CIELO Fund puts $310,000 into 22 IE nonprofits

Inland Empire Community Foundation: The CIELO Fund at IECF awarded more than $310,000 to 22 organizations across Riverside and San Bernardino counties in its 2026 grant cycle, working in education, housing, civil rights, health care, legal support, and economic opportunity. The round pushes the fund's total investment past $1.7 million since its 2022 launch — more than 120 grants to regional nonprofits and over 300 scholarships to local students. Beyond grantmaking, the fund backs research with UCLA's Latino Policy and Politics Institute on barriers facing Latino workers in the IE, plus media partnerships with KVCR's IE Latino Voices and the LA Times' De Los vertical. Jesse Melgar, IECF board chair and CIELO Fund founder, said the strategy is to back organizations meeting urgent needs across the region.