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 Policy and Philanthropy Summit – August 6! You’ll also meet Pat Brinker in this newsletter, a donor whose story reflects what devoted, determined people can do for a community.

For me, it is also a time to celebrate my colleague, Celia Cudiamat, whose work at the Foundation as its Chief Impact Officer has left a deep mark on me, the Foundation, and our region. Celia’s lens on the world is one of justice and fairness. She has championed the small nonprofit, always seeing the value in people who wake up every day to do something important for their community. She has been a stalwart friend to many nonprofit leaders, especially our leaders of color.

This isn’t abstract – Celia sees and invests in the myriad ways lives are changed because of the care and hard work of many unsung heroes. In her role, she shaped the giving and priorities of IECF, even when regulations and requirements of grants made that challenging. Because of how she sees the world, she championed the equity lens we now use at IECF and guided and supported me, as the leader of this amazing organization, to hew to the values of inclusion and equity.

We could not be happier to continue her giving through a named fund. Help me thank Celia, and may we continue to follow her approach – trust, fairness, and kindness – to build a foundation that serves all of the Inland Empire.

Read the full newsletter, and, as always, reach out to me with your thoughts, comments, and ideas. I love to hear them!

The post April’s Message from our CEO: Grants, Funds, Events and Admiration appeared first on IECF.

Today, the Ives Torres Foundation, launched by Isabel and Javier Torres, has become a valuable nonprofit and reliable change agent.

A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation through the Community Impact Fund offers the couple yet another opportunity to broaden their reach.

“The grant helps us provide technology training for Latino families and parents of people with disabilities,” said Javier Torres, Chief Operating Officer of the organization. “It’s given us the opportunity to extend beyond what was initially planned.”

One of the more helpful outcomes of the grant, Torres adds, is that it allowed the nonprofit to assist primarily Spanish-speaking families in better understanding various forms of modern technology—from phone apps to navigating through online meeting spaces.

“Sometimes in the community there is a fear of apps and such, so we help with that so they can use that benefit,” he said. “For example, these programs help students so they can attend education plans at school, especially participation in something like Zoom meetings.”

“Oftentimes, people are afraid to move from one ‘place’ to another for fear of being targeted as undocumented, even though many of them are documented,” he added. “They may not want to participate in other activities at the school or the educational plans. So, something like Zoom gives them the ability to join those important meetings.”

The duo originally launched the nonprofit under a different name, Padre con Poder, which operated as a support group. Years later, after some pandemic hurdles, the organization became a nonprofit named after their son, Ives, who has Down Syndrome.

Helping other parents and families connect with services and support has always been in the forefront.

“When we started this journey, it was very complicated,” Javier Torres said. “There was not a lot of information in Spanish. We started working on understanding about disabilities and the system. And in the system, we found a lot of gaps, especially for Spanish-speaking families. Even though there are a lot of Spanish-speaking families in California, there are not a lot of services that operate in the Spanish.”

The couple wanted to bridge that gap.

“We wanted to bring more information to the community,” Torres said. “So, they don’t suffer the same thing we were suffering because of lack of information.”

The organization now reaches about 5,000 families in the area.

“One of the unique things that we do is workshops on different topics for parents,” said Isabel Torres. “Some of these are about disabilities. We also have support groups for families because they need that, too. We also have gatherings to promote the inclusion and the awareness of the disability.”

Another standout here is how the nonprofit equips parents and their loved ones with disabilities with skills and information that stretch beyond tech and education—from health, sports, society acceptance to being an advocate for services and a kind of integration between family, communities, and the workforce.

Community events filter into the mix, too, and the couple encourages locals to stay abreast via the nonprofit’s website.

This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, April, 2026.

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CIELO Fund committee members at the 2025 celebration

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 added significance: it pushes the CIELO Fund’s total investment past $1.7 million since its 2022 launch. That figure spans grantmaking, research, narrative-change work, and scholarships, and represents more than 120 grants to regional nonprofits and more than 300 scholarship awards to local students.

The 2026 grantees are working across a wide range of focus areas, including education, housing, civil rights, health care, legal support, and economic opportunity.

