‘TIME, TALENT AND TREASURE’ WILL TRANSFORM OUR COMMUNITIES IECF ORGANIZES AROUND VITAL CONDITIONS FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.

The Vital Conditions Framework provides a common language for public agencies and departments as well as healthcare and community organizations such as IECF to collaborate and enhance the well-being of our communities.

The Framework has ignited a spark in the Inland Empire. “It’s wonderful to see colleagues and leaders unite to understand and begin to use this shared language,” says IECF President and CEO Michelle Decker.
Leaders want to talk with each another. Whether they’re focusing on Humane Housing, Meaningful Work and Wealth, or another of the seven Vital Conditions, they suggest the most unifying condition lies at the center of the Framework: Belonging and Civic Muscle.

IECF has invested in and fostered the IE Vital Conditions Network to facilitate these conversations, reimagine the community’s collective actions, and promote equitable well-being for all people in the Inland Empire — no exceptions. The Network utilizes IP3 ASSESS, a web-based tool that allows users to analyze and compare data from various sources against state and national benchmarks. They can also access interactive maps, shareable reports, and data dashboards to visualize and understand community conditions.

IECF’s nine Signature Funds align with and advance the Vital Conditions Framework. For example, in 2024, the Women’s Giving Fund commissioned a study to better understand the status of women’s access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities in the Inland Empire. Meanwhile, the IE Journalism Innovation Hub + Fund is investing in media that supports solutions reporting and storytelling focused on the Vital Conditions.

Additionally, IECF, Inland Empire Labor Institute (IELI), and Inland Economic Growth & Opportunity (IEGO) rolled
out a $1 million investment through California Jobs First, Gov. Newsom’s master plan for career education, which aligns with Meaningful Work and Wealth. The two-year $1.6 million block grant that the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity (RFFC) program awarded to IECF in 2023 is especially significant given California’s recent fire devastation. The grant recognizes the importance of a coordinated approach to wildfire resiliency while advancing yet another Vital Condition — namely, Thriving Natural World.

Similarly, IECF is managing the $2.8 million Nonprofit Resilience Fund for nonprofit growth that the Riverside City Council approved in late 2024 and applauds San Bernardino County’s decision to create a similar fund.
In February 2025, Decker participated in the 22nd annual Foundations on the Hill Conference, a public policy and advocacy meeting uniting philanthropic leaders and amplifying their collective voice on Capitol Hill. “It was powerful to be with our national colleagues to understand how people are approaching dramatic changes in federal policy and funding flows within the nonprofit sector,” she says. “I saw significant alignment around things like wildfire resilience and disaster response, workforce development and job creation, and taking care of the nonprofit sector.”

The conditions enabling a person to enjoy quality of life need to be on everyone’s radar. “Moving these conditions at a scale sufficient to change a region or a community within a region means a significant long-term investment of time, talent, and treasure,” Decker says. “It may sound cliché, but regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, or other defining factors, there is more that unites us than divides us. We must lean into our collective humanity. Everyone can do that and then give in support of the things that you see bring people together.”