LEADING CHANGE
THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION LEANS INTO THE INLAND EMPIRE
In 2020, the Gates Foundation began providing funds to IECF to develop a policy and advocacy arm with a special focus on educational equity. The priority for many across the region is creating access and support to complete college and high-quality training programs — key ingredients for a vibrant and healthy community and economy.
In February and April 2023, IECF hosted Gates Foundation global and national staff members for learning events that culminated with a visit by Bill Gates himself. The goal of each visit was to learn from local stakeholders, deepen relationships with regional organizations and institutions, and understand how government and philanthropic funding is being leveraged to implement quality postsecondary pathways and ensure economic mobility for the region.
“A lot of eyes are on the Inland Empire because of our diversity and growth, and our need to close equity gaps as we grow,” says IECF CEO Michelle Decker. “We are delighted that the Gates Foundation sees our work and that of our partners, as well as our potential.”
Photo © Gates Archive/Christopher Farber
CONSERVATION GRANT SAFEGUARDS LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS
The Inland Empire’s population growth over the next 20 years will place increasing burdens on desert, chaparral, and mountain ecosystems. Two national forests and portions of two others lie within its borders, hosting acres of conifer forests that sit adjacent to mountain communities and overlook dense population areas within its valleys.
The IE lags behind other California regions in its capacity to manage these ecosystems, and interventions have the potential to shift the climate impacts and risks for water, biodiversity, and wildfire.
A two-year block grant of $1.6 million awarded to IECF through the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity (RFFC) program is intended to help the Inland Empire increase forest and fire resilience in the face of climate change.
Serving as administrator of the funds, IECF will bring together local and regional stakeholders and distribute dollars to meet the RFFC program objectives. These include assessing needs, building a regional priority plan, and collaborating with the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District. The effort is also supported through a two-year contract with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
IECF recently hired David Hernandez as Regional Forest and Fire Coordinator. A former battalion fire chief, Hernandez will lead efforts to build a coalition of partners whose scope will include work on restoration and mitigation projects.
The Inland Empire must invest in its conservation partners in order to improve its capacity to collaborate, plan, and act together to overcome large-scale environmental and climate challenges and capture its share of public resources.
Photo Courtesy of Inland Empire Resource Conservation District
CREATIVE CORPS PUTS ARTISTS TO WORK TO INSPIRE COMMUNITIES
Artists will soon have an opportunity to flex their creative muscle and make a difference in the broader community.
IECF is collaborating with three local art councils: Arts Connection – the Arts Council of San Bernardino County, Riverside Arts Council, and the California Desert Arts Council. Collectively, they are the recipients of a $4.7 million grant award from the California Arts Council, and together they administer these funds for the California Creative Corps — locally known as Creative Corps Inland SoCal — a new state arts program.
The funds will support Riverside and San Bernardino County artists and nonprofit organizations to hire artists through innovative public art, media, and engagement projects and campaigns. They will integrate creatives into solutions for issues facing IE communities concerning health, climate/conservation, social equity and civic participation.
Earlier this year, Creative Corps Inland SoCal held listening sessions to gain input to incorporate into the grant program guidelines. The application deadline was in May 2023, and grant awards were announced in late June.
Art is a fundamental tool for achieving progressive social change because it imagines a world where it has already been manifested. California Creative Corps will not only put artists to work — it will inspire Inland Empire communities to dream
YOUTH GRANTMAKERS
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Since its inception, Youth Grantmakers has awarded $536,884 to 180 nonprofits nonprofits for an average of $30,000 a year. About 250 students from 17 high schools encompassing San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the Coachella Valley and Idyllwild, have participated. In 2023, Riverside grantees included Together We Rise. In San Bernardino, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Empire were among the grantees while Assistance League of Coachella Valley were among the recipients in the Coachella Valley. By working to understand equity as a grantmaking lens, and undertaking a grantmaking process for local organizations, Youth Grantmakers can ensure all students receive what they need to achieve their full academic potential. Photo by Albert Angelo |
Left: The Youth Grantmakers program empowers young people like Priscilla Vasquez of Cathedral City High School to become leaders and agents of change by learning about the nonprofit sector.
