CREATE A SCHOLARSHIP
There are 20,000 reasons to create a scholarship and each one of them has a dream. Scholarship support is the most meaningful way for alumni and friends of the college to have a direct impact on the educational experience of LACC students. More than 50 percent of LACC students rely on financial assistance and the generosity of scholarship donors.
Higher education has long been recognized as the key to success in the workplace and to increased earning potential. For the majority of individuals caught in the generational cycle of poverty and underemployment, a college education represents the only viable means of escape from lives of marginal employment and continual economic crisis. Against the backdrop of an economy under severe stress and widespread tuition increases, the dream of higher education is fast receding for most people in the low-to-middle-income bracket and has become all but impossible for many. In Los Angeles, these are the students for whom Los Angeles City College offers the best (often the only) option for college.
LACC's student population is among the most diverse in the nation. Of the more than 20,000 students, 54% are immigrants to the United States; 50% are first-generation college students. People with disabilities comprise 10% of the student body. LACC students are Hispanic/Latino (45%); Caucasian (22%); Asian American (19%); African American (12%); and other (2%). On any given day, more than one hundred different languages are spoken on the LACC campus.
In keeping with its community educational mission, LACC serves as both an entry portal to four-year collegiate institutions and as a vital career training resource. The average age of LACC students is thirty; ten percent of LACC students are fifty years of age and over. Among the predominantly "working poor" student population, 53 percent receive some form of financial aid.
That need is increasing dramatically as economic conditions remain unsettled and unemployed and under-employed individuals – many of them heads-of-household – seek training (or re-training) for new careers. For these students, most juggling home, school and work responsibilities, attendance at Los Angeles City College is seen as a survival strategy, their best hope for financial stability for themselves and their families.
The LACC Foundation provides scholarships, book awards, emergency loans and other financial assistance to assist these hard-working, low-income students to stay in school and reach their academic goals. Absent the financial support of LACC Foundation, many students would be unable to meet basic community college expenses.
Scholarships
By creating an endowed scholarship with a minimum donation of $10,000, supporters invest in the futures of dedicated and deserving LACC students. Donors can determine the type of students they want to support (outstanding scholars, science majors, English majors, single parents, future educators, etc.) and specify the criteria (grade point average, number of units needed, area of study, underserved population, etc.). Scholarship support is critical to many of the best and brightest students at LACC; by investing in these students, donors can make a difference in their lives and help them reach their academic goals. To review the Scholarship Creation Form, click here.
Annual Awards
If donors prefer, they can create a named award with a minimum annual contribution (for five consecutive years) of $500. This includes the options noted above to specify criteria. To review the Award Creation Form, click here.
Find out how you can create a Scholarship, in your name! View our form.