The Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) is now currently accepting applications for its Black Equity Fund.
Donor Name: Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF)
State: California
Counties: San Bernardino County (CA), Riverside County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/16/2022
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details
The IE Black Equity Fund is a partnership between the Black Equity Initiative of the Inland Empire (BEI-IE), IE Funders Alliance and IECF to advance the mission of Black-led organizations in the Inland Empire through core support, program and project support, and capacity building. Driven by the leadership and voice the members of BEI-IE, grants will be awarded to nonprofits that are focused on systems change and power-building work in these priority areas: civic engagement, criminal justice transformation, housing justice, health equity, education equity, and economic liberation.
BEI Funding Focus
They recognize that their battles for equity and justice are especially heavy when situated in a place with a deeply rooted and painful history of white supremacy. They uplift the legacy and memory of Black people in the Inland Empire and their allies who led courageous fights for justice and equity and paved the way for new generations of leaders to emerge. They know the fight to und structural racism must be sustained through intentional power building among Black-led and Black empowering movements and organizations in the Inland Empire and abroad.
BEI Funding Focus
- Systems Change: To develop, strengthen and scale Black-led and empowering organizations’ sustainability and collective ability to engage in systems change work to promote racial equity in (#) issue areas.
- Systems Change: A change in the policies, processes, relationships, knowledge, power structures, values, or norms that guide how organizations function internally and in relationship to other organizations.
- Power Building: To support strategies that focus on engaging and mobilizing diverse constituencies of Black people (young people, families, system impacted persons, faith leaders, and communities) to build Black power and for long-term impact.
- Power Building strategies may include non-partisan voter engagement, base building and leadership development.
Project Scope
The project scope is limited to the Inland Empire, and all funded activities will be limited to Riverside County and San Bernardino County only. Organizations will be provided resources to advance systems change and power building work in these priority areas:
- Civic Engagement:
- Funding may support efforts to develop and involve leaders in civic life which may include but is not limited to identifying new voters, educating and engaging voters on election issues and other policy priorities; and involving leaders in shaping public policy.
- Criminal Justice Transformation:
- Funding may support efforts to identify and reform flaws and inequities in the criminal justice and legal system, and redress systemic racism that leads to mass incarceration, over-policing, and criminalization of communities of color and black people specifically.
- Housing Justice:
- Funding may support efforts to center community voices and interest in housing development, fighting gentrification, combating racial segregation, forced displacement, housing discrimination, and poor housing conditions impacting Black people.
- Health Equity
- Funds may support efforts to address systemic barriers that result in racial and ethnic disparities in health access, care and supports in a range of areas including but not limited to: birth equity, reproductive justice, mental health, social determinants of health, and factors
contributing to COVID-disparities.
- Funds may support efforts to address systemic barriers that result in racial and ethnic disparities in health access, care and supports in a range of areas including but not limited to: birth equity, reproductive justice, mental health, social determinants of health, and factors
- Education Equity:
- Funds may support efforts to put systems, structures, and resources in place to address the unique challenges and barriers to academic success as early as pre-K through college.
- Economic Liberation (Development):
- Funding may support efforts that result in the creation of new policies, systems, sustainable structures and institutions for an inclusive economy and the economic well-being and liberation of Black people.
Grant Amount and Grant Period
Learning grants are up to $20,000 for 12 months;
Criteria
- Nonprofit organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties that demonstrate learning needs or are currently engaged in this work are encouraged to apply.
- Seek local, regional, and state policy solutions;
- Address a high need impacting Black people; and
- Have clear objectives that are compelling, measurable and can lead to successful outcomes and impact.
- Nonprofit, public benefit organizations based in the Inland Empire, with evidence of tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or Fiscal sponsor sponsored by at 501(c)(3) and not classified as a private foundation
- Organizations that operate on a non-discriminatory basis in the hiring of staff or in providing services on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability.
For more information, visit Inland Empire Black Equity Fund.
