Photo courtesy of Santa Rosa Regional Plateau
In honor of Earth Day 2022, Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) and Amazon have teamed up to award $100,000 to enterprising local groups with programs supporting environmental education in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
IECF’s Environmental Micro-Grant Program, ranging from $7,500 to $10,000, was made possible by funding from Amazon. The partnership steers the way for greater environmental teamwork—and progress for the IE.
“The Inland Empire Community Foundation does vital work on behalf of the Inland Empire (IE) community, and Amazon is proud to support their efforts,” says David Ambroz, Amazon’s community relations lead for the IE. “Environmental education is a great way to promote future stewardship of our natural resources, which is an important goal for Amazon. That’s why we co-founded the Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon across our business operations 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.”
Amazon has steadily increased its commitment to invest in local communities. Funding the Environmental Micro-Grant Program at IECF supports organizations that promote conservation, environmental literacy, and outdoor learning. Groups that effectively addressed eliminating barriers and providing access to enjoying, learning, and protecting nature were key components to establishing the funding.
“This is an opportunity to release funds to help our nonprofits bring more people into the outdoors and enhance awareness for the conservation issues of the IE,” said Celia Cudiamat, IECF’s Senior Vice President, Grants and Community Impact. “We hope that more people are inspired by the important work that these environmental groups are doing and get involved.”
IECF has hosted the Environmental Micro-Grant Program for the last four years. Amazon’s investment, adds Cudiamat, is “five times the funding our environmental education groups have had, so we are excited by this funding and its potential to bring more visibility to our landscapes and environmental issues.”
The first round of 2022 Micro-Grant Program grantees include:
- Mojave Desert Land Trust
- Rivers and Lands Conservancy
- Santa Rosa Plateau Foundation
- Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council
- Lifting our Stories
- Environmental Education Collaborative
Amazon is working steadily side by side with community partners to discover solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Building long-term, innovative programs that have a lasting, positive impact is of utmost importance to a company guided by four vital principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking.
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