Inland Empire Community Foundation

Our Board Chair Jesse Melgar will join The James Irvine Foundation's Azusena Favela, CIELO Fund Co-founder Luz Gallegos at TODEC Legal Center, LA Times DeLos' Fidel Martinez, and the Center for Nonprofit Management's Efrain Escobedo at the Hispanics in Philanthropy Conference in LA next week. They will lead a panel about the 's impact: From the Grassroots to el CIELO: Building Latino-Led Power Through Place-Based Philanthropy in California’s Inland Empire Region. ⛰️

The conversation will spotlight the CIELO Fund’s community-driven approach to grantmaking, research, narrative change, and scholarships—and what it takes to build Latino-led philanthropic power in the Inland Empire.

Three years in, the CIELO Fund has raised $3.5 million while centering trust, lived experience, and shared decision-making. If you're attending the conference, be sure to stop by! 🌟

🌟 Grantee Spotlight: Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Service 🌟

Since 1957, Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Service has been showing up for the community, neighbor to neighbor.🥫🎒

Weekly food distributions serving 80+ families every Wednesday, monthly emergency food programs reaching 300 participants, and more, Casa Blanca meets people right where they are. Add in 500 backpacks full of school supplies, 150 Thanksgiving turkeys, free community events, STEM learning labs, and bilingual support — and you start to see just how far one organization's reach can go.

Coming up! Summer Movie Night on July 23! 🎥🌞

Read more on the blog 👉https://www.iegives.org/grantee-spotlight-casa-blanca/

📰When local journalism has the right kind of resources, residents stay informed and civic life functions better. The Desert Community News Fund at IECF was created to help make that possible in the Coachella Valley.

🍷On Wednesday, June 17th, Wine Down Wednesday at Fisherman's Market in Palm Desert directs 100% of proceeds to the fund. Join us from 5 to 7 p.m. — $20 at the door, wine tasting and apps included. Join us for a toast to good, local news!