OUR SIGNATURE
FUNDS IN 2022
IECF heralds Signature Funds in recognition of the past, the present and the future
For updates and additional background, please visit iegives.org/signaturefunds.
The Build Coachella Valley Fund supports the critically urgent social, economic, and environmental resilience of the Coachella Valley. Board Member Jeremy Hobbs is a veteran employee of dozens of water districts in California, holds a law degree, and is a founder/president of Western Wind Foundation. He seeded and chairs this fund with the understanding of how vital environmental issues are to healthy communities.
Created in 2022, the CIELO Fund (an acronym for Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity) supports nonprofit organizations and initiatives led by and serving Latinos in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The Fund has already demonstrated an ability to live up to its inspiring name, which in Spanish refers to the sky.
Initially, the Fund set a modest goal of raising $80,000 its first year. However, during a standing-room-only event at The Cheech museum in Riverside, the fund exceeded its goal, raising $300,000. Generous support from donors including the Weingart Foundation, Inland Empire Health Plan, Bank of America, and UC Riverside, and dozens of others helped the cause.
Inaugural grants totaling $280,000 were awarded to 25 Latino-led organizations across Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Individual grants ranged from $5,000 to $20,000. More than 100 deserving organizations submitted applications during the fund’s initial round of grant-making, underscoring the need for further investment in the Latino community. Comprising 51.5% of the population, Latinos now represent the majority of the Inland Empire.
“It’s been so humbling and exciting to see the momentum and it all goes back to our extraordinary leadership committee and the staff at IECF,” says IECF Board Member and CIELO Fund Founding Chairman Jesse Melgar. Intent on proving the adage “the sky’s the limit,” the Fund is off to an inspiring start.
Grants awarded by the FRieNDS of Veterans Fund help veterans residing in Riverside and San Bernardino counties whose needs include legal aid, housing, and physical and mental health.
The Here for Good Fund supports IECF operations and helps the foundation lead on multiple issues. It was established in 1992 and remains a vital resource in ensuring the foundation can achieve its goals and meet the moment. The foundation could not put its attention on all the above Signature Funds without including HFG, which provides capacity for success.
The Journalism Innovation Hub + Fund supports Inland Empire journalism and media outlets and supports the pipeline of talent in this sector. In these days of rampant disinformation and loss of local journalism, it is essential to cultivate reliable sources of news based on fact and integrity. This fund is seeded and chaired by Paulette Brown-Hinds, former IECF board chair, as well as founder of Voice Media Ventures and publisher of Black Voice News.
The Women’s Giving Fund (WGF) harnesses the power of collective philanthropy to support organizations serving Inland Empire women and their families. Chaired by Board Member Nefertiti Long, it is an inclusive opportunity for female donors to learn more about women’s economic security issues and to focus on issues impacting women and children. Launched in 2017, the Fund has granted $90,000 to local nonprofits for causes encompassing domestic violence, homelessness, education and basic family needs. In 2022, the WGF grantees included House of Ruth and A Better Way, organizations that assist families and individuals impacted by domestic violence. The third grantee, Inspire Life Skills Training Inc., is a program that provides a safety net for foster youth as they transition into young adults.
For updates and additional background, please visit iegives.org/signaturefunds
Above from left: IECF Board Chair Nefertiti Long chairs the Women’s Giving Fund; former IECF Board Chair Paulette Brown-Hinds chairs the Journalism Innovation Hub + Fund; and Board Members Jeremy Hobbs, Jesse Melgar, and Ann Sheffer chair the Build Coachella Valley Fund, CIELO Fund, and Fund for a Creative IE, respectively..
