Inland Empire Community Foundation marks 80 years
When Charles Brouse established The Riverside Foundation to support Riverside City College students, he might not have imagined what the organization would become.
Today known as Inland Empire Community Foundation, the organization manages more than $130 million in assets and 397 funds. In addition to continuing its initial mission of facilitating scholarships for local students, the foundation has grown to support nonprofit organizations and communities throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
“I love knowing IECF started with just one person, and then a few more, who had a vision of bettering students in Riverside,” the organization's President and CEO Michelle Decker said. “We forget that sometimes it really starts with an idea.”
In celebration of its 80th anniversary, the foundation introduced a slate of signature funds, which each have a goal of raising $80,000 in their inaugural year. These funds, founded by board members and donors, were launched with an idea and a vision to address pressing local needs. They include a Latino empowerment fund called CIELO, a new Journalism and Media Fund, the Salton Sea Fund, Arts for the IE
The Family Service Association distributes hundreds of emergency supplies and assistive devices for older residents, including wheelchairs and blood-pressure monitors at the Moreno Valley Senior Center.
Fund and others. Decker wonders in the coming decades, what these funds might achieve as well.
As the organization's leader, Decker said that the north star she follows is the people and places in the Inland Empire and their needs. It is innovation that makes Inland Empire Community Foundation stand out as a community foundation and this innovation is driven by strong partnerships with nonprofit groups and donors. To Decker, that means the region and the people with whom the foundation works are what make the organization special.
The foundation is well known to local nonprofit organizations and students and has awarded
more than $159 million in grants and scholarships in its history. It holds many funds that have distributed grants aligning with the original founders' interests and also reacts to urgent and unexpected community needs.
Faced with a crisis, the organization opened the IE COVID-19 Resilience Fund, quickly responding to assist nonprofit groups struggling on the front lines to serve their communities. The foundation sees itself as a one that belongs to the people and organizations of the Inland Empire and many nonprofit organizations embrace this.
“More than 13,000 Inland Empire residents are comprehensively served each year through our senior meals, behavioral
health services, child development services and programs for child abuse prevention and treatment,” said Cheryl-Marie Hansberger, CEO of the Moreno Valley-based Family Service Association. “We are grateful for IECF's leadership, expertise and collaboration that strengthens our region.”
The foundation understands that community needs will be an everchanging landscape and plans to continue its focus on growth, regional impact, and racial, gender and economic equity. Its leadership and board of directors strive to be trusted partners and to support philanthropists who have a vision for the future and want to create a fairer Inland
Michelle Decker is president and CEO of Inland Empire Community Foundation.
Empire. The organization looks forward to the ways it might help shape a stronger Inland Empire in the next 20 years.
Individuals and businesses wishing to support any of the foundation's 80th signature funds can visit the organization's website, find a fund that matches their philanthropic interests and donate through the site. Donations can also be mailed. The foundation welcomes any donation and can also help with the donation of complex assets or with the launch of new funds aligning with the founder's interests.
“Philanthropy isn't a word only meant for a few with great wealth,” Decker said. “Americans are givers, especially those who see the needs every day in their own communities. I hope that we can build a culture of philanthropy in the IE that embraces the beautiful diversity of the region.”
Information: https:// www.iegives.org/80thanniversary/