Morongo tribe gives nearly $400,000 to area non-profit organizations
Cynthia White
CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – The Morongo Band of Mission Indians awarded nearly $400,000 in grants to dozens of non-profit organizations at its 4th Annual Morongo Community Outreach Awards Luncheon on Wednesday.
The 80 non-profit organizations receiving awards of up to $5,000 spanned across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including 25 groups from the Coachella Valley.
The Morongo grant program focuses on groups that provide social, education, or healthcare services, support for military and military families, or that preserve Native American culture.
“The Morongo Community Outreach Awards are about celebrating and supporting the life-changing work performed by dozens of remarkable nonprofit organizations dedicated to the service of others across the region,” said Morongo Tribal Chairman Charles Martin. “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.”
Martin added, “The need is so diverse, that being able to address any need within the community has the ability to touch people… The financial support is absolutely necessary to get people on the right path.”
The program has awarded over $1.3 million in grants to nearly 300 non-profit organizations across the Inland region since its first year in 2022.
Some of the Coachella Valley groups that received grants from Morongo are Shelter from the Storm in Palm Desert, California Indian Nations College in Palm Desert, and the Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City.
“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.”
In addition to Morongo’s Community Outreach Awards Program, the tribe over the past decade 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 may visit www.morongonation.org/donations/