Codex Creation Committee, a 2026 CIELO Fund grantee

“This year’s grantmaking is focused on moving resources where they can make a real difference for the residents of the Inland Empire,” said Jesse Melgar, IECF Board Chair and CIELO Fund Founder and Chair. “Surpassing $1.7 million in total investments since the CIELO Fund launched reflects an intentional strategy by our leadership committee to back organizations that are meeting urgent needs and building long-term power and opportunity in every corner of our region. The groups we’re supporting are doing the hard work daily to expand access to health care, education, legal support, and economic opportunity. This is critical work at a critical time and we thank our grantee partners for all they do to make our region better.”

Alongside direct grantmaking, the CIELO Fund has continued investing in research and media partnerships that shape how the region is understood and covered. Its most recent research collaboration, produced with UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute, examines the structural barriers that Latino workers in the Inland Empire continue to face despite being central to the region’s economy. The Fund also continues to support KVCR’s IE Latino Voices segment, which it helped co-design and launch in 2023, and an ongoing partnership with the LA Times’ Latino vertical, De Los, to support in-depth coverage of the Inland Empire.

“We’re really proud of what the CIELO Fund has achieved over the past four years,” said IECF President and CEO Michelle Decker. “This happened because donors of all kinds, big foundations and local families alike, believed in the vision our Board set. Their combined support through IECF has strengthened Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations across the region, and the Fund shows how powerful it is when a community invests in its own future.”

Launched in 2022 as a Signature Fund marking IECF’s 80th anniversary, the CIELO Fund was built to invest in organizations, initiatives, and ideas that are led by and serve Latinos in the Inland Empire. Four years in, that commitment continues to grow.

Meet the 2026 Grantees:

• Ives Torres Foundation
• The Microenterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California
• Galán Cultural Center
• Providers Need Care
• Love and Nurture Initiative
• Inland Empire Prism Collective
• Codex Creation Committee
• Coachella Valley Parents
• Danza Azteca Citaltonac
• Consejo De Federaciones Mexicana (COFEM)
• Rotary Club of Coachella East
• HERENCIA Mariachi Academy
• Highlanders Boxing Club
• Centro Del Immigrante Inc.
• Huerta Del Valle
• IAMGIFTED Foundation
• Corona Relief Organization
• Arcoiris Collective Learning
• LULAC of Riverside
• San Gorgonio Pass Community Foundation
• Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Services
• FAME Institute

To support the CIELO Fund or learn more, visit iegives.org/cielofund.

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To be sure, acquiring some of life’s basic necessities—clothing, shelter, and food—can become a daily challenge for the region’s homeless population. The Bridges 2 Hope strives to tackle those immediate needs but also builds connections that can open doors and spark lasting transformations.

And, perhaps, invite the community in.

“We always need volunteers,” said Michele Verdugo, president of The Bridges to Hope. “Anybody who wants to volunteer can just come to an Outreach Night. We’re there every Tuesday at Abundant Life Church in Indio [82025 Bliss Ave.] from 6 to 8 p.m.”

That haven provides a hot meal for homeless individuals. There is also food-to-go. Abuse resources and other medical services are also available.

“We have the County of Riverside there with their Justice Outreach Team there for anybody who wants to go to drug treatment,” Verdugo added. “They do an onsite intake and then look for a bed for people seeking treatment.”

Once that’s secured, The Bridges 2 Hope provides a duffel bag with clothes, socks, underwear, and other necessities while in treatment.

A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation through the John and Sarah Kobara Foundation Fund offers yet another opportunity for the nonprofit to expand its reach.

“The grant will assist us with many things,” Verdugo said. “We like to help people with food insufficiency, and when the unhoused get secured housing, we help with a deposit, if necessary, or the first month’s rent. We also provide furnishings and beds.” She added that portions of the grant funding will be used to furnish homes with items obtained from specialty stores like Revivals.

The nonprofit’s impact in 2025 has been significant.

More than 3,400 on-site meals were served. Nearly 500 First Aid kits were distributed. There were about 2,400 Narcan distributions—that program offers naloxone, which is considered a safe, quick-acting medication that helps reverse opioid overdoses.

