Who We Are
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Lift to Rise is a coalition of more than 70 partners carrying out a bold plan to increase housing affordability in the Coachella Valley. We bring together local governments, private businesses, community groups, and resident leaders to solve the challenges that slow affordable housing production so the Coachella Valley can be a place where everyone thrives.
In 2014, a group of community-based organizations came together to discuss using a collective impact approach to turn the tide of mounting disadvantages affecting too many local residents. They recognized that these problems – low incomes, food insecurity, poor health, and insufficient transportation and housing infrastructure – are inherently interconnected and must be collectively understood and addressed.
Lift to Rise launched as an independent nonprofit in 2018 working to mobilize and advance the collective efforts of our partners. We are the backbone of a collaboration with more than 70 partners addressing the underlying causes and consequences of regional inequities by uplifting Coachella Valley stories, building local strength, and igniting change.
During an early listening session, we held with residents to better understand immediate needs and prioritize strategic responses, an elder shared the story that inspired our name: “I came here. I work so hard in the fields every day because I believe that the Coachella Valley is a place where when the sun rises, it rises for everyone.” Our name honors this vision of hope and aspiration. We lift, so that everyone can rise.
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Lift to Rise is powered by people who believe that the Coachella Valley can and should be a place where all residents are healthy, stable, and thriving.
Community: We believe that community voice and leadership must be central to planning, implementation, and evaluation of our work.
Racial Equity: We seek and value all types of diversity, and strive to dismantle inequities, including those present in ourselves, our organizations, and our communities.
Innovation: We believe change is possible, are not afraid to try new ways to solve old problems, and take initiative to learn, cross boundaries, and overcome obstacles.
Results: We set bold, clear goals, measure progress, and use data informed by the community to make decisions and hold ourselves and each other accountable.
Servant Leadership: We build trust with partners, step up when others need help, and seek to lift up and support the leadership and actions of others.
Belonging: We create teams and spaces where people are celebrated, feel care and love, practice empathy, and work through differences.
This dedicated team provides Lift to Rise with governance, expertise, and a deep understanding of the Coachella Valley and the work we’re doing to better it.
Jaime Alonso
Grid Alternatives
Melinda Cordero-Barzaga
Associate Director of Programs, Visiõn y Compromiso
Bea Gonzalez
Coordinator, Expanded Learning Programs, Coachella Valley Unified School District
Matt Horton
Senior Advisor, Milken Institute & Blended Impact
Chris Kennen
Chief Creative Officer, Brand IQ
Gary Painter, PhD
Academic Director, BEARE Chair and Professor of Real Estate
Carl H. Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati
Nadia Villagrán
Vice President, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and Director, Rural LISC
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Our Resident Leadership Table (the RLT) meets regularly to ensure that community members have a voice in setting our coalition’s strategic vision. Participation in the RLT helps build members’ local advocacy muscles and provides them with opportunities for shared learning.
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With more than $44 million raised to spur new affordable housing development, the We Lift catalyst fund is revolutionizing the way affordable housing is financed in the Coachella Valley.
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“We definitely have a housing crisis, and it affects our community in so many ways. If you don’t have a place to come home to—if you don’t have your basic needs met—your body and your mind cannot rest.”
— Bea Gonzalez, CVUSD Programs Coordinator currently serving as a Lift to Rise board member.