About Us
Who is Thrive Inland SoCal?
A Regional Investment Initiative, in partnership with California Jobs First, with the Inland Empire Labor Institute and Inland Economic Growth and Opportunity as the Regional Co-Conveners, and the Inland Empire Community Foundation serving as the Fiscal Agent, carrying out necessary responsibilities as required by the State of California.
Mission
To build an equitable and inclusive region where all residents have a say in shaping our collective economic future and addressing historical inequities.
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Vision
Our collaborative envisions an Inland Region where everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, has access to the resources and opportunities necessary to thrive.
Regional Co-conveners
Founded in 2020, the Inland Empire Labor Institute (IELI) is the 501(c)(3) wing of the Inland Empire Labor Council, a regional AFL-CIO affiliate with 290,000 members across Riverside and San Bernardino counties. We partner with economic, social, and environmental organizations to prioritize the needs of workers in uplifting communities and families. We see labor unions as a key force for promoting workers' rights, economic justice, and democratic participation, and support regional development that is socially equitable, ecologically sustainable, and culturally diverse.
Inland Economic Growth & Opportunity (IEGO) is a regional network of leaders from businesses, nonprofits, higher education, and state and local government working to grow sectors that can create promising jobs for Inland Empire workers and students. IEGO is currently housed within the Inland Empire Community Foundation. Where they work to build strategies for sector-based economic development; in addition to finding targeted industrial sectors of sustainable logistics, green technology, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing.
The Fiscal Agent
The Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) is the oldest and largest community foundation serving the Inland region. Since 1941, IECF has dispensed more than $127 million in grants and scholarships. IECF scholarships have been given to every college and university within the San Bernardino County and Riverside County area, as well as to other institutions of higher learning across the country. IECF’s donor-directed grantmaking funds arts and culture groups, youth and family agencies, environmental, animal, senior, vets and a variety of other causes and needs.
California Jobs First, formerly known as the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) was created by the California Legislature to promote a sustainable and equitable recovery from the economic distress from the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting new plans and strategies to diversify local economies and develop sustainable industries that create high-quality, broadly accessible jobs for all Californians. CA Jobs First includes approximately $600M in rolling, competitive grants to be split between the state’s 13 regions from 2022 to 2026. It is a massive investment in regional inclusive economic development with the potential to drastically transform communities that have been historically disadvantaged and underprivileged.
As the Inland Empire prepares for a more technological, sustainable, carbon neutral future, it is imperative that we center the most important asset in the region: The People. The Inland Empire High Road Transition Collaborative (IE-HRTC) - now known as Thrive Inland SoCal - was created with CA Jobs First planning funds and is building the partnerships and capacity to make that future a reality.
Thrive Inland SoCal consists of five Committees, six Sub-regional Tables, and an Equity Council, and any resident of the region is welcome to join any (or many!) of these groups.
EQUITY COUNCIL
The Equity Council will focus on a range of social issues impacting our region, including but not limited to youth, Native American tribes or tribal organizations, workers, women, racial and social justice, environmental justice, and justice reform.
The Equity Council meets monthly, sometimes on Zoom and sometimes in-person (with a virtual option). See calendar for schedule.
Meet Our Team
Thrive Inland SoCal
Our team works together to ensure the catalyst funding process is as smooth and transparent as possible.
