Supporting Campus Foster Youth Programs

Cindy Garcia

Statewide Foster Youth Success Initiative Liaison

April 2, 2014

Create A Plan and Demonstrate the Need

Collect accurate data regarding foster youth on your campus

CCCCO/FYSI- We can provide you with data, statistics and studies to cite, that will support your case

California College Pathways also has a wealth of information regarding statistics to help you support your case

Cal Pass-Plus- You can request a report regarding foster youth on your campus. Visit www.calpassplus.org to request a password to access the Launchboard (for community college employees only)

Ask

First-decide what support you need Ask your campus administration to provide in-kind

support, as well as direct financial support for the program

This can include office space, equipment, supplies, or dedicated staff time

Ask anyone you feel might be supportive of foster youth achieving a college education

Examples: Student clubs, faith based organizations, Kiwanis club, Soroptimist club,Rotary club,Chamber of Commerce, campus based organizations

Build

Build a team to assist you in seeking funds and include foster youth as part of your team!

Build a relationship with your campus Foundation or Development office and engage in joint fundraising efforts

Cultivating such a relationship can be enormously beneficial as the FYSI can be wearing many hats and fundraising can be time consuming

CCC FYSI example of working with their foundation Sierra College- “I speak to church groups and civic organizations to talk about our programs and this raises awareness for other to give to our scholarship funds or donate items to fill the annual backpack event.  We apply for Grants via our Foundation Office.  Each year we raise about $25,000 which funds our backpacks and small requests for needed items. This amount has been raised for the past 5 years.  I have a couple of churches who pass the collection plate once a year, the Rotary raises funds for housing stipends, Soroptimist outfit dorm rooms.  I try to find what each organization is passionate about outside of education and ask them to fund this passion.  I have found that it is about telling your story first and in time funding will come in dribs and drabs.  I also have great champions within the Foundation office and from my administration Before anyone should consider fund raising, they need champions first. It takes a village and a heart” ~Linda Williams. 

They have raised $375,000 in the last five years!

CCC FYSI Example of working with their Foundation

Santa Barbara City College-has “found several private donors through our foundations grant writing. As of this date the grants have brought in over $62,000 in the last three years. We have used these funds primarily for book grants and food vouchers”~ Wendy McGregor

Identify

Options for leveraging resources and information from other campuses and partnering with organizations in your community

Apply for California College Pathways foster youth campus support programs and multi-campus network funding, advanced campus support programs, innovation funding. www.californiacollegepathways.org

CCC FYSI Example of Identifying donors in the community

LA Trade Tech- “We have secured $250,000 in the last four years via grant solicitation and fundraising efforts. Not only do we hold a major annual fundraising event, but our youth do small fundraising projects throughout the year” ~Dr. Dione Washington

Woodland Community College- “First 5 Yolo and Yocha Dehe Wintun Community Foundation have been major funders” ~Cherie Schroeder

California College Pathways Network Grants

We have 19 Community Colleges that are partnering with CCP, Stuart Foundation and other foundations

They receive funding to build strong campus and community networks to support foster youth by equipping them with essential resources, enrolling them in college or training programs, helping them earn a degree or certificate and then embarking on a career

This is a great way to leverage funds!

CCP Network Grant Example Pierce College-“We utilize BFAP funds and other administrative

allowance to fund certain services. We just received a College Pathways Grant (funded by Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker) – a consortium grant between 4 colleges (Pierce College, LA Mission College, LA Valley College and CSUN). We are calling our program “San Fernando Valley Guardian Scholars Network” and we will be providing a transfer pathway to CSUN’s Resilience Scholars.

The grant will assist us in enhancing our support services to our foster youths while they are enrolled at community college and have a pathway to a university (CSUN). We have outlined a number of activities and services that we will be planning and implementing for the upcoming year. This is our first year of the grant and it is considered a planning year” ~ Anafe Robinson

California College Pathways (CCP) Initiative:Network Partners

Network Campuses

Bay Area NetworkCSU San Francisco State

College of Marin

Central Coast Network

UC Santa CruzCSU Monterey Bay

CSU San Jose State Carbrillo College Hartnell College

Merced NetworkUC Merced

Merced College Madera Center College

North Bay NetworkCSU Sonoma State University Solano Community College Santa Rosa Junior College

