As a Trustee of the Wingate Foundation, Todd Wingate is especially tuned to philanthropy and the Inland Empire. His family has lived and prospered in the city of Riverside for longer than a century — which led his father, John H. Wingate Jr., to establish the private foundation in 1998. Upon his passing in 2012, Todd assumed operations.

The Wingate Foundation supports the arts, food banks, and youth programming, but recently IECF’s Vital Conditions Framework has ignited Todd’s imagination. “At the core of its priorities lies the concept of belonging and civic muscle, which to me is critical. We should all have agency and opportunities to thrive in the community we live in.”

By adopting the Vital Conditions Framework as a common language and network, a community of nonprofits and changemakers is creating a platform to effect transformational change.

“Aligning with IECF for this initiative — where we can leverage their expertise and wide network of community partners — increases the reach of our investment significantly,” Todd says. “Our investment in the community will go farther and be much more wisely targeted than if we were trying to figure this out on our own. My hope is that other donors in the region will align their investments with the Framework. Imagine the possibilities.”