Sack lunches, on-site haircuts, onsite doctor visits, and even the distributions of cat and dog food fall under the nonprofit’s many services.

“As we move into spring for the unhoused, I would like people to know that we do have mobile showers,” Verdugo said. “And for those who need medical treatment, we’ve got Volunteers in Medicine and Eisenhower Hospital at our outreach every week. It gets hotter in spring, so we always need donations of water, hydration packs, and wipes.”

Events like the Socks & T-Shirt drive (March 1) and Hot August Nights, held in 2025, also create opportunities for locals to make a difference by donating essential survival items.

Visit the nonprofit’s website for a list of upcoming events.

When asked what she appreciates most about being involved in such a far-reaching and noble enterprise, Verdugo is candid.

“I like to be one-on-one with people, so I enjoy the social part,” she said. “I have been clean and sober for 31 years. I feel my place in there is to encourage people to find sobriety. And I don’t judge anyone because I know it’s a difficult situation. I just want to build a relationship with people and sometimes it takes us a while for people to trust.”

She cites cases of individuals who have finally gone into treatment after living on the street for six years.

“One of the things I find most rewarding is when someone goes into treatment and then continues on,” she added. “Right now, we’ve got a mother who lived under the bridge for six years and now she’s been clean and sober for over a year. It’s remarkable to witness that; to see somebody get off the street and start a whole new life.”

This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, March, 2026.

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“We want to be able to tell the story of the role that pollinators play in desert habitats,” said Allen Monroe, the nonprofit organization’s CEO and President. “Pollinators are under the radar.”

Not for long.

The new endeavor, which is thoroughly interactive, invites guests to build a team of “pollinator heroes” and learn how they save the desert. Understanding ways to help those pollinators also factors into the mix.

To that end, visitors can choose “teams,” such as Bloomkeeper, Leafbound, or Shadowcraft. They will be able to locate nature’s heroes as they navigate the zoo, looking for supersized pollinators. A team’s icon will be located on signs. Solving riddles on each sign comes into play, allowing people to learn what makes the pollinators unique.

It’s the mid-2020s, so photo-ops are always a good thing. Snap a photo with each pollinator hero, then venture forth. Later, guests can visit the Pollinator Playground Maze and practice the knowledge learned. Trading cards can be collected.

“I am always excited we have these environments and that there’s always a steady supply of education,” Monroe said of the program.

The recent grant, part of the FitzDell Gifting Fund, is but one of a myriad components that funnel into making The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens remain so unique in the Valley.

Monroe says the organization is engaged in more than 100 active conservation projects at the moment.

“We have projects all around the world,” he added. “About half our time and effort here in Southern California is being done locally. So, we work on special projects that involve such things like the desert tortoise or the pronghorn, or the Mexican wolf with their conservation, and also tell their stories to the general public.”

Two species of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), for instance, are featured in The Living Desert’s educational push. The pronghorn once thrived in the region. By the 1940s they became locally extinct due to habitat loss and hunting.

People may not know that these animals are the second fastest land animal on the planet, able to maintain speeds of 40mph for an hour.

Monroe points out that the peninsular and Sonoran pronghorn have not been a part of Coachella Valley’s desert ecosystem for nearly a century. The Salton Sea separated these two subspecies in the past—the Sonoran on the east side and the peninsular on the west side—but efforts have been made to bring things back into balance.

To that end, The Living Desert has partnered with a coalition of led by Mexico’s Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Program in an effort to assist with the breeding of the subspecies. The goal is to bring the animals to eastern San Diego County and to establish a population there.

Additionally, The Living Desert is now the lead facilitator and editor for the Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Plan, which was approved by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Monroe beams with pride over these initiatives and commends all efforts overseeing about 600 other animals in the organization’s care.

Other key programs abound, as well as events and impactful alliances.

Recently, the nonprofit’s involvement with the International Desert Conservation Summit honored 10 “heroes” in the field. The event doled out $180,000 in conservation awards. It also stood out for the vast number of experts from across the globe who gathered to address some of today’s more pressing desert conservation challenges.

