The Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity (CIELO) Fund at the Inland Empire Community Foundation recently hit a stellar target: surpassing $5.5 million in funds raised within four years.
The notable achievement further fuels the fund's efforts to assist Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations across the region. Thus far, the annual grants have supported more than 22 organizations in their education and civil rights, housing, well-being, and additional efforts within Latino communities across the region.
IECF made note of these achievements at its annual CIELO Fund brunch on Oct. 3 at the RCOE Conference Center in Riverside, where attendees celebrated the fund's efforts and ongoing commitment to the community.
"The CIELO Fund's impact
is just beginning and what this year has shown is that the momentum and need for this kind of work is only growing," said Jesse Melgar, Board Chair of the Inland Empire Community Foundation and Founder and Chair of the CIELO Fund. "That is evidenced in the more than $5.5 million we've raised to date and the investments we continue to raise from supporters in philanthropy, government, education, and local donors."
Launched in 2022 as a signature fund celebrating the IECF's 80th anniversary, the fund's key areas of focus include grantmaking, research, scholarships and narrative change.Its main goal is to invest in organizations, initiatives, and ideas led by — and assisting — Latinos in the Inland Empire.
There was plenty of other good news to share at the recent brunch.
State senators Sabrina Cervantes and Eloise Gómez Reyes have secured $1.5 million in the state budget for the CIELO Fund and attended the event for a formal presentation. The fund also launched a media partnership with outlet L.A. Taco, an award-winning independent digital media platform and L.A. news publication. The result is IE Taco, which will provide meaningful coverage about the region.
The CIELO Fund Research & Civic Leadership Initiative was also announced, noting a unique three-year partnership with the UC Riverside School of Public Policy. It will include a Latino Pulse Survey of registered voters in the region, an original report each year, and launch the Cervantes Gómez Reyes Civic Policy Fellowship for policy students to work with local organizations.
One standout at the recent event was the Ofelia Valdez-Yeager Awards, which recognized individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to advancing the IE's Latino community. The award was named after Valdez-Yeager, the founder of the Riverside Latino Network, who died in 2024.
Valdez-Yeager was the first Latina elected to the RUSD Board of Education as well as the capital campaign chair who brought the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture to life. As the first $5,000 private donor to the CIELO Fund before it formally launched, Valdez-Yeager's influence generated positive ripple effects in the region.
Melgar continues to steer the fund's focus with a mix of passion and vision, and recent milestones will certainly spark greater impact.
"Senators Sabrina Cervantes and Eloise Gómez Reyes have long fought to bring state resources home, and this $1.5 million investment will help the CIELO Fund put more resources directly into the hands of organizations doing critical work across our region," he said. "It will also allow us to expand our research through a new initiative with UC Riverside School of Public Policy, strengthen our grantmaking and tell a fuller story about who we are and what we are building here through partnerships with outlets like KVCR, the Los Angeles Times, and IE Taco through L.A. Taco."
He said founders created the CIELO Fund because they believed the Inland Empire deserves to invest in local talent, tell its own story and shape its own future.
"Senators Cervantes and Gómez Reyes are helping us do exactly that," he said.
Regional Latino leaders comprise the Leadership and Grantmaking Committee. More than 300 foundations, companies, colleges, universities, organizations and individuals have supported the CIELO Fund directly.
The fund awarded more than $550,000 to 22 nonprofits and other partners serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties in 2026.
This year's grantees span a vast spectrum of nonprofits generating positive change or providing key services in the area. Ives Torres Foundation, The Microenterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California, San Gorgonio Pass Community Foundation, Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Services, Rotary Club of Coachella East and Galán Cultural Center are among the grantees this year.
Since its inception, the fund has significantly fueled significant research, narrative changes and ongoing scholarships in an effort to uplift IE's Latino community.
Learn more at iegives.org/funds/cielofund.
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This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: CIELO Fund surpasses $5.5 million milestone
