Ellen Perrault
The Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) is accepting applications for its Powerbuilding and Systems Change Grant from the IE Black Equity Fund through September 13, 2024.
The Fund is a partnership between the Black Equity Initiative of the Inland Empire (BEI-IE), IE Funders Alliance (IEFA) and IECF to “advance the mission of Black-led organizations in the Inland Empire through core support, program and project support, and capacity building.”
The Powerbuilding and Systems Change Grant is designed to develop and strengthen Black-led organizations’ sustainability and “collective ability to engage in systems change work to promote racial equity and mobilize the IE’s Black community.”
Grants of up to $100,000 are available for Black-led, Black-empowering and Black-serving organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Applicants can apply for funding in four tiers: Learning grants, Emerging grants, Scale-up grants, and AD60 grants for nonprofits in Assemblymember Dr. Corey A. Jackson’s District 60 which includes the cities of Moreno Valley, Hemet and Perris.
Funding for the tiers vary on length of time and eligibility requirements that include a desire to seek local solutions, addressing a high need impacting Black people and having clear objectives that are measurable and can lead to successful outcomes.
Dina Walker, president and chief executive officer of BLU Educational Foundation, and Pastor Samuel J. Casey, founding executive director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), are co-chairs of the BEI-IE and emphasized the importance of this funding.
“This funding is vital because it enables organizations to build a stronger infrastructure that will positively impact the Black community in the Inland Empire,” said Walker in a statement. “These organizations are specifically addressing critical issues such as criminal justice reform, education attainment, affordable housing, and economic mobility.”
The BEI-IE and IEFA established the Black Equity Fund in 2020 to raise and grant $5 million over two years to Black led/Black empowering organizations in the Inland Empire region.
The Fund has since exceeded its goal. Under the leadership of the BEI-IE, along with the BEI-IE Advisory Committee, more than $6 million has been raised over the past three years.
“To affect change, they need the tools, resources, and support to drive these changes from within,” stated Pastor Casey.
To learn more about grant guidelines, eligibility and how to submit a grant application, visit www.iegives.org/funds/black-equity-fund-rfp/. Organizations may also submit questions by email here. The application deadline is Friday, September 13, 2024.