Meanwhile, locals and visitors are encouraged to peruse other events at The Living Zoo.

There’s Yoga at the Zoo—never hurts to practice camel pose in a hub that also features camels. Then there’s the Walking Club, which unfolds Tuesday and Thursday mornings. it features a special Zoo member adventure, such as a scenic walk that includes inspiring animal facts and wildlife sightings. It’s also a stellar opportunity to connect with other members.

This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, March, 2026.

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But funding remains a key issue to see results.

Thanks to a recent Women’s Giving Fund grant via Inland Empire Community Foundation, House of Ruth can move forward with several key initiatives, specifically helping the nonprofit continue offering services to the children it serves through its various programs and development.

“House of Ruth provides total family services, so the survivors, primarily adults, will come to us for crisis support, but nine times out of 10, they’ve also got children,” said Pat Bell, Chief Executive Officer of the organization. “The grant will help us have available childcare when an adult survivor needs a crisis counseling appointment or some sort of a one-on-one conversation with somebody, and then they’ve got their children with them. Sometimes, that could be a barrier if we didn’t have available people on hand to provide childcare.”

Bell has been with the organization for 18 years. During that time, she has seen a significant growth in population within the community, which, in turn, equates to more vital services needed, overall. Especially for individuals in transition or crisis.

Collectively, House of Ruth offers services that range from counseling, housing, and legal advocacy to community service programs (domestic violence counseling and education, crisis intervention) and a Prevention Education Program that allows participants to learn and discuss various topics, once every week, for six weeks.

“I love being part of this work,” Bell said. “The heart of its mission is personally important to me. I grew up as a child in a home with domestic violence, and I know firsthand the impact on children. Being able to do this work fulfills me on a great and deep personal level because I know the impact that we make on families over the years.”

Next year marks the organization’s 50th anniversary, but Bell says the nonprofit is already acknowledging and celebrating that milestone and planning ahead—an anniversary gala is tentatively set for March 2027.

“We want to continue making a difference,” Bell added. “And we want to continue serving thousands of people each year.”

When asked what she would say to individuals seeking help but don’t realize what steps to take to actually get it, Bell is candid.

“To all the survivors out there that need help, the first thing I would say is, ‘You’re not alone, so don’t feel as though you’re alone,” she said. “We are here to help you. We have a vast array of supportive services available, and the bravest thing that you can do as a survivor is pick up the phone and call our hotline [877-988-5559]. You’ll be connected right away, and we can refer you to whatever the priority services are that you might need, whether it’s counseling or shelter, or community resources.”

Meanwhile, volunteer opportunities are available and come with a perk: education.

“Because we work with survivors of domestic violence, volunteering at House of Ruth requires a 40-hour training class,” Bell said. “That’s a state-mandated training class. It ensures that you’ll enter your volunteerism well-equipped to be able to work with trauma survivors. So, if people are interested in volunteering for us, we offer training classes twice a year.

Those dates are posted on the organization’s website.

Monetary donations also help, even gift cards. As do item donations. House of Ruth clients range in age from newborn to seniors. To that end, the nonprofit accepts both new and gently used items. The website stressed these items must be non-violent.

A holiday list store link and Thanksgiving food basket list also offer ways to give.

One standout on the website: a link for recognizing domestic violence.

This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, April, 2026.

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Several years later, after meeting initial deadlines, the funding stopped. But a recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) through the Community Impact Fund has become a saving grace.

“Thanks to the IECF funding, we now get the opportunity to go back to the plan,” said ICRC’s Executive Director Carmen Estrada. “We were able to bring in a consultant to help guide us as we employ the activities and the goals identified in the Master Plan. That’s crucial because a lot of times you create plans and they just kind of sit on a shelf.”

“The Community Foundation stepped up to help us further the project, implement the goals, and continue this important work,” she added.

To be sure, the initial ICA funds helped ICRC assess and discuss what the region needed.

“At the time, we really were and still are focused on how we can best age in the Inland Empire,” Estrada said. “Especially because we know that by 2060, it has been projected that individuals over the age of 65 are going to increase dramatically—that’s the highest of the entire state and in our region.”

