On June 15, 2021, Long Beach City College (LBCC) received a gift of $30 million from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This is the single largest donation the College has received in its almost 95-year history, and one of the largest single-donor gifts given to a California Community College. The award was given in recognition of LBCC’s leadership and transformative work in responding to the College’s changing demographics, closing equity gaps, and work in racial justice. For more information, please see the LBCC press release.

The funding priorities are as follows:

• Improve student academic outcomes by addressing racial equity gaps
• Engage in race-conscious and equity-minded practices that promote an inclusive and affirming campus environment
• Increase holistic support services for our most vulnerable students

LBCC’s initial plan was to dedicate a portion to student scholarships and also maximize the gift by investing a portion that will yield additional revenue in years to come. The remainder would be used to fund impactful LBCC programs, activities, and initiatives in the next five years.

Collaborative Process

LBCC engaged in a collaborative process to develop recommendations for how to use the gift most effectively in alignment with the funding priorities.  The process included a suggestion form that was open to students, employees, and the general public during the month of October 2021. 

LBCC also formed an Advisory Group with representatives including students, faculty, staff, and community members from the District.  The Advisory Group reviewed the suggestions received via the form, shared perspectives and suggestions from constituent and community groups, and engaged in dialogue over three meetings to develop a framework to allocate the gift.  They operated from a “last money in” approach to ensure that the gifted funds would complement–but not replace or otherwise jeopardize–District-funded programs and activities. 

LBCC executive leadership presented this framework to the Board of Trustees at the January 26, 2022, meeting.  View the presentation and executive summary here.

Framework to Allocate the Gift

Following are the recommendations developed through the collaborative process.  They include short-term, mid-term, and long-term strategies to maximize the impact of the gift for the benefit of LBCC students over many years, organized in a three-pronged approach.

1. $5 million to the LBCC Foundation: Up to $2 million for the Long Beach College Promise and up to $3 million for a scholarship endowment to support the most vulnerable students in an intentionally intersectional manner (focusing on Basic Needs, African American/Black, and Systems-impacted students such as those who are former foster youth, formerly incarcerated, and undocumented).

2. $5 million for strategic investments in the next five years: Up to $3 million for Equity Innovation Grants and up to $2 million for institutional priorities.

3. $20 million to invest in a socially responsible manner: Grow the corpus and generate revenue for years to come.