April’s Message from our CEO: Grants, Funds, Events and Admiration
Hello everyone, and welcome to a wet and cool spring! April was packed with great things happening in the IE, and you’ll find lots to be proud of in our newsletter, including our recent CIELO grantmaking, a new environmental stewardship fund, and the date for the IECF...
Grantee Spotlight: Ives Torres Foundation helps families support members with disabilities
Two decades ago, one Inland Empire couple embarked on a mission to provide inclusive support for Hispanic families and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in special education and services. Today, the Ives Torres Foundation, launched by Isabel...
CIELO Fund Awards $310,000 to 22 Organizations in 2026 Grants
The Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity (CIELO) Fund at IECF has announced more than $310,000 in grants for its 2026 funding cycle, distributing awards across 22 organizations serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This round of grantmaking carries...
Grantee Spotlight: Foundation grant extends a bridge of hope
Compassion, dignity, and trust are at the core of The Bridges 2 Hope, a nonprofit organization helping individuals experiencing myriad issues related to homelessness. To be sure, acquiring some of life’s basic necessities—clothing, shelter, and food—can become a daily...
Grantee Spotlight: Grant helps make The Living Desert’s pollinators exciting
Pollinators are getting a chance to bask in the spotlight at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation has helped the revered site launch a new exhibit called Mission: Pollination. “We want to be able to tell the story...
Grantee Spotlight: House of Ruth can streamline key services with recent grant funds
Vision and fortitude go hand in hand at House of Ruth, Inc. The non-profit organization, which has locations in Pomona, Ontario, and Claremont, believes there can be a world free of domestic violence by empowering people to thrive in healthy relationships. But funding...
Grantee Spotlight: Grant supports Inland Caregiver Resource Center with mission helping aging adults
In January 2022, the SCAN Foundation distributed vital resources to the Inland Coalition on Aging (ICA) to create a local Master Plan for Aging for the Inland Empire. That plan greatly benefited Inland Caregiver Resource Center (ICRC), a non-profit organization that...
IECF to Manage New Arrowhead Environmental Stewardship Fund for Santa Ana River Watershed
IECF is proud to announce the establishment of the Arrowhead Environmental Stewardship Fund, a new donor-advised fund created through a partnership with Primo Brands to support local nonprofits working on water and land conservation across our region. More than...
A Teacher’s Legacy, a Student’s Future: Meet the First Chuck Brinker Scholar
Charles "Chuck" Brinker spent more than two decades teaching mathematics at Ramona High School in Riverside. He stayed late to tutor students who needed extra help and had high expectations and held his students to them. Long after his retirement, his daughters still...
Celebrating 21 Years of Impact: A Farewell to Celia Cudiamat
As we celebrate Celia's contributions to IECF and the Inland Empire, we invite you to leave a comment, a memory, a shared story below. There are people who do their work, and then there are people who shape the work—who leave something stronger, more just, and more...