Overview: The Inland Empire Community Foundation hosted its Policy and Philanthropy Summit on August 1-2, 2024, featuring a diverse panel of speakers and attendees from across the region. The summit focused on various topics faced by the community, including housing, economic disparities, health, education, and quality of life. The summit aimed to galvanize support for the Vital Conditions framework for the region and foster civic engagement. The summit also discussed the role of urgent services and policy change in the transformation of the cities and counties they serve.

Aryana Noroozi

On August 1 and 2, the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) hosted its Policy & Philanthropy Summit, Investing to Thrive. The summit featured a diverse panel of speakers and attendees from across the region. The discussions covered various topics faced by the community including housing, economic disparities, health, education and quality of life. 

The summit’s goal is for “all people and places to thrive – no exceptions.” 

“We’re excited to be together again and to galvanize support around the Vital Conditions framework for our region,” said IECF President and CEO Michelle Decker. “It’s truly an opportunity for community leaders and advocates to collectively see the priorities and how our work can individually move them for greater impact in the Inland Empire.” 

The IECF was founded in 1941 and is the oldest and largest community foundation in Inland Southern California. 

Check out the Black Voice News’ coverage of day one. 

President & CEO of Inland Empire Community Collaborative Susan Gomez (left) and Publisher and Founder of Voice Media Ventures, Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds (right) discuss the Vital Conditions Framework and the collective role in fostering civic engagement on August 1, 2024 at the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) Policy & Philanthropy Summit in Riverside, CA. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
Armando Carmona of the Inland Empire Journalism Innovation Hub + Fund and Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, Black Voice News Publisher and Founder of Voice Media Ventures, pose for a portrait on August 1, 2024 at the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) Policy & Philanthropy Summit in Riverside. Dr. Brown-Hinds spoke both days of the Summit about engagement across the region and the state of media. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
Attendees of the Inland Empire Community Foundation Policy and Philanthropy Summit held at the Riverside Convention Center walk past the event entrance on August 1, 2024. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
Max Espinoza from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael Wiafe from the Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Torie Weiston-Serdan from the Inland Empire Community Foundation (seated left to right) discuss philanthropy and community in California on August 1, 2024, at the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) Policy & Philanthropy Summit in Riverside, CA. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
(From left to right) Supervisor Joe Baca Jr., Coachella Councilmember Neftali Garza, San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Palm Springs Councilmember Grace Garner and IECF President and CEO Michelle Decker discuss the role of urgent services and policy change within the transformation of the cities and counties they serve on August 1, 2024,  at the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) Policy & Philanthropy Summit in Riverside, CA. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
Housing Associate of Uplift San Bernardino, Ruben Mendoza, President and CEO of Lift to Rise Heather Vaikona, California Secretary of Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, Tomiquia Moss, Executive Director of Inland Socal Housing Collective, Melanie Steele, Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes, and Senior Director of Community Health at Kaiser, Elizabeth Trombley discuss the intersection of housing and health in region as well as Loma Linda University’s new strategies for community health and wellbeing on August 1, 2024 at the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) Policy & Philanthropy Summit in Riverside, CA. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
Rachel Dzikonski of Riverside Arts Council (left) and Kristen Dolan of the California Desert Arts Council (right) discuss the power of art as a means to foster inclusion, problem solving and a career pathway throughout the region on August 1, 2024 at the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) Policy & Philanthropy Summit in Riverside, CA. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)
An attendee asks a question during on August 1, 2024 at the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) Policy & Philanthropy Summit in Riverside, CA, which offered audience engagement opportunities throughout the two days. (Aryana Noroozi for Black Voice News/ CatchLight Local)

Black Voice News photojournalist Aryana Noroozi was born in San Diego, California and graduated with a master’s degree from The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Her love for visual storytelling led her to document immigrant and deportee communities and those struggling with addiction. She was a 2020 Pulitzer Center Crisis Reporting Fellow and a GroundTruth Project Migration Fellow. She is currently a CatchLight/Report for America corps member employed by Black Voice News. You can learn more about her at aryananoroozi.com. You can email her at aryana@blackvoicenews.com.