ICRC’s work is forever ongoing.

Funding helps the nonprofit unify key stakeholders and also to create and manage everything from an advisory committee and implementing an assessment to hosting focus groups across several counties. Asking core questions about such things as transportation, behavior health, social supports, Alzheimer’s, and related dementia as well as caregiving and healthcare access, is important.

To that end, ICRC’s consultant is working with action teams that were developed.

“Six action teams were developed and began meeting last September,” Estrada said. “These teams are composed of various leaders and professionals across both counties. 
Again, the goal is for both counties to work together to implement this plan. The consultant will continue to help us find even more funding for specific projects.”

She noted that the plan also serves as a blueprint for anyone in the community who provides services to key populations.

“This has to be a collective effort,” Estrada stressed. “It really needs to be done in community.”

These efforts are part of a bigger matrix, as ICRC has long provided vital services to the region. Several of its programs stand out.

Thrive at ICRC, for instance, uses cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce depressive symptoms and improve quality of life for seniors. The PEARLS program, which is used nationwide, is also effective in how its evidence-based approach manages to reduce depressive symptoms and improve the quality of life for seniors.

ICRC Senior Support Services and ICRC Family Caregiver Services, which covers family caregivers caring for seniors, veterans, brain impaired individuals, and all those who can no longer care for themselves, are significant tentpoles within the nonprofit.

“We’re committed to what we do here,” Estrada said. “I’d love people to know more about the Master Plan because having both counties collaborate and having the support of both boards of supervisors is huge. A lot of times we don’t have both counties working together, especially when it comes to funding.

“Our area is generally funded a lot less than other areas across the bank,” she added.

This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, April, 2026.

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Photo of Prado Dam/Prado Basin with various Inland Empire communities upstream, and the snow capped peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains in the background. Prado Dam also sits near the confluence of three county lines adjoining – Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange.

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 two-thirds of the Inland Empire’s water comes from outside our region. The California State Water Project, a 700-mile network of aqueducts that moves water from Northern California to the south, and the Colorado River, both under increasing pressure from drought and competing demands across seven states, supply most of what residents here depend on. The Santa Ana River Watershed is one of the IE’s only significant local water sources in a region that imports most of what it uses. Protecting it is of primary importance.

That’s the context behind the Arrowhead Environmental Stewardship Fund, established through a partnership with Primo Brands, maker of Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water. As noted in a March 2026 press release, The fund will provide grants to local nonprofits working to conserve, restore, and strengthen the Santa Ana River Watershed, which spans more than 2,800 square miles across San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties. Priority areas include water scarcity, watershed resilience, habitat restoration, and wildfire fuel reduction.

The fund launches with $250,000 in initial funding, with the intention to invest $1 million over four years. Grants will be awarded through an advisory committee that includes IECF representatives, scientific experts, community stakeholders, and Primo Brands.

“At Primo Brands, stewardship of natural resources is fundamental to our mission,” said Charles Fogg, Chief Sustainability Officer at Primo Brands. “Our regionally sourced water is the proud origin of our brands and the lifeblood of the communities we serve. We are excited to provide financial backing to help empower local non-profit groups doing incredible work in the communities where we live, work and play.”

IECF Staff with Primo Brands Team Members, LtoR: Paula Myles, Brie Griset Smith, Tam Pham, Trey Mixon, Celia Cudiamat

IECF’s involvement is part of a broader initiative by Primo Brands that includes a parallel fund for the San Jacinto Watershed in the Houston region, managed by Greater Houston Community Foundation. Together, the two watersheds cover more than 8,000 square miles and serve more than 12 million residents.

“We are proud to work alongside Primo Brands as they launch this donor-advised fund dedicated to protecting the Santa Ana River Watershed,” said Brie Griset Smith, CSPG, Chief Development Officer at IECF. “Corporate partnerships like this one address the regional challenges our communities face, from water scarcity to wildfire resilience, in ways that grant funding alone rarely can. By directing their investment toward a thriving natural world, Primo Brands is putting local nonprofits in a stronger position to do the habitat restoration and watershed conservation work our region needs.”

