Wells Fargo Announces IECC as Recipient of National Grant Award: Funds will be used for 2021-2022 Capacity Building Academy Scholarships 

PRESS RELEASE | SEPTEMBER 1, 2021
Contact: Susan Gomez, susangomez@ieccnonprofit.org

Wells Fargo Announces IECC as Recipient of National Grant Award
Funds will be used for 2021-2022 Capacity Building Academy Scholarships 

San Bernardino, CA – The Inland Empire Community Collaborative (IECC) is excited to announce that the Wells Fargo Foundation has chosen IECC, in partnership with the Caravanserai Project and the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF), to be the recipient of a generous grant of nearly $1 million through their Open for Business Fund. IECC was chosen from among applicants nation-wide to provide services to established and emerging organizational leaders of color in the Inland Empire (IE). This grant is to be used to lead a collaborative effort that expands capacity building programming for nonprofits that provide targeted support and key services to communities of color.

Through this generous grant IECC will provide 10 scholarships to nonprofit organizations in the IE for the tenth-annual Capacity Building Academy (CBA). This program invites Black, Indigenous and minority led nonprofit organizations to partake in nine months of workshops intended to identify opportunities for growth and design a sustainability plan. The plan is intended to be used as a roadmap to better help organizations provide high-quality community services and maintain financial stability over the life of the organization. Graduates of the tenth-annual CBA will have the opportunity to present in front of funders during the annual IECC Thrive Conference in the fall of 2022 and will also be eligible to become members of IECC.

“The IECC combines the strengths and resources of larger nonprofit organizations with those of smaller, community-led organizations in a mentoring relationship, following the premise of ‘a rising tide raises all boats’ to enrich and enhance health and human services in the Inland Empire,” said David McCoy, President of the IECC. “IECC has been committed for over 10 years to build organizational capacity using a collective impact model. We are a group of over 87 diverse nonprofit organizations that have a hands-on understanding of the struggles of nonprofit entities, the people being served, and our community. Individually we HELP, collectively we CHANGE.”

In collaboration with the Caravanserai Project, IECC has also helped to design a Professional Certificate in Nonprofit Readiness and Advancement through the University of California – Riverside Extension. “We want to make sure nonprofits have the tools they need to not only be successful in fulfilling their mission, but that their efforts are also making a meaningful social impact.” said Brian Thomas Romo, IECC’s GIS and Data Management Associate and a UCR Graduate School of Public Policy alumnus. “IECC wants to make diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) foundational to this certificate program. We understand that improving internal operations through a DEI framework will help eliminate barriers and improve nonprofit outcomes. It ensures nonprofit solutions are more equitable by incorporating a variety of valuable perspectives that have been traditionally excluded.” The certificate program is expected to begin in the winter of 2022.

It is through the concerted efforts of organizations and individuals that we can meet the capacity building needs of nonprofit organizations during these critical times in the Inland Empire. “Thank you to Wells Fargo Foundation for being on the cutting edge of investing in the region,” said Susan Gomez, CEO of the IECC. “Supporting the project means that you are investing in a collaborative of diverse providers and systems. IECC is grateful to be working in partnership with the Caravanserai Project and The Inland Empire Community Foundation.” The IECC is profoundly grateful for the support of the Wells Fargo Foundation and their continued advocacy on behalf of nonprofits in the community.

Those interested in participating in the tenth annual CBA may apply online by visiting bit.ly/CBA-X before September 6, 2021. The program is expected to begin in early October 2021.

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About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is the leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 37 on Fortune’s 2021 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter: @WellsFargo.

About the Inland Empire Community Collaborative

The Inland Empire Community Collaborative (IECC) is the result of a decade of 87 non-profit agencies working together to strengthen our organizations and improve outcomes for individuals and communities throughout San Bernardino County. The IECC seeks to address the need for capacity of nonprofits in the region. The IECC began providing capacity building in 2015, gained nonprofit status in 2017, and has continued to provide and expand services. Each year IECC successfully delivers its capacity building conference, THRIVE, and delivers sustainability planning to a new cohort of agencies through our Capacity Building Academy (CBA).

Additional information may be found at www.ieccnonprofit.org | Facebook: @IECCNonprofits

About Caravanserai Project

Caravanserai Project is an Inland Empire based hybrid social impact venture striving to identify, mobilize and energize mission-driven leaders to build sustainable, relevant and future-ready ventures, for profits and nonprofits alike, that will generate irreversible system change. The Caravanserai Project programs focus on the development and implementation of accountability systems, supplying specialized skills and futures-thinking strategies and bringing together networks of individuals to help their ideas flourish, accelerate and change the world.

Additional information may be found at www.caravanseraiproject.org | Facebook: @caravanseraiproject

For more information, please contact Susan Gomez at susangomez@ieccnonprofit.org. Or visit our website at ieccnonprofit.org.

About Inland Empire Community Foundation

Founded in 1941, the Inland Empire Community Foundation is the oldest and largest community foundation serving the Inland region operating in the largest geographic territory of any community foundation in the nation – more than 27,000 square miles, covering Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. We come to the table with in-depth understanding of the IE and our nonprofit sector, extensive experience with our donors that can make a meaningful difference – now and in the future.

Additional information may be found at www.iegives.org | Facebook: @inlandempirecf