$400K In IE Charity Grant Donations Awarded To These Worthy Recipients

MORONGO INDIAN RESERVATION, CA – Nearly $400,000 in grants was awarded to dozens of non-profit organizations serving local communities across Riverside and San Bernardino counties as part of Wednesday's 4th Annual Morongo Community Outreach Awards Luncheon, according to a recent news release.

A total of 80 non-profit groups received grants of up to $5,000 each. All of them provide a wide array of services across the San Gorgonio Pass, the Coachella Valley, and the cities of Riverside, San Bernardino, Redlands, Palm Springs, Palm Desert and elsewhere, according to Morongo Tribal Chairman Charles Martin.

The Morongo program focuses on groups that provide social, educational, or healthcare services, support military personnel and their families, or preserve Native American culture.

“The Morongo Community Outreach Awards are about celebrating and supporting the life-changing work performed by dozens of remarkable non-profit organizations dedicated to the service of others across the region,” Martin said. “At Morongo, giving back to the community has always been a part of who we are, and our hope is that these grants will advance the missions of many deserving groups in local communities.”

Launched in 2022, the Morongo program has awarded over $1.3 million in grants to nearly 300 non-profit organizations with diverse missions and backgrounds.

Recipients, such as Pastor David Kieffer of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Banning, spoke about the award and its meaning for them.

“The grant from the Morongo Community Outreach Program is truly a blessing that will strengthen our work to help feed those experiencing homelessness in the San Gorgonio Pass,” Kieffer said. "This support allows us to extend compassion and dignity to our neighbors in need and reflects the strength of community partnerships in addressing hunger and hardship.”

Groups that received grants from Morongo hailed from across the Inland region, from Carol’s Kitchen and the Friends of Banning Library in the San Gorgonio Pass to the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center and the Riverside Police Foundation in Riverside; to Destiny Care Foundation in Moreno Valley, Cruz Chacon Foundation in San Bernardino, Assistance League of Redlands, Shelter from the Storm in Palm Desert, California Indian Nations College in Palm Desert, and the Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City.

Janice Peguero with the Janet Goeske Foundation of Riverside, spoke on receiving a grant, and what it means to the foundation.

“We are excited to be receiving a grant again this year from the Morongo Community Outreach Awards Program, which will support the health and wellness programs we offer to enrich the quality of life of those 50 and older in the local community."

Palm Desert Variety Children's Charity Executive Director Heidi Maldoon spoke on the grant receipt.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians for their generous grant, which will have a meaningful impact on the children and families we serve,” said Heidi Maldoon, executive director of Variety Children’s Charity of the Desert in Palm Desert. “This grant will help support our programs and services that promote mobility, independence, and inclusion for children with special needs throughout the Coachella Valley.”

Morongo’s Community Outreach Awards Program aligns with the Tribe’s ongoing philanthropic efforts. Over the past decade, the tribe has provided more than $20 million to support local and national non-profit organizations that serve the San Gorgonio Pass and the surrounding regions, as well as greater Southern California.

For information about the 2026 Community Outreach Awards program, groups are encouraged to visit www.morongonation.org/donations.