In an era rife with divisiveness, non-profit organizations like the Tolerance Center Education (TEC) continue to advocate for unity, thanks to community support and helpful grants.
Recent funding from the Community Impact Fund via Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) is offering TEC new opportunities to strengthen its mission to promote tolerance, respect, and understanding while also eliminating hatred and bigotry.
“The recent grant has been very impactful because it helps us with our regular programming and the mission of the organization,” said Nancy Kaye, head of Marketing and Development at TEC. The resources from the Community Impact Fund directly help us do that.”
TEC has long been a change agent in Coachella Valley, providing knowledge through education and engagement in the hopes of fostering a mindset that, according to TEC, “rejects prejudice, challenges stereotypes, and celebrates diversity.”
Kaye says the grant arrives at an ideal time.
“The Center has really found its footing in the past year since reopening after the pandemic,” she said. “We’re adding in more regular programming and bringing in more students. That’s what we really hope to focus on in the coming year—the education of students in the Coachella Valley middle and high school students. We want to teach them about tolerance, stability, respect, and understanding.”
Founded by Holocaust survivor Earl Greif in 2006, TEC opened doors to the public several years later in 2009. (Greif passed away in 2016).
The goal of eliminating hatred and bigotry seemed grand, however, through TEC’s various programs, activities, and exhibits, it has provided ample educational opportunities for students and the community at large to not only learn to see and understand prejudice, but to also practice critical thinking.
Feeling empowered to take active roles in the community also factored into the equation with the idea of creating, “a more just and humane society.”
The organization’s variety of programming and events stand out. Kaye says that when middle and high school students visit TEC on field trips, they often will hear first- or second-generation accounts of Holocaust survivors. Power, strength, and resilience shine through most of these testimonies, making for a truly illuminating experience.
Shining light on other atrocities and genocides is also key. To that end, TEC hopes its visitors leave the center with a mindset that can reject hate and prejudice, but also deeply question stereotypes.
Mark your calendars. Upcoming events include a presentation/book signing with Jana Zimmer, author of “Chocolates from Tangiers,” a Holocaust replacement child’s memoir (Feb. 8), and a film screening of The Rape of Europa, dubbed a “whirlwind of fanaticism, greed, and warfare that threatened to wipe out the artistic heritage of Europe” (Feb.17).
One special event is also of note. “Violins of Hope” (March 8) features a collection of more than 70 instruments that were played by Jewish musicians in camps and ghettos. These instruments were found and collected, often in battered or beaten conditions. They were later restored to prime quality, then played by top violinists across the globe, each instrument carrying its own unique tale.
“What I particularly like about being part of the organization is the encounter with people who have incredible stories to tell about resistance and courage,” Kaye said. “It’s only through an organization like this one that we get to meet Holocaust survivors and their descendants, and learn about unbelievable—and believable—accounts.
“We have a unique opportunity here to learn from these people about creating a more just and humane world,” she added. “Through these encounters with survivors and their descendants, we come face to face with authentic, first-hand oral testimony that is rare and impactful.”
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, February, 2026.
Stay up to date on all the good work we’re doing through the power of philanthropy. Sign up for our eNewsletter, Philanthropy Matters, today.
