Inland Empire Community Foundation provides funding to environmental groups

In recognition of Earth Day 2022, Inland Empire Community Foundation and Amazon announced $100,000 to local groups that have programs supporting environmental education in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The funding was made possible through the Environmental Micro-Grant Program and individual grants ranged from $7,500 to $10,000.

“The Inland Empire Community Foundation does vital work on behalf of the Inland Empire (IE) community, and Amazon is proud to support their efforts,” says David Ambroz, Amazon’s community relations lead for the IE. “Environmental education is a great way to promote future stewardship of our natural resources, which is an important goal for Amazon. That’s why we co-founded the Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon across our business operations 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.”

As part of its commitment to invest in communities locally, Amazon has funded the Environmental Micro-Grant Program at IECF to support organizations that promote environmental literacy, outdoor learning, and conservation. Priority for funding was for groups that specifically address removing barriers and providing access to enjoying, learning, and protecting nature.

The first round of 2022 Environmental Micro-Grant Program grantees includes: Mojave Desert Land Trust, Rivers and Lands Conservancy, Santa Rosa Plateau Foundation, Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council, Lifting Our Stories, and the Environmental Education Collaborative.

“This is an opportunity to release funds to help our nonprofits bring more people into the outdoors and enhance awareness for the conservation issues of the IE,” said Celia Cudiamat, IECF’s Senior Vice President, Grants and Community Impact. “We hope that more people are inspired by the important work that these environmental groups are doing and get involved.”

IECF has hosted the Environmental Micro-Grant Program for the last four years. Amazon’s investment, adds Cudiamat, is “five times the funding our environmental education groups have had, so we are excited by this funding and its potential to bring more visibility to our landscapes and environmental issues.”