“State of Nonprofits in the Inland Empire” is the latest installment in an ongoing series about the region, with previous editions covering immigrants, work, women, and civic engagement. It draws on sources including Internal Revenue Service records, government employment data, foundation giving data, original surveys, and interviews with Inland Empire nonprofit leaders. 

The center for Social Innovation was founded in 2018 by Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor of public policy and political science at UCR, who continues to serve as the center’s director and leads its research efforts. 

“We find that nonprofits are strengthening the region in several key ways, not only in terms of growing good-paying jobs, but also by building coalitions, empowering the local community, and increasing their capacity to serve vulnerable populations,” Ramakrishnan said.

As a result, evening the playing field will require “greater engagement with private donors who care about the future of Southern California, as well as with statewide and national foundations,” said Ramakrishnan, who also serves on the board of The California Endowment, a major statewide foundation.

“In some respects, the crisis is accelerating certain types of innovation, including remote canvassing, community building, and collaborative problem solving,” the researchers wrote. “However, if stark disparities in funding continue to persist between coastal and inland California, we could see many of the decade’s gains wiped out.”

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