Inland Empire Community Collaborative receives $473,000 to help nonprofits in Riverside County make a bigger impact
San Bernardino, CA – In August of 2023, the Inland Empire Community Collaborative (IECC) was awarded approximately $473,000 from the Riverside County Nonprofit Assistance Fund (RCNAF) to provide technical assistance programming to nonprofits serving Riverside County residents.
IECC has had over a decade of experience providing technical assistance to the Inland Empire nonprofit sector. With this new funding, IECC has been able to provide free workshops, targeted training, and other technical assistance programming to eligible 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(19) nonprofit organizations in the areas of grant writing, strategic planning, financial controls, and fund development. These technical assistance sessions have demonstrated significant value in strengthening the non-profit sector by cultivating a strong skill set among the attendees, leading to greater nonprofit community impact.
To date, IECC has had 256 applications from nonprofit organizations serving all five Riverside County supervisorial districts. IECC has demonstrated its commitment to empower the nonprofit sector by providing technical assistance workshops and programming to nearly 200 organizations being awarded, with eight remaining workshops and training sessions to be scheduled in the coming year.
In the spring of 2023, The Riverside County Board of Supervisors allocated $15 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to assist nonprofit organizations in developing long-term strategies focused on impact, sustainability, and building economic and community resiliency. This funding intends to help nonprofits gain specialized services and skills to operate more effectively and manage the financial impacts of COVID-19 on their business operations. The Regional Access Project (RAP) Foundation was selected by Riverside County to act as an intermediary responsible for the regranting $881,000 in technical assistance funds to regional nonprofit technical assistance providers, including the IECC.
“[The workshops] were absolutely amazing, most ‘grant writing workshops’ barely touch the surface but your workshops were next level, extremely informative, helpful, well-rounded and practical” expressed a Grant Writing workshop attendee from Women Achieving Success in Riverside. “I am very grateful to IECC, RAP Foundation, NPO Centric, and the County of Riverside for making those workshops happen free of charge […]. Thank you again!”
IECC CEO, Susan Gómez, said the Riverside County Nonprofit Roundtable has been working together as a collaborative alongside Riverside County staff to ensure the resources from this funding is available to all nonprofits in every region of the county. She said, “The commitment of these funds by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and the strong collaborative partnerships in place in the nonprofit community sets the stage for us to make a significant and lasting impact in Riverside County.” She added that this collaborative approach has allowed the funds to be allocated across the county’s five supervisorial districts to address the diverse and unique needs of its communities. These funds have also allowed IECC to work towards their mission of supporting nonprofits to collectively advocate in making the region more equitable, diverse, and just, through capacity building strategies and collaboration. IECC is honored to showcase the learning, innovation, and strength of nonprofits in the Inland Empire to create a lasting legacy for the community.
For more information about IECC and the Riverside County Nonprofit Assistance Fund, please visit them online at ieccnonprofit.org.
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