Inland Empire Community Foundation Empowers the Arts in the Coachella Valley

Novio Boy by the Green Room Theatre Company.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CJ JILEK AND ALBERT ANGELO

Civic leaders in the throes of tough budget decisions seldom prioritize funding to arts and culture organizations. It’s too bad, because in tough times, the arts prove time and again that investment returns in a big way: strengthening economies and revitalizing communities.

A grant from the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) — through its Fund for a Creative IE — recently enabled three Inland Empire arts councils to participate in Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6), an economic and social impact study organized by Americans For the Arts that analyzes the nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry.

Green Room Theatre Company and About Families Inc. were among 53 grant recipients through Creative Corps Inland SoCal, administered by IECF.

Findings from the study released in October 2023 revealed that nonprofit arts and culture are a critical economic driver in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The sector supports jobs, generates government revenue, and bolsters community vibrancy. This was gratifying news to the California Desert Arts Council (CDAC), Riverside Arts Council, and Arts Connection, The Arts Council of San Bernardino County, and it also confirmed what arts advocate and former IECF board member Ann Sheffer knew all along: Simply put, the arts matter.

“I love it when city and state government start to recognize the economic value,” says Sheffer, who founded, seeded, and chaired IECF’s Fund for a Creative IE, “but the heart of the matter is the arts improve and enrich people’s lives.”

The IE’s arts landscape received a mighty boost in 2023 when IECF received a grant totaling more than $3.8 million from the California Arts Council (CAC) to be awarded to artists, culture-bearers, organizations, and agencies throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties through the three arts councils. The unprecedented funds enabled Creative Corps Inland SoCal to award grants to 53 artists and arts organizations for creative initiatives that advance awareness of the value of the arts around public health, the environment, social justice, and civic participation.

Artwork by Cj Jilek.

Pottery from About Families.

Former IECF board member Ann Sheffer of Palm Springs established and seeded the Fund for a Creative IE.

Support of the regional AEP6 study and Creative Corps Inland SoCal grants represent only a couple examples of IECF’s dedication to supporting local artists and arts organizations, underscoring the fact that arts and culture lead to vibrant, inclusive, and resilient regions.

Learn more about and donate to IECF’s Fund for a Creative IE by visiting iegives.org or calling IECF at 760-836-2400 (Coachella Valley), 951-241-7777 (Riverside), or 909-453-2400 (San Bernardino).