CIELO Fund Grant Opportunity

Funder: The Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) Serving Riverside & San Bernardino Counties

The CIELO Fund at the Inland Empire Community Foundation aims to uplift and invest in Latino-led initiatives in the Inland Empire. Launched in 2022, it reflects the region's growing Latino majority and addresses disparities in areas such as education, health, and economic mobility. The fund emphasizes equitable growth and community collaboration to foster a vibrant future for all residents. With a focus on leadership development and environmental equity, it champions the aspirations of the Latino community while tackling pressing local challenges.

IECF Overview
We come to the table with in-depth understanding of the IE and our nonprofit sector, extensive experience with our donors that can make a meaningful difference – now and in the future.
The Foundation operates in the largest geographic territory of any community foundation in the nation – more than 27,000 square miles, covering Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
While part of the Los Angeles media market, the Inland Empire has its own identity and is made up of 52 cities and towns and numerous unincorporated and rural areas. Combined, these counties have a population of 4.5 million residents. Within the region are sprawling suburbs, valleys, high-elevation and low-elevation deserts, and numerous mountain communities. Each place has its own distinct identity, demographics, strengths and challenges, and yet as a large region, the Inland Empire is an identity shared by most.
The Inland Empire is one of the fastest growing regions in California. Because of this, we face challenges to ensure shared prosperity, diverse and new leadership, and quality of life for all of its residents. But our opportunities are immense – new neighbors moving in each day; a wonderfully diverse and young population; new collaborations to solve big problems; the growth of sectors like IT, green tech, and advanced manufacturing; and growing arts and culture across both counties. For us, equity means the application of an honest understanding of history and data to the issues we face.
The Inland Empire is at a juncture – balanced between the past and the future.
“Cielo” means “sky” or “heaven” in Spanish. The name signals hope – sky’s the limit – and gives a nod to the aspirations, resilience, and dreams that define the Inland Empire’s Latino community.
The Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity (CIELO) Fund at IECF launched in 2022 as a Signature Fund celebrating the Foundation’s 80th Anniversary.
Latinos are now the majority of the Inland Empire, making up 51.5% of the population, and are expected to be 74% of the region’s population by 2060. With this growth comes increased opportunity but also areas where disparities persist. The CIELO Fund has commissioned three reports (UCR, USC, Latinos LEAD) which inform their grantmaking priorities.
These include focusing on the following areas:

• Leadership development & capacity building;
• Economic mobility
• Educational equity
• Health equity
• Housing security
• Environmental equity & climate change
• Racial equity
• Immigrant inclusion
• Narrative change and storytelling