November 17, 2010
M E M O R AN D U M
TO:
FROM:
RE:
Planning and Budgeting Council
Stephanie Casenza, Executive Director
Materials for November 19 meeting
Thank you for the opportunity to present before your council. We welcome requests for
formal presentations as well as informal calls about our operations and activities.
Background
The most successful community college foundations have full-time executive directors
and staff, and the Peralta Colleges Foundation Board of Directors wanted to pursue this
best practice. According to the Network of California Community College Foundations,
roughly 59 percent of its membership is classified as an auxiliary organization, meaning
the foundations receive financial support (e.g., salaries, office space, and basic
operational needs), have a Master Agreement with their community college or district,
and also have at least one trustee on their foundation Board of Directors. Thus, PCCD
is consistent with the majority of its peer institutions that have functional foundations.
Under the previous Chancellor’s leadership, most of the staffing and operational
expenses were absorbed through the Chancellor’s Office budget. This included a fulltime administrative assistant, 50 percent of a staff assistant’s time, and about one-third
of Associate Vice Chancellor Alton Jelks’ time. In addition, an accounting technician
from the Finance Department assisted with preparation of the Foundation’s financial
reports, estimated at 30 percent of his time. Salaries and benefits for these various
individuals exceeded $300,000 per year.
Last winter, steps were taken by the Peralta Colleges Foundation Board of Directors and
the sitting Chancellor to ensure that the Foundation would continue to operate after the
Chancellor, administrative assistant, and Mr. Jelks retired. Foundation operations
moved out of the Chancellor’s office into a space of its own, and the Board of Directors
used uncommitted funds to hire a professional, full-time executive director, an
administrative assistant, and a part-time bookkeeper/accountant, the latter position
eliminating the need for the Finance Department employee time. Again, this saves
PCCD more than $300,000 in salaries and benefits for FY 2010-11 alone.
On September 28, 2010, the PCCD Board of Trustees approved an amendment to the
Master Agreement between the Foundation and the PCCD to reflect staffing and
operational changes within the Foundation and the way in which the PCCD will
support the Foundation during the next three years as it becomes more self-sufficient
and strives toward its goal of being self-sustaining. The support noted in the First
Amendment includes $100,000 per year for fiscal years 2010-11 and 2011-12 and $50,000
in fiscal year 2012-13 to assist in the Foundation’s operations.
The Year Ahead and Beyond
The attached documents provide background on how the Foundation staff plans to
spend its time and resources, including the approved funding from the PCCD, in fiscal
year 2010-11. The Foundation board and staff will participate in strategic and business
planning this winter.
 Operations Plan and Deliverables for 2010-11
 Resource Development Plan for 2010-11
 Budget for 2010-11
Grants and Scholarships
The Foundation’s budget includes $20,000 for scholarships and grants. In the past,
grants were mostly issued on discretionary basis by the Chancellor. A PCF board
subcommittee has developed more specific criteria and agreed that the focus of the
Foundation’s grants process should focus on students first.
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Requests will be reviewed only three times per year, starting in January 2011. This
timeline will allow the Foundation staff time to publicize its new application process
and guidelines.
Grant funding priority will be direct student support for the next year or two.
Direct student support means assisting students with fees, books, and supplies for
classes needed to graduate or transfer to a four-year institution.
Once student requests are reviewed and approved, second priority will be given
to faculty requests that benefit all of the students in a specific class, but these grants
will be after direct student support grants are reviewed. Examples of faculty
requests that will be considered include speakers, equipment, or fieldtrips in which
all of the students in a specific class may partake or will benefit. A department chair,
dean, or vice chancellor would need to approve any request in this category.
While the above was being developed, the committee recommended and the Foundation
Board approved, the following grants:
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$2500 to send a student delegation (eight) to the Congressional Black Caucus.
$4,000 to be divided by FTEs among the four college libraries for limited
loan/reserve book funds.
In addition to the grants and scholarships that the Foundation plans to make this year,
it has, since 2007, provided an estimated $100,000 in grants to students, faculty, and
staff for a broad range of projects and needs. These monies came from the Foundation’s
unrestricted fund, grown from its fundraising events over the past seven years.
Other Ways the Foundation Supports Peralta
The Foundation also manages more than 50 scholarship funds (approximately
$517,900) created by community members, faculty and staff and often helps to
administer these funds by working with the financial aid offices of each college to
promote the scholarships and then by issuing award checks.
The Foundation also administers some 40 college and program accounts
(approximately $291,019) throughout the district. For some of these funds, the
Foundation serves as the fiscal sponsor for grants, issuing checks and other paperwork
as required.
Employees throughout the District use payroll deduction as a means of supporting
specific scholarship funds, college-based programs and even employee activities,
including the 2010 employee picnic. The Foundation administers these donations and
issues checks as requested.