“A thriving natural world is a vital condition for healthy, resilient communities, and that includes protecting the watersheds and forests the Inland Empire depends on,” added David Hernandez, Regional Forest and Fire Coordinator at IECF. “From wildfire recovery to water quality, this fund will support the local work that makes our region stronger. We’re glad to steward it alongside Primo Brands.”

Grant applications for the Arrowhead Environmental Stewardship Fund will be announced later this year. Nonprofits interested in applying can visit iegives.org/nonprofits/overview or email grant-info@iegives.org.

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When Chuck passed away from Parkinson’s disease in April 2020, his family wanted to honor his legacy in a lasting way. In 2024, his wife, Pat, established the Charles “Chuck” Brinker Scholarship Fund at IECF, using a qualified charitable distribution from her IRA. The fund is designed to award up to $10,000 annually to graduating Ramona High School or Riverside Unified School District students pursuing a degree in math or a math-related field.

“College was important in our house,” said Karen, one of Chuck’s daughters. “It wasn’t if you went to college, it was when you went to college. And knowing that was how my dad felt, it’s a huge factor in this scholarship because he wanted other kids to have that option as well.“

The Brinker family made their first award in 2025. The inaugural recipient is Gavin McGowan, a Ramona graduate now studying Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley.

Gavin is exactly the kind of student the Brinker family had in mind: driven, community-rooted, and ready to make the most of his education. And there is one more connection that simply could not be scripted. Chuck was not only a math teacher; he was also a skilled carpenter who built furniture, bookcases, and a playhouse for his own family. Gavin, too, is a woodworker and is using those talents to benefit his community.

In his thank-you letter to the Brinker family, Gavin wrote:

To the family of Mr. Chuck Brinker,

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank you for this scholarship and the opportunities that it opens up for me. I am proud to be at UC Berkeley, representing Ramona and the entire Inland Empire. I am so proud of where I’m from and the people from my area who do great work like this. I know that Chuck was an amazing math teacher at Ramona, and I am excited to tackle the math in Civil Engineering at Berkeley and show these kids that Ramona math prepared me well. I also know that Chuck was quite the woodworker, as am I. I am currently the construction quality control officer for a woodworking competition team at Cal, Timber Strong, where we just finished building a playhouse for an elementary school in Oakland. Getting this scholarship took the burden of working off my shoulders for this year, and for that, I am eternally grateful to be able to take advantage of all these opportunities. This is all to say that I am so proud and grateful to have received this scholarship, and from such great people. I will not let you or our city down!

IECF is proud to administer the Chuck Brinker Scholarship Fund and honored to watch its first award go to a student who carries forward so much of what Chuck valued: a love of math, a talent for building things, and deep roots in the community he called home.

We are also saddened to share that Pat Brinker passed away on March 27, 2026. Pat was the driving force behind this scholarship, and her generosity will continue to open doors for Inland Empire students for years to come. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Brinker family and celebrate the enduring impact of everything she set in motion. The family welcomes donations in memory of Pat to the scholarship fund.

Students can apply for the Chuck Brinker Scholarship and other IECF scholarships through our Common Application Portal. If you are interested in establishing a scholarship fund of your own, contact the IECF Charitable Giving team at 951.241.7777 or giving@iegives.org.

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There are people who do their work, and then there are people who shape the work—who leave something stronger, more just, and more human than what they first encountered. Celia Cudiamat has been that kind of leader for the Inland Empire Community Foundation.

This month, IECF celebrates Celia as she retires after 21 years as Chief Impact Officer. In that role, she’s overseen the distribution of scholarships to students and grants to the nonprofits and communities whose work addresses health and human services, and advances education, economic opportunity, and equity across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

The numbers tell an impressive story. When Celia first sat down at her desk in 2004, IECF’s grantmaking budget was around $2 million. Compare that to 2024, when our grantmaking totaled more than $29 million. In a little over two decades, Celia and her team have facilitated nearly a quarter of a billion dollars of investments back into the people and places that make Riverside and San Bernardino Counties what they are.

