2024 Brunch Celebration
Inland Empire’s Latino Community has reason to celebrate. At a brunch attended by nearly 400 people at the Palm Springs Convention Center on October 6, IECF announced that its CIELO Fund has raised more than $2 million to support Latino-led and -serving organizations and initiatives throughout the region.
That’s a significant milestone considering the fund was launched just two years ago.
Grants and Scholarships Awarded
The financial breakdown reveals that the CIELO Fund has invested nearly $1 million into the region’s Latino community through various grantmaking, scholarships, narrative change initiatives, and original research with leading universities. That includes $650,000 in grant awards to 56 grassroots organizations across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
Education also factors in and includes the distribution of $232,000 in scholarships to local students. Another standout is the CIELO Fund’s dynamic collaboration with KVCR/NPR to produce the popular IE Latino Voices radio segment, and upcoming partnerships with CalMatters and Los Angeles Times’ Latino vertical, De Los, which will further raise awareness of Latino causes in the area.
2024 Grantee Representatives
“We are filled with immense pride and gratitude for the hundreds of funders who have made the CIELO Fund’s impact possible, and for the grassroots organizations that serve as the heartbeat of our communities each and every day,” says Jesse Melgar, IECF Vice Chair and Founding Chair of the CIELO Fund. He feels surpassing the $2 million in the fund’s first two years is, “more than a milestone.”
“It’s a testament to the resilience, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our grantees,” he adds, “and the determination of our scholarship recipients, who are transforming lives and communities across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.”
To be sure, these organizations and students are creating a sea of change by forging a new path for the region’s future while also laying the foundation for what Melgar calls, “a more just and equitable future,” noting: “This is only the beginning of what we can achieve when we lead with vision, purpose, and community at the center. Adelante, always.”
Brie Griset Smith, CSPG, IECF’s Chief Development Officer, expressed a deep appreciation for the partnership. “We are immensely proud to celebrate a remarkable milestone in just two short years: raising $2 million and distributing nearly $1 million to uplift Latino voices, students, and nonprofits across the Inland Empire through the CIELO Fund—one of nine signature funds at IECF. This achievement highlights IECF’s comprehensive approach to philanthropy, encompassing grant-making, scholarship initiatives, and fostering narrative change in our region. The success of the CIELO Fund underscores the transformative power of collaboration with passionate community leaders to address the pressing issues facing the Inland Empire, reinforcing our shared commitment to ensuring that every individual and community thrives—without exception.”
To underscore this shared pledge, just this last year, the CIELO Fund partnered with the Possibility Lab at the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies to produce a polling brief that mirrors the vital conditions framework and examines IE Latino voters’ experience accessing basic resources to thrive.
The report is significant. It reveals that most Inland Empire Latino voters have access to clean water, safety, and connectivity, yet affordable housing, healthy food, eldercare and childcare, and energy are difficult to find and afford. This builds on a past body of research from UC Riverside, USC, and LatinosLEAD. The CIELO Fund announced a new partnership for the coming year with the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute.
Building a culture of philanthropy requires constant care, commitment, and outreach. CIELO Fund’s $2 million two-year milestone, for instance, comes from the solid investments from various entities, including The California Endowment, the Weingart Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, the California Healthcare Foundation, the Chavez Family Foundation, and the S.L. Gimbel Foundation.
Support from dozens of corporate and institutional donors are equally vital, and it has been further strengthened by more than 100 individual donations.
The CIELO Fund leadership and grantmaking committee itself 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, local philanthropy leaders, and corporate leaders.
View more photos of the 2024 celebration here.
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