We are excited to announce the 15 community teams selected as grantees for the inaugural Belonging & Civic Muscle Cohort of the Inland Empire Vital Conditions Network (IEVCN).
Chosen from more than 45 applicants, these teams reflect the energy and commitment across the Inland Empire to strengthen belonging and civic muscle. The range and quality of applications sent a clear signal: organizations throughout the region are ready to invest in the relationships, skills, and partnerships that make shared progress possible.
Meet the 2026 Belonging & Civic Muscle Cohort
- BLU Education
- Bear Valley Community Healthcare District: The Mom & Dad Project
- Building Resilient Communities
- Center for Community Action & Environmental Justice (CAEJ)
- Children’s Fund
- Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce
- Diversity Uplifts Inc.
- El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center
- Game Changers Leadership Institute
- Inland SoCal Housing Collective
- Inland Southern California United Way
- MALO: Motivating Action Learning Opportunity
- The Launchpad Collective
- The Way Resource Center
- Youth Leadership Institute
Belonging and Civic Muscle is the heart of the Vital Conditions Framework for community health and well-being. It is both a vital condition in its own right and a driver of progress across the others. When it is strong, people feel valued and connected, have meaningful opportunities to contribute, and have a real voice in shaping the future.
At a time when trust feels fragile and polarization is high, strengthening belonging and civic muscle is essential. It is how we move from fragmentation toward collective action and how we build the relationships that make lasting progress possible.
IEVCN BCM Cohort Overview
Over ten months, cohort teams will engage in a structured learning and action journey that blends inner work with collective practice. Through four in-person Learning Labs, virtual peer sessions, and team-based work in between, participants will deepen relational skills, strengthen their capacity to collaborate across differences, and test new approaches within their own organizations and networks. Each lab builds on the last, moving from grounding in belonging to developing shared commitments and piloting real-time experiments. Between gatherings, teams will meet to reflect, practice, and put ideas into motion, ensuring the experience translates into tangible shifts across the Inland Empire
This regional effort is made possible through the generous support of the Wingate Foundation. We are deeply grateful for their investment in strengthening the civic fabric of the Inland Empire.
We thank all who applied and contributed their aspirations for this work. As a network of networks, IEVCN grows stronger when partners step forward to learn and lead together. We look forward to sharing stories and insights as this inaugural cohort unfolds—and to continuing to build a region where every person and place can thrive.