The Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) is offering the third round of grants from the CIELO Fund. This fund supports organizations, initiatives, and innovations led by and benefiting Latinos in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The CIELO Fund is focused on promoting leadership, providing scholarships, commissioning research, and advancing positive narratives about Latinos in the Inland Empire (IE). The fund recognizes that Latinos now make up the majority (51.5%) of the region’s population, with expectations of this number rising to 74% by 2060. However, despite this population growth, disparities in key sectors still persist, and the fund addresses these disparities through targeted grantmaking.
The CIELO Fund prioritizes grant applications that focus on specific issue areas, such as affordable housing, healthy food, childcare and eldercare, quality education and job training, and clean water, among others. The fund also seeks organizations that are committed to addressing critical community needs, including economic mobility, racial equity, health equity, and environmental justice. The primary aim is to support organizations that are actively working to meet these needs within the Inland Empire, particularly those with operating budgets of $500,000 or less.
The maximum award amount for the grant is $15,000, and it is intended to provide general operating support for organizations working in the identified focus areas. Applications for amounts exceeding $15,000 will not be considered. The fund is open to nonprofit organizations, public benefit organizations, and those with fiscal sponsors, provided they have tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Organizations must also be committed to non-discrimination in their hiring practices and service provision.
The application process includes a technical assistance workshop on February 5, with the deadline for submission set for February 27, 2025. The final decisions on grant awards will be announced in March 2025. The application process is competitive, with submissions being evaluated based on organizational effectiveness, commitment to addressing community needs, and capacity to utilize grant funds effectively.
