John McGuirk, Giving Officer for Coachella Valley, is set to retire; job opportunity announced
After nearly two and a half years of dedicated service with IECF, John McGuirk, Giving Officer for the Coachella Valley, is set to retire this spring. He and his husband, Richard, will embark on an exciting new chapter in Bournemouth, England. Brie Griset Smith, Chief...
IECF Launches New Initiative to Elevate Student Voices and Advance Educational Equity
IECF is proud to announce a new initiative aimed at advancing educational equity in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, with a focus on amplifying youth voices. Supported by a $1.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation, this two-year effort will empower students...
Inland Empire Community Foundation Announces 2025 Board of Directors
Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) is pleased to announce Jesse Melgar as the next Chair of its Board of Directors, where he will become the first openly LGBTQ+ Chair, first Coachella Valley resident, and the first millennial to chair the Board. Melgar will...
Grantee Spotlight: Riverside Arts Academy plans to increase its number of instructors with recent grant
A grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) through the Riverside County Nonprofit Assistance Fund will allow Riverside Arts Academy (RAA) to expand its faculty. Executive and artistic director Adam Karelin said those resources come at a pivotal time as the...
Grantee Spotlight: Tools for Tomorrow uses unique tools to help students with recent grant
An upcoming gala, a significant grant, and other community-building events are fueling the ongoing efforts of Tools for Tomorrow (TFT), an intrepid La Quinta-based nonprofit that provides free after-school arts/literacy programs that integrate creative writing, art,...
Grantee Spotlight: Grant allows DAP Health to better serve trans and gender diverse patients
A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation through the FitzDell Gifting Fund will directly impact DAP Health’s Partners For Life (PFL)/Impact and greatly support DAP Health’s gender and sexuality-affirming care. “We have chosen three unique sites of our...
Grantee Spotlight: Grant helps Dezart Performs stage vibrant musical in new season
Dezart Performs’ upcoming season is ready to dazzle, but thanks to a recent grant from IECF through the FitzDell Gifting Fund, its final show in April 2025 will be historic. “We’re excited that the grant will help us fund our production of Falsettos because it will be...
Grantee Spotlight: Grant aids with deeper research at Bighorn Institute
A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation through The James and Rebecca Malachowski Charitable Fund is giving Bighorn Institute a new opportunity to roll smoothly into the future. Quite literally, in fact. “We're totally privately funded, so every grant...
Grantee Spotlight: Key grant gives Desert Arc new ways to assist the developmentally disabled community
Maintaining a united front for the care of the developmentally disabled community is key for Desert Arc, a nonprofit organization inching closer to seven decades of progress. “Desert Arc is largely the only provider of services to the developmentally disabled...
Grantee Spotlight: Caravanserai—Alliance for Entrepreneurs expands impact with recent grant
A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation through the Riverside County ARPA Fund is allowing one nonprofit to strengthen its mission to provide entrepreneurs facing discrimination and other barriers smoother access to mentorship, valued resources, and a...
