As Latino Heritage Month plays out, the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) announces that the CIELO Fund has raised more than $3 million since its launch in 2022.
The fund designed to support Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations and initiatives throughout the Inland Empire has now invested nearly $1.5 million into the region’s Latino community through grantmaking, scholarships, narrative-change initiatives, and original research.
Add $1.2 million in grant awards to more than 100-plus grassroots organizations and $300,000 in scholarships distributed to Latino students and overall, these efforts can be seen as unique as they are ambitious.
To ensure the vital grantmaking work continues for generations, the CIELO Leadership and Grant Committee also established the CIELO Endowed Fund in 2025 with an initial investment of $500,000, a lasting resource made possible through the generosity of many donors over the years and the visionary support of the James Irvine Foundation.
“Our goal is simple: grow the CIELO Fund’s impact and secure the resources that keep this work ongoing for years to come,” said Angel Rodriguez, a co-founder of the CIELO Fund and the Associate Vice Chancellor of Associate Vice Chancellor of Government Relations and Strategic Communications for the San Bernardino Community College District. “Our Leadership and Grantmaking Committee took a major step toward this goal by establishing the CIELO Endowed Fund, seeded with $500,000, to ensure lasting support for the community organizations and student scholars shaping a more just, inclusive, and thriving Inland Empire.”
But that was only the start.
Rodriguez believes that building a lasting legacy will take continued investment from the people who call the region home and want to make it better.
“Raising more than $2 million in our first two years is more than a milestone,” said Jesse Melgar, IECF Chair and Founding Chair of the CIELO Fund. “It’s a testament to the resilience, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our grantees, and the determination of our scholarship recipients, who are transforming lives and communities across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.”
Those organizations and students are charting a new path for the region’s future, in fact, laying the foundation for what Melgar believes can be a more “just and equitable future.”
It will take unity, Rodriguez added, noting that the stewards of the fund will make sure the work continues for generations to come.
“Our goal is to grow the CIELO Fund’s impact and make sure it lasts,” he said. “The future of this region depends on people like us who call it home and want to make it more inclusive and stronger for everyone who lives and works here.
“When we stop investing in each other, we lose the potential that makes the Inland Empire thrive,” he added. “Supporting the CIELO Fund helps keep this a place of opportunity.”
Brie Griset Smith, CSPG, Chief Development Officer at IECF, believes that the early support IECF received has truly laid the foundation for the CIELO Fund’s success.
“Now we’re harnessing that momentum to bring in more donors to uplift Latino communities and spotlight the opportunities ahead in the Inland Empire,” she said.
Elizabeth Romero, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Governmental and Community Relations at UC Riverside, is quick to note the importance of the fund in an era of growing divisiveness.
“Inland Latino residents are experiencing fear like we haven’t seen in decades based on recent federal actions,” she said. “We are witnessing a growing mental health crisis among students and workers who feel they might be targeted because of how they look, how they speak, or where they work.”
“Yet, even in this moment of uncertainty, we are also seeing something powerful—a renewed sense of unity, purpose, and resilience across our community,” she added. “The energy, passion, and support we have received remind us that we are not alone, and that when we stand together, we can turn fear into action and isolation into hope.”
Building a lasting culture of philanthropy involved shrewd planning. Partnerships were key.
The fund’s $3 million milestone came in thanks to investments from the California Endowment, the Weingart Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, the California Healthcare Foundation, Chavez Family Foundation, the S.L. Gimbel Foundation, and strong support from dozens of corporate and institutional donors.
The CIELO Fund also released a summary of a new report produced by the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute, looking at Key Facts and Worker Voices: The Latino Workforce in California’s Inland Empire.
Another significant alliance is a partnership with KVCR/NPR on the popular IE Latino Voices radio segment. A collaboration with CalMatters and the Los Angeles Times’ Latino vertical, De Los, further spotlights Latino causes across the region.
Meanwhile, the CIELO Fund Leadership and Grantmaking Committee consists of Inland Latino leaders who live and work in the region. This includes university presidents, college district chancellors, several vice chancellors, community-based organizational leaders, leaders in academia, and corporate leaders.
“We know the impact of this moment will be felt for many years, even decades,” Romero said. “That is precisely why the work of the CIELO Fund will continue to matter—not only to respond to today’s challenges, but to help build a stronger, more compassionate Inland Empire for generations to come.”
For more information, visit iegives.org/cielofund
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