CIELO Fund Grant Opportunity
**DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 12, 2024**
IECF is pleased to announce a request for proposals for the second round of grants from the CIELO Fund! Launched in 2022 at IECF, the Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity Fund, also known as the
CIELO Fund, is dedicated to uplifting and investing in the Inland Empire’s Latino community. The CIELO Fund intends to support nonprofit organizations and initiatives that are led by – and serve – Latinos in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Latinos are now the majority of the Inland Empire, making up 51.5% of the population, and are expected to be 74% of the region’s population by 2060. With this growth comes increased opportunity but also areas where disparities persist. The CIELO Fund has commissioned three reports (UCR, USC, Latinos LEAD) which inform their grantmaking priorities. These include focusing on the following areas:
- Leadership development & capacity building;
- Economic mobility
- Educational equity
- Health equity
- Housing security
- Environmental equity & climate change
- Racial equity
- Immigrant inclusion
- Narrative change and storytelling
Organizations with operating budgets of $500k or less will be prioritized this grant cycle. Additionally, the Fund will invite local, regional, and statewide media outlets or projects to apply for a small number of grants that focus on uplifting positive narratives with impact about the Latino community in the Inland Empire.
Earlier this year, the CIELO Fund made its inaugural grant awards to 25 Latino-led and serving organizations throughout the region totaling $280,000 in funding. The Fund also awarded $125,000 in scholarships to Inland Empire Latino students as part of their inaugural scholars program.
The Fund invites nonprofits to apply for grants of up to $15,000. The application deadline has been extended to Monday, February 12, 2024.
Eligibility
- Nonprofit, public benefit organizations with evidence of tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and not classified as a private foundation.
- Organizations with fiscal sponsors are also eligible to apply.
- Organizations that operate so that they do not discriminate in the hiring of staff or in providing services on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability.
- Organizations with operating budgets of $500,000k or less.
- For media and narrative grants, consideration will be given to media outlets and projects.
Grantmaking Objectives
- Seek local, regional, and state policy solutions;
- Address a high need impacting Latinos;
- Provide flexible, unrestricted support to carefully selected nonprofits that demonstrate the interest and ability to strengthen their organizational effectiveness and capacity.
- Support nonprofits providing quality, essential services in the areas of leadership development & capacity building, economic mobility, educational equity, health equity, housing security, environmental equity & climate change, racial equity and inclusion
- Support small budget sizes, levels of capacity, and infrastructure.
- Benefit a large number of disadvantaged, vulnerable, marginalized, and/or underserved people.
- Shape and promote positive narratives about Latinos in the Inland Empire and beyond.
Contact us:
For more information, contact Celia Cudiamat, SVP of Grants and Community Impact at ccudiamat@iegives.org. To reach staff with general questions and inquiries about the Fund, email us at CIELO@iegives.org.