IECF Policy Summit to Bring 600 Inland Empire Leaders to Riverside
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FILE — From left, San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca Jr., Coachella City Councilmember Neftali Galarza, San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Palm Springs City Councilmember Grace Garner and Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson participate in the “From Urgent Services to Thriving Communities” panel during the Inland Empire Community Foundation’s Policy & Philanthropy Summit on Aug. 1, 2024, at the Riverside Convention Center. Photo by Manny Sandoval
More than 600 nonprofit representatives, policymakers, funders and civic leaders are expected to gather in Riverside for the Inland Empire Community Foundation’s annual Policy & Philanthropy Summit on Aug. 6.
The event, titled “All Together,” will be held at the Riverside Convention Center and focus on the policies, partnerships and regional systems affecting communities across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Sessions will examine the local effects of federal policy changes involving H.R. 1, immigration enforcement, housing, climate and health care. Attendees will also participate in discussions and breakout sessions focused on developing collaborative responses to challenges facing the Inland Empire.
Scheduled speakers include California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Johnson; California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot; Kresge Foundation President and CEO Rip Rapson; IECF Board Chair Jesse Melgar; California Endowment Chief Strategy Officer Carolyn Wang Kong; and IECF President and CEO Michelle Decker.
Rapson will participate in a featured fireside chat examining equitable development, climate resilience, health, arts and culture, and philanthropy’s role in strengthening communities. He has spent decades working on national philanthropic and community development initiatives.
“This is a regional call to action for the Inland Empire,” says Michelle Decker, IECF President & CEO. “The Summit is asking us to look honestly at where the region stands today, what communities are carrying, and what it will take over the next ten years to build systems that allow people to truly thrive.”
Organizers said the summit will also provide members of the media with access to policymakers, agency leaders and philanthropic executives responding to immigration enforcement and federal policy changes affecting Inland Empire communities.
Registration will remain open through Aug. 5 or until the event sells out. Media press passes are available through Eventbrite using the promotional code “PRESS,” with a limit of one pass per person.
The summit’s agenda, registration information, speaker lineup and sponsorship opportunities are available at iegives.org/policy-platform.
The Gates Foundation and Randall Lewis, Janell Lewis and The Lewis Group of Companies are presenting sponsors of the summit. Sponsorship inquiries may be directed to IECF Chief Development Officer Brie Griset-Smith at bgrisetsmith@iegives.org.
