AuguryPhilanthropy Narrows the Net on Child Exploitation as Foxwynd Funds Riverside County ICAC
This article was written by the Augury Times
Local grant aims to sharpen the county’s response to child exploitation
Foxwynd Foundation has awarded a $75,000 grant to Our Rescue to support the Riverside County Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC). The money, announced this week, is meant to bolster local law enforcement and victim services in a region that has seen a steady rise in cases involving online grooming and exploitation.
The grant will pay for focused upgrades and support over the coming year. That includes training for detectives and prosecutors who investigate online child exploitation, improved digital forensics tools to analyze seized devices, and expanded support for victims the ICAC identifies.
County officials and Our Rescue say they expect the funds to speed investigations and reduce the time victims wait for help. Officials emphasized timing: the grant comes as Riverside County scales up its response to increasingly complex online crimes.
The partners plan to begin dispersing funds and starting the new programs within weeks.
Who Our Rescue is and what it does
Our Rescue is a nonprofit that works where abused and trafficked children need immediate help and long-term care. The group combines crisis response — finding and rescuing victims — with follow-up services such as safe housing, counseling, legal help, and job or school support to keep young people from falling back into danger.
The organization operates with a network of social workers, volunteer advocates and local shelters. It also runs training programs for police and community groups so people know how to spot online grooming and respond without putting victims at further risk.
Over the past several years, Our Rescue has led or supported dozens of local interventions, and its leaders say the group focuses on quick action and sustained recovery.
Why this gift fits Foxwynd Foundation’s priorities
Foxwynd Foundation is a private philanthropic group that has in recent years prioritized funding work that protects children and strengthens law enforcement’s ability to respond to online harms. The foundation’s giving tends to focus on short grants that jump-start practical projects — like buying equipment or funding specialized training — rather than long-term operating budgets.
Foundation representatives describe this award as a targeted investment: enough money to buy key tools and training without committing to year-round funding. That approach helps local partners try new ideas quickly and show results, the foundation says.
This recent gift continues a pattern of support for nonprofits and task forces working on child safety and digital investigations.
How Riverside County will use the funds and what to expect
Riverside County ICAC will split the $75,000 across three main areas: investigator and prosecutor training, digital forensics improvements, and immediate victim assistance. The training is meant to bring detectives up to date on the latest online recruitment tactics and secure evidence handling.
Digital forensics work will focus on faster, more thorough analysis of phones, laptops and cloud data — work that can otherwise take weeks or months. Faster analysis can turn stalled inquiries into cases that move forward to prosecution.
A portion of the grant is reserved for direct services the moment a child is identified: emergency shelter, medical care, counseling and case management to get a young person through the first critical days. Local community groups and shelters will be partners in delivering those services, and Our Rescue will coordinate referrals and follow-up care.
Riverside officials say they expect measurable improvements: shorter investigation times, more cases forwarded to prosecutors with solid digital evidence, and better outcomes for children through quicker access to services. Our Rescue welcomed the funding, noting it fills gaps that can delay help and that the short-term boost could make a lasting difference when paired with other local resources.
Putting the gift in the bigger fight against trafficking
This $75,000 grant is small compared with statewide or federal budgets, but it is the kind of targeted money that can change how cases move through the local system. Small, flexible grants for training, technology and victim care are becoming a common tool to keep pace with new threats as more crime moves online.
For Riverside County, the award is a timely push to modernize investigations and tighten the safety net for young victims, showing how a single, practical investment can have ripple effects through a community’s response system.
Photo: Kindel Media / Pexels
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