Before the Foundation

Celia’s journey began long before she ever stepped into the Foundation.

Her family came to the United States from the Philippines during a time of political upheaval, searching for stability and opportunity. Like so many immigrant families, they carried with them both sacrifice and hope. Her mother, a nurse, came first—called to serve in a VA hospital—and soon after, the rest of the family followed, building a life together in Hollywood. Celia grew up navigating two worlds—the traditions and values of her Filipino home, and the expectations of American life. And like many who walk that path, she learned early how to listen, how to adapt, and how to carry others with her.

A UCLA graduate, she built her early career in community service at the university, directing the Bruin Corps AmeriCorps program, managing a VISTA program, and serving as advisor to the Program Activities Board, where students made grant decisions for campus and community initiatives. By the time she arrived at IECF, Celia had spent years working alongside students, immigrant families, and communities of color, and she brought that experience directly into her approach to philanthropy.

Community at the Center

Distributing grants and scholarships is the core of our work, and Celia has always been focused on who has a seat at the table when those decisions are made. She pushed for participatory grantmaking processes and brought community members into funding decisions. Her consistent question was whether the Foundation’s programs were reaching people with the least access to power and resources. She believed that effective philanthropy also means building trust with the organizations doing the work and using the Foundation’s standing in the region to push for equity in ways that outlast any single grant. That conviction shaped her work for 21 years, and the culture of IECF along with it.

From 2019 to 2021, Celia served as chair of the IE Funders Alliance, a network of private and public funders working to direct outside investment into Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and she helped shift not just funding, but perception—bringing attention and investment to a place too often overlooked.
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Giving Youth a Seat at the Table

One of Celia’s most powerful contributions has been her belief in young people, certainly as future leaders, and more importantly, as leaders right now.

In 2008, Celia helped launch the Youth Grantmakers Program, starting in Riverside and expanding to Coachella Valley, San Bernardino, Idyllwild, and a dedicated Native American cohort. The program places high school students in the role of grantmakers, giving them the tools to evaluate applications, deliberate as a group, and direct funding to causes their own communities identified as urgent. The idea came from then-board member Stan Grube. Celia remembers the conversation vividly:

“Stan came back from a conference completely energized. He said we needed to do something like what he’d seen in Michigan, and because of my background at UCLA, I knew we could. I just told him, ‘Stan, tell me what you want — high school, college, what?’ And Youth Grantmakers was born.”

Across all its cohorts, the Youth Grantmakers program has awarded more than $580,000 to community causes since 2008. For the students involved, it’s often the first time they’ve evaluated real applications, built consensus with peers, and directed actual money to causes they care about. The experience of handling a donor’s trust and their funding is building a generation of leaders who will look around, see a need, and work to meet it. An additional valuable and lasting benefit is that they carry forward new knowledge that sticks: their voice matters, their judgment matters, and they have the power to shape the world around them.

Connecting Donors to Community

One of the milestones Celia considers foundational to IECF’s growth is the Desert Legacy Fund, which supported graduate students doing field research in conservation and open space, as well as nonprofits working in the environmental sector. Running alongside it was an environmental initiative launched in partnership with Bank of America.

“That initiative was one of those signature programs that really broadened the scope of what the Community Foundation was doing at the time, because it was all in the environmental space. I think that was pretty much a seminal moment for the Foundation.” – Celia Cudiamat

The conservation focus also helped pave the way for one of IECF’s most significant philanthropic relationships. The S.L. Gimbel Fund opened a donor advised fund (DAF) with IECF in 2010, with conservation and open space among its key interest areas. Celia describes the art of cultivating that type of relationship as a kind of matchmaking.

“It’s all about listening to the donors. You try to help guide them in a direction that fulfills their passion, and when you see that connection happen, that’s where you get the real satisfaction. That’s part of how they stay with you.”  – Celia Cudiamat

It started with a phone call transferred to Celia. Fifteen years later, the fund has awarded over $69 million nationwide, and $4 million to more than 200 IE nonprofits, with grants ranging from $6,000 to $500,000.

