall, it’s a challenging situation throughout the Inland Empire.
“The grant will help our student organizers in the community or help with covering those salaries partially,” Rivera added.
Championing LGBTQ+ wellbeing across the Inland region has always been one of the collective’s main goals. Launched in 2018, the endeavor began with mostly volunteers fueling the cause. Today, it’s bloomed into a mission-driven enterprise with a staff of part-time and full-time employees.
The nonprofit’s scope covers effective youth mentorship, healthcare needs and access, cultural programming, and shrewd policy advocacy.
The organization’s programming aptly covers a broad spectrum of areas, ranging from such things as Peer Connection and Queer Up Space Outside—a great model for recreational activities with a community-building focus—to Trans and Non-Binary Hangouts and other wellness initiatives.
One standout is the Pride Pathways initiative, which creates LGBTQ+ job seekers with key LGBTQ+ friendly employers.
Other alliances, such as those it maintains with TruEvolution, a nonprofit that advocates for health equity and racial justice for LGBTQ+ people, and Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, filter into the mix.
Voter outreach and housing advocacy efforts also stand out.
Rivera, who is also one of the founders of Inland Empire Prism Collective, said the evolution of the organization was organic if not necessary and timely.
“My personal struggles growing up as a gay child informed my decisions,” he said. “I knew from a very young age that I was gay. I grew up in a very Catholic household and I never had much community. I got kicked out when was in high school when I came out. There just weren’t many resources in the area.”
Part of the struggle growing up, he added, was wanting to change those kinds of circumstances.
“I wanted to make sure there were places, community, and support right for queer students,” he said. “I wanted there to be a place where it could get better. We all saw a need for advocacy and creating safe spaces for queer folks in the IE.”
Rivera encourages people to get involved. Reaching out via its Facebook or other social media channels, as well as the nonprofit’s website, offer ways for deeper connection and involvement. And events, such as the nonprofit’s Lavender Gala, which honors community leaders, also create viable pathways for new alliances.
“We’re growing as an organization and trying to create change in the IE,” Rivera stressed. “We want it to be more equitable for everyone, not just LGBTQ+ folks. They are our priority here at Prism, but we have a big vision of creating safe spaces, third spaces, and permanent third spaces.
“We also want to make sure that LGBTQ+ folks are prepared for the workforce, and we’re trying to create a real queer economy in San Bernardino,” he added. “That’s very important to us.”
Learn more at ieprismcollective.org
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, November 2025.
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