Second round of grants for the Latino community begins in Inland Empire – Press Enterprise

Members of the CIELO Fund Committee and grantees at the CIELO Fund Celebration program in Sept 2023. (Courtesy of Inland Empire Community Foundation)

By Greg Archer | Inland Empire Community Foundation

Inland Empire Community Foundation has opened its second round of grant applications through Monday, Jan. 8, for the Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity Fund, or CIELO Fund.

It is another milestone for the fund, which has raised more than $1 million since launching in 2022.

The CIELO Fund supports Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations and initiatives throughout the Inland Empire. To date, it has granted $280,000 to 25 organizations, awarded $125,000 in scholarships to Latino college students, published original research and worked to uplift positive narratives for Latinos in the region.

Some efforts are fueled by partnerships, specifically with The Desert Sun and the IE Latino Voices radio segment on KVCR/NPR. Jesse Melgar, a foundation board member and CIELO Fund founder and chair, credits the hundreds of donors who invested in the fund’s vision.

“We’ve had a very successful and impactful first year supporting the work of many organizations throughout the region,” Melgar said. “But we know that the initial investment of $280,000 is really not enough to meet the needs of the Latino community in our region. Being able to continue that work through a second round of grants is really important.”

It also allows the fund to look at organizations that did not receive funds last year because of limited resources.

“The work of equity and creating opportunities is ongoing,” Melgar added. “The CIELO Fund has always been about creating infrastructure to support Latino-led and -serving organizations. The first round did that with some seed investments and this next round will continue that work.”

Making an impact for the region’s Latino community through grantmaking, scholarships, research and narrative change work is key to CIELO leaders because Latinos comprise the majority of the Inland Empire, making up 51.5% of the population. It is expected that Latinos will comprise 74% of the region’s population by 2060.

Research plays an important role in the grant process. Three commissioned reports — by UC Riverside, USC and Latinos LEAD — focused on a variety of factors, ranging from economic mobility and equity and housing security to immigration inclusion, racial equity and leadership development, among others.

Inland Latino leaders who live and work in the region — from community-based organization leaders and corporate leaders to university presidents and college district chancellors — make up the CIELO Fund Leadership and grantmaking committee.

“We’ve taken a very intentional approach to identify which issue areas we want to focus on and invest in,” Melgar said of the process. “In year two, which is what we’re entering now, that’s going to be what drives our investments. In the coming years, we’re open to look at what other areas we need to focus on, what other needs are emerging in our communities.”

He added that only organizations with operating budgets of $500,000 or less are prioritized in the current grant cycle. The fund will also invite local, regional and statewide media outlets or projects to apply for several smaller grants geared toward uplifting positive narratives about the Latino community in the region.

All of that ultimately generates positive ripple effects within the community. Of the focus on smaller nonprofit groups in the region, Melgar pointed out the variety of organizations that were founded in and remain headquartered in the Inland Empire.