Foundation for California Community Colleges

Foundation for California Community Colleges

Founded	1998 (1998)
Founder	Dr. Larry Toy
Type	501(c)(3) tax-exempt
Location	Sacramento, California. (Headquarters)
Area served	California and 12 other states
Key people	Keetha Mills: President and CEO John O'Sullivan: CFO Joseph Quintana: Vice President, Program Development Melissa Conner: Vice President, Advancement Vanessa Whang: General Counsel Mark Carlock: Vice President, Environmental Programs, and Director, Air Quality
Revenue	$35.3 million
Endowment	$68 million
Employees	115 full-time FCCC employees. The Foundation also offers student assistant positions through a variety of state agencies and private sector organizations.
Slogan	Benefiting, supporting, and enhancing the California Community Colleges
Website	http://www.foundationccc.org

The Foundation for California Community Colleges is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Sacramento, California. It was incorporated in 1998 by Dr. Larry Toy, the founding president and chief executive officer of the organization. The organization has annual operating revenue of over $35 million. The Foundation's mission is to benefit, support, and enhance the California Community Colleges. It is the official foundation to the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and Board of Governors. The Foundation's Board of Directors is currently composed of eight individuals, each serving six-year terms. Members include: Patricia Sullivan, Lance Izumi, Dan Noell, Isabel Barreras, Jan Dehesh, Mario Camara, Gary Reed, and James Sargen.

On May 6, 2008, The Bernard Osher Foundation California awarded an upfront gift of $25 million to announce the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment, which is managed by the Foundation for California Community Colleges and benefits students at all 112 California Community Colleges.^[1] This is believed to be the largest donation to a public two-year college system in US history.This gift launched a three-year fundraising campaign on behalf of the Community Colleges, resulting in a $67.7 million scholarship fund that will fund at least 3,380 scholarships every year, in perpetuity.^[2]

The Foundation is actively involved in programs that improve air quality throughout the state of California, and has administered the California Department of Consumer Affairs—Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) Smog Check Referee program and Call Center since 2004. Referee Centers are located on 31 Community College campuses and two vocational centers, and offer students the opportunity to gain on-the-job training in the automotive industry. Over 100 students are trained through these centers each year. The Referee program assists consumers with routine California Smog Check appointments and specialized services such as locating hard-to-find parts, certifying exemptions, and issuing cost waivers. In addition, the Foundation operates a Call Center that assists consumers in scheduling smog check appointments and answering questions about automotive smog issues.

On August 20, 2010, the Foundation announced a $10.9 million award from the United States Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration for Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) to create the California Connects program, designed to increase digital literacy and Internet usage in underserved California communities by working with the 33 Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) programs in California Community Colleges^[3] Now in its second year, this program has created new jobs in California; purchased products from California and USA businesses; began the process of developing digital literacy modules for all Californians to access; and forged new relationships with government agencies, educational entities and business and industry leaders.^[4]

On February 16, 2010, the Foundation announced a grant award of $20 million arising from the Reformulated Gasoline Settlement Fund. This fund was created as a result of an antitrust class action. The purpose of the fund is to achieve a clean air or fuel efficiency benefit for California consumers. With these funds, the Foundation administered the Vehicle Repair, Retirement and Replacement for Motorists (VRRRM) program, which helped consumers throughout California to repair, retire, or replace their high-polluting vehicles through the program’s suspension in August 2012.

Mission

The mission of the Foundation for California Community Colleges is to benefit, support, and enhance the missions of the California Community Colleges.

The Foundation is the statewide non-profit supporting the California Community College system, the largest system of higher education in the nation. Incorporated in 1998, the Foundation serves as the official auxiliary to the California Community Colleges’ Board of Governors and the systemwide Chancellor’s Office. The Foundation’s programs and services reach all 112 Community Colleges and 72 districts, and several have expanded nationwide. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and receives no direct state or public support.

The Foundation is the trusted partner of the California Community Colleges— facilitating collaboration, accelerating innovation, and increasing systemwide resources.^[5]

Services and Areas of Expertise

The Foundation's services include:^[5]

Program and grant management
Systemwide purchasing contracts
Fiscal sponsorship
Learning programs for at-risk students
Workforce development programs
Health care education solutions
Resource development
Endowment management
Student scholarships and awards
Air quality programs
Facility research and GIS data services
Information technology solutions

Contributions

Since its founding in 1998, the Foundation has provided over $200 million in direct grants, support, and cost savings to colleges.
The Foundation has contributed more than $3 million to the California Community College system.
Since inception, the Foundation has grown its grant, contract, and fee for service revenues to over $30 million.
From 2007-11, led by a $25 million lead gift and matching challenge from The Bernard Osher Foundation, the Foundation spearheaded a historic statewide fundraising effort, establishing the $68 million California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment.
The Foundation’s total investment funds are worth approximately $90 million.^[6]

Program Accomplishments

The Foundation's programs reach all 112 California Community Colleges and 72 districts, and several are expanding nationwide.

Youth Empowerment Strategies for Success programs served approximately 2,800 current and former foster youth in California in 2010–11.
The California Connects digital literacy training program served 5,800 Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) students on 33 Community College campuses.
The Nursing Resource Center’s Centralized Clinical Placement System has increased enrollment capacity in San Francisco Bay Area nursing programs by 20 percent.
The Career Pathway program has employed more than 3,000 students from over 150 California institutions as student assistants at state agencies and organizations.
More than 1,000 smog check technicians have been trained through the Foundation’s Technician Training – Bureau of Automotive Repair program. Trainees have helped over 75,000 consumers since 2004.
Facilities Utilization, Space Inventory Options Net (FUSION) data has been instrumental in passing $22 billion in state and local capital construction bonds.^[6]

Core Values

The Foundation has identified the following set of core values that are followed in pursuit of its goals.

The Value to Students. We believe in increased student access and success and strive to provide student opportunities and develop programs with these values at the core.
The Value to Colleges. We believe in providing additional and diversified resources to colleges that assist them in fulfilling their missions.
The Value to Foundations. We believe in assisting Community College foundations and working cooperatively to achieve shared goals.
The Value to the System. We believe in furthering the goals and missions of the statewide Chancellor’s Office and the Board of Governors.
The Value of Innovation. We believe in the power of innovation and seek to foster a culture that maximizes opportunities to create value.
The Value of Collaboration. We believe that working effectively together as organizations, teams, and individuals enhances our impact and creates opportunities for success.
The Value of Strong Relationships. We believe in building long-term positive trusted relationships, both within and outside of our organization.
The Value of Growth and Development. We believe that learning leads to critical growth and development, and promote this model throughout our organization and in our work.
The Value of Shared Leadership. We believe that the most effective way to lead is through sharing accountability and responsibility throughout the organization.
The Value of Shared Success. We believe that progress requires taking some risks. We learn from mistakes, use them to strengthen our organization, and celebrate successes organization-wide.^[7]