The Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity (CIELO) Fund at the IECF recently announced more than $310,000 in grant awards for its 2026 funding cycle.
It’s yet another milestone for the Foundation and the fund, whose financial support will buoy the efforts of 22 organizations across the region. The annual grants will further expand support for housing, education, civil rights, and well-being in Latino communities across the area.
“This year’s grantmaking is focused on moving resources where they can make a real difference for the residents of the Inland Empire,” said Jesse Melgar, IECF Board Chair and CIELO Fund founder and chair. “Surpassing $1.7 million in total investments since the CIELO Fund launched in 2022 reflects an intentional strategy by our leadership committee to back organizations that are meeting urgent needs and building long-term power and opportunity in every corner of our region.”
He added that the groups the fund supports are “doing the hard work daily to expand access to health care, education, legal support, and economic opportunity. This is critical work at a critical time.”
Overall, this round, the CIELO Fund’s total investment in grantmaking, research, narrative‑change efforts, and scholarships has resulted in more than 120 grants to nonprofits in
Riverside and San Bernardino counties have received more than 300 scholarship awards to local students since it launched.
“This happened because donors of all kinds, big foundations and local families alike, believed in the vision our Board set,” said Michelle Decker, President & CEO of IECF. “Their combined support through IECF has strengthened Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations across the region, and the Fund shows how powerful it is when a community invests in its own future.”
Behind the scenes, CIELO Fund commissioned several reports from leading California universities to better understand the challenges facing the region, including its Latino residents.
The latest report, which was partnered with UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute, revealed the underlying realities behind the numbers: how Latino workers drive the region’s economy yet continue to face persistent structural barriers.
Angel Rodriguez, co-founder of the CIELO Fund, says that many people in the leadership committee are either from the Inland Empire and/or have established their careers in the region.
“I grew up here, went to school here, and built my career here,” Rodriguez said. “I know what it feels like when someone opens a door for you. CIELO is our way of opening more doors for students, families, and organizations across the Inland Empire.”
That is essential on this side of the mid-2020s, when everything from federal funding cuts and divisive politics continues to be key issues to confront and surf through.
“People are doing their best, but the cost of housing, food, health care, and education keeps getting harder,” Rodriguez said. “These grants support the local organizations people turn to when they need help, hope, or a path forward.”
The 2026 grantmaking also included media partnerships to elevate positive regional narratives through original and effective programming. The CIELO Fund will continue to support KVCR’s IE Latino Voices segment which it helped co-design and launch in 2023.
Additionally, the fund will continue supporting an innovative partnership with the LA Times’ Latino vertical, DeLos, to maintain special coverage of the IE.
The 2026 CIELO Fund grantees include a vast array of vital nonprofits in the area. From Codex Creation Committee, which empowers communities by fostering educational opportunities in art, culture, health, and wellness, to Corona Relief Organization, an intrepid charity serving underserved communities with essential resources, the fund’s impact stretches far and wide.
Other grantees include: Ives Torres Foundation, The Microenterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California, Coachella Valley Parents, Danza Azteca Citaltonac, Rotary Club of Coachella East, Highlanders Boxing Club, and Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Service. (Check the CIELO Fund page for a full list of grantees.)
“The Inland Empire is full of talent, heart, and ambition,” Rodriguez said. “CIELO helps put resources behind the people already doing the work to make this region stronger.”
CIELO’s support also reaches students directly. In 2026, 33 students applied for a CIELO scholarship, and every one of them will receive $1,500 to help pursue their degree. This is the fourth year in a row CIELO has been able to support every student who applied. In recent years, CIELO has provided $300,000 in scholarships to more than 200 Inland Empire students.
“CIELO is about investing in people who are already doing the work,” Rodriguez said. “That includes local organizations serving our communities every day and students who are working hard to build a better future for themselves, their families, and our region.”
Learn more about the CIELO Fund at iegives.org/cielofund
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, June 2026.
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