BLACK EQUITY FUND
The Inland Empire Black Equity Fund supports nonprofit organizations and initiatives led by and serving the region’s Black community. Created in 2020 in partnership with the Inland Empire Black Equity Initiative and Inland Empire Funders Alliance, the Fund was seeded by IECF and The California Endowment. It has surpassed its initial $5 million fundraising goal by $1 million and completed two rounds of grantmaking, awarding $1.767 million to 71 organizations. iegives.org/ieblackequityfund

BUILD COACHELLA VALLEY FUND
The Build Coachella Valley Fund supports the critically urgent social, economic, and environmental resilience of the Coachella Valley. More than 120,000 residents, including children, grapple with food insecurity daily. Addressing the latter is a gateway to addressing other issues. Seeded by IECF Board Member Jeremy Hobbs and courtesy of gifts totaling $100,000, the Fund began grantmaking in May 2024 to benefit the food pantries of community organizations.
iegives.org/buildcoachellavalleyfund

CIELO FUND
Over 50 percent of the Inland Empire population is Latino. The CIELO Fund (an acronym for Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity and meaning “sky” in Spanish) invests in organizations, initiatives, and ideas by and serving Latinos in the IE. Founded and chaired by IECF Board Member Jesse Melgar, the Fund focuses on grantmaking, research, scholarship and narrative change. It raised more than $1 million in its first year. In 2023, it granted $280,000 to 25 organizations and awarded $125,000 in scholarships to 83 Latino students. In 2024, it has awarded $360,000 in grants to 31 nonprofits and $107,000 in scholarships to 64 students thus far. iegives.org/cielofund

FRieNDS OF VETERANS FUND
The FRieNDS of VETERANS FUND, established in 2022, serves veterans residing in San Bernardino and Riverside counties whose needs include but are not limited to legal aid services, post-military education and skills-building, housing, as well as physical and mental health. iegives.org/fov

FUND FOR A CREATIVE IE
The Fund for a Creative IE supports local arts organizations and helps them connect with their community and funding sources. Board Member Ann Sheffer seeded and chairs this fund, which enables organizations to advocate locally and statewide, create partnerships to increase access to the arts by underserved populations, and build equitable cultural leadership. In 2023, IECF received a California Arts Council grant totaling more than $4.7 million to award to artists, culture-bearers, organizations, and agencies through the three arts councils serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Together, the councils administer these funds for the California Creative Corps, a state arts program known locally as Creative Corps Inland SoCal.
iegives.org/creativeiefund

HERE FOR GOOD FUND
Established in 1992, the Here for Good Fund supports IECF operations and helps the Foundation lead on multiple issues. It remains a vital resource in ensuring the Foundation can achieve its goals and meet the moment. The Foundation could not direct attention to the Signature Funds outlined here without including the Here for Good Fund, which provides capacity for success. iegives.org/funds/hereforgoodfund/

JOURNALISM INNOVATION HUB + FUND
The Journalism Innovation Hub + Fund supports Inland Empire journalism and media outlets and its pipeline of talent. In these days of rampant disinformation and loss of local journalism, it is essential to cultivate reliable sources of news to expand reporting on quality-of-life issues in the region. The Fund is seeded and chaired by Paulette Brown-Hinds, PhD, former IECF Board Chair, and founder of Voice Media Ventures, publisher of Black Voice News. iegives.org/funds/journalisminnovationhubfund/

WOMEN’S GIVING FUND
Women are philanthropic powerhouses. The Women’s Giving Fund harnesses the power of collaborative philanthropy to support organizations serving Inland Empire women and their families. Chaired by IECF Board Member Nefertiti Long, it is an inclusive opportunity for female donors to learn more about women’s economic security issues and to focus on issues impacting women and children. Launched in 2017, the Fund has granted more than $130,000 to local nonprofits that address critical quality of life issues. In 2023, the Fund awarded $43,400 to organizations that included The Care Project Inc., which aids breast cancer survivors; Foothill Family Shelter; and the Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center. iegives.org/womensgivingfund