This unprecedented contribution will support lasting change in historically disinvested Imperial County in perpetuity.

[EL CENTRO, CA]—Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF) announced today that it has received a historic, $7.5 million contribution from San Diego-based Alliance Healthcare Foundation. The funds will allow IVWF to operate in perpetuity, and provide IVWF, its partner organizations, and the greater Imperial Valley community greater autonomy in directing resources where they are needed most. This unprecedented shift of resources, with the intent of broad community control, is among the first of its kind in the United States.

“IVWF has been a trusted partner of AHF for several years, and we’ve been continually inspired by the positive impact it has had on the communities within Imperial County,” said Sarah Lyman, executive director of AHF. “Our board feels very strongly that now is the time to take meaningful action to invest in the community’s own wisdom, and vision for a healthier future.”

Led by executive director Roque Barros, IVWF serves as a Rural Development Hub to improve the prosperity and well-being of all communities within Imperial County through civic engagement, non-profit capacity building, and health and wellness initiatives. Since 2017, AHF has invested millions of dollars in capacity building support, technical assistance, and pass-through grant funding to IVWF. The two organizations will continue to work together in their shared vision of improving quality of life in rural Southern California, an area that has been historically disinvested when compared to the rest of California.

“The most impactful community work is accomplished when community stakeholders experience self-determination, strength, and sustainability, and IVWF strives to achieve all three,” said Roque Barros, Executive Director of IVWF. “AHF has been instrumental in helping us lay a solid foundation for growth and prosperity in our community, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside them in this new era for Imperial County.”

IVWF Executive Director Roque Barros says, “people often say, how exciting to build a new Foundation! But I gently redirect them: We’re not building another institution, we’re building civic infrastructure to create the framework for lasting, community-led change.”

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About Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation and its partner Alliance Healthcare Foundation

Alliance Healthcare Foundation (AHF), based in San Diego County and Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF), based in neighboring Imperial County, are forming an equitable partnership as a new community strategy to increase the quality of life for vulnerable populations and disinvested communities in Imperial County. An equitable partnership signals a transition away from the traditional grantor-grantee relationship to a true partnership based on trust, transparency and accountability that includes sharing information, talent, capital and other resources, in pursuit of common goals.

About Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation. Recognizing a need for more local funding to support promising health initiatives, a group of Imperial Valley civic leaders joined forces to create the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF) in 2018. IVWF is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code formed to advance the health and wellness of vulnerable populations in Imperial County. IVWF aims to make Imperial Valley A Better Place to Live for All. Visit www.ivwf.org.

About Alliance Healthcare Foundation. Working to advance health and wellness for the most vulnerable in San Diego and Imperial counties through collaborative funding, convening and advocacy. Alliance Healthcare Foundation (AHF) envisions a San Diego and Imperial County region where equitable health resources lead to universal health and well-being. AHF believes wellness is a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual, economic, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. To learn more about Alliance Healthcare Foundation, please visit our website at: www.alliancehf.org