Building on this history of environmental stewardship, Celia oversaw the foundation’s role in the Regional Fire and Forest Capacity (RFFC) Program, a $1.6 million block grant from the California Department of Conservation. The mission of this flexible pool of funds is to help Riverside and parts of San Bernardino Counties increase forest and fire resilience in the face of a changing climate. Under her guidance, the foundation served as the administrator, bringing together local and regional stakeholders to develop a Regional Priority Plan to reduce wildfire risks in diverse environments.

Celia Cudiamat and David Hernandez, Regional Forest & Fire Capacity Coordinator at the 2024 Regional Wildfire Resilience Convening

The Willmas Charitable Trust, which Celia began managing in 2005, has been another steady thread through her tenure, directing more than $3.8 million to nonprofits serving the High Desert communities of San Bernardino County over the past two decades.

Tested and Ready

Celia led the Foundation’s role as the administrative community-based organization for Census 2020 outreach across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, a $3.2 million effort that helped both counties exceed their 2010 self-response rates. The Census self-response phase launched in March 2020, precisely as the COVID-19 pandemic triggered global lockdowns. Celia found herself overseeing a high-stakes outreach campaign while simultaneously pivoting to coordinate more than $10 million in relief funding to nonprofits across the region.

“COVID was an exemplar year for us. The money came, and it was up to us to distribute it in a way that held true to our principles — how do we shore up our nonprofits, how do we reach the communities that are really suffering? It was a struggle, and we were all tired, but we discovered a lot about who we are and what we’re about. That was an epic time for this community to shine.” – Celia Cudiamat

A Legacy that Reflects the Region

Over the years, Celia’s leadership helped bring to life initiatives that reflect the full diversity and strength of the Inland Empire: the CIELO Fund to invest in Latino-led organizations, the M.E.C.C.A. Fund (formerly IE Black Equity Fund) to combat anti-Black racism and support Black-led organizations, the Women’s Giving Fund, the LISTOS emergency preparedness program, and a $1.5 million education equity initiative funded by the Gates Foundation.

The Community Impact Fund, IECF’s only unrestricted grantmaking program, also grew under her watch, shaped in part by her belief that responsive grantmaking starts with listening to what nonprofits actually need. That philosophy was on full display in 2025, when her team held focus groups in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Coachella Valley before designing the year’s grant cycle around flexible core support that nonprofits could expend over six months. The initial fund was $500,000. The James Irvine Foundation contributed $250,000 and the IE Funders Alliance added $100,000, bringing the total to $850,000 awarded to 45 nonprofits from 132 applications. It was one of the last grant cycles Celia oversaw, and it was built exactly the way she championed: by asking the community first.

Donors Brian and Lori Rennie in Joshua Tree with IECF staff, Brie Griset Smith, CSPG (L), Chief Development Officer, and Celia Cudiamat (R), Chief Impact Officer

Celia knows the work because she knows the people, and she has brought both knowledge and genuine investment to those conversations. The Inland Empire Celia has served is more recognized, more connected, and better resourced than the one she entered in 2004.

She leaves with firm convictions about what the region still needs: more unrestricted funding, more community-driven decision-making, and more investment to ensure that talent and leadership can grow right here in the Inland Empire.

“The challenge of distributing funding and scholarships from our hundreds of fundholders, while managing grants from public sources and private foundations, is a science and an art that Celia perfected for IECF,” said Michelle Decker, President and CEO. “She showed nonprofits and funders alike what it looks like to do this work with integrity and genuine commitment to the region. We are grateful for everything she has given to IECF and to the Inland Empire.”

Celia leaves behind an extraordinary body of accomplishments. In honor of her contributions, IECF is proud to announce a Donor Advised Fund fund in her name: the Cudiamat-Virata Family Fund. Celia and her family will oversee grants from the fund to support organizations near and dear to her heart.

If you’ve worked alongside Celia, you know the kind of expertise, presence, and commitment she brought to this work. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating her. Donate to the fund and leave a message, a memory, and your good wishes below!

To ensure this space remains a supportive environment, all reflections are reviewed by an IECF administrator before they appear. 

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