Northern NetworkCSU Chico State Butte College

Shasta College

California College Pathways (CCP) Initiative:Network Partners

Network Campuses

Northridge Network

CSU Northridge LA Pierce College LA Mission College LA Valley College

Orange County NetworkCSU Fullerton

Orange Coast College Golden West College

Riverside NetworkUC Riverside

Moreno Valley College Riverside City College

Southern California Network

University of Southern California LA City College LA Trade Tech

West LA College

West LA NetworkLoyola Marymount University

UC Los Angeles Santa Monica College

California College Pathways (CCP) Initiative:Additional Campus Partners

Los Angeles Harbor College

Moorpark College

Norco College

Oxford Community College

Pasadena City College

San Francisco City College

Skyline College

Ventura Community College

West Hills College

California State University, Channel Islands

California State University, San Marcos

Humboldt State University

University of California, Davis

Additional Resources

Some colleges have secured contracts with their counties (out of the Independent Living Program fund) to do training and support

Leverage program resources through your campus TRIO program, if applicable

Create Advisory group to assist with fundraising

The group could include representatives from campus departments, as well as members of your community who serve foster youth and youth themselves

Peer networks, regional networks, community networks

Awareness of the “needs” of foster youth in college by hosting community outreach events, writing a piece for your local newspaper

Connect

Join peer networks, attend conferences, visit other campuses with more established programs

Campus Support Program- consortia which exists in Northern and Southern California to network and find out who is funding and what are they funding

Annual California College Pathways Blueprint Conference

Design and Ensure

Design a clear long term plan for sustainability and donor engagement. This can include a plan for cultivating donors over time to increase their level of support through vehicles such as multi-year commitments and program endowments

Ensure that you are aligning your funding with realistic goals and objectives

Other Ideas Work with local businesses to secure in-kind donations

such as clothing, transportation vouchers, book vouchers, food for events and gift cards for youth. Cultivating these relationships can lead to cash donations down the road as well

Some campuses have found that inviting a foster youth to relay their personal experiences to a meeting with funders is highly beneficial

Contact your local service clubs and local charities for monetary donations as well as in-kind donations

More Ideas http://www.nprcenter.org/- they have a database that

allows you to enter key words and search for funders Burton Scholars Backpack to Success Program-

www.johnburtonfoundation.org- provides foster youth attending college with gift cards for local stores to purchase life necessities and school supplies.

Burton also has a $500 text book program for youth www.grants.gov http://www.thecne.org/news/featured-grants the Center

for Nonprofit Excellence http://onebyone.4imprint.com/ they donate $500 worth of

imprinted products each day

CCC Foundation Mini Grants

Annually, the CCC Foundation offers up to $1000.00 in mini grants that are available through Youth Empowerment Strategies for Success/ILP. Funds are expended this year. We will post this on the list serve when we have more funds available

Some slide titles/info borrowed from California Community College Pathways- Foster Youth Campus Support Programs Guide

Senate Bill 1023More Support for Foster Youth! Senator Carol Liu (D-25) introduced Senate Bill 1023

, which would provide foster youth at each of California's 112 community colleges with specialized academic and social support, as part of the existing Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS)

The bill made it out of the committee on a vote of 9-0, with six members of the committee signing on as co-authors

Cuyamaca College

We received the $1,000 grant from the Foundation for CCC this year and in past years.

We have support from our Campus EOPS Dean and Financial Aid Director for staffing costs

Recently started receiving support for hourly EOPS counseling. Discussing hiring a full time, campus funded academic counselor based in the EOPS Office to see Up!/FFY students who may or may not be EOPS eligible.

Local woman’s club has provided support for our holiday dinner (cost of the meal). 

Retired faculty/Elks member-Received $2,000 to purchase backpacks, school supplies, transportation & food gift cards for students.  Distributing in June 2014. 

College Foundation grants director talking to local charities about our (and our sister college/Grossmont) program for FFY.  District Foundation received a $5,000 per college, 3 year grant in November from ‘Stoney’s Kids’ charity to help with direct help (books, supplies, interview clothes, etc.) for our students. 

We went to the Foundation Board meeting in November to accept the grant and let the Foundation know what we were doing.  We were in the planning stages for our December Holiday party and the Foundation Board ‘passed the hat’ after the meeting and gave each college FYSI program $1,100 for food/gift cards for our students.

Recently an anonymous donor gave our program $1,000.  We’re using it mostly for monthly and day bus passes. 

The EOPS program also asks the campus for donations for our food pantry, usually cereals, canned goods, etc.  Our FFY/Guardianship/abandoned and homeless students use this resource a lot.~Pam Fleming

Cuyamaca College Still not enough.  We still have homeless, hungry

students without enough food, a bus pass, gas card, a working car, books, school supplies, an umbrella, coat, etc.  It would be so nice to have a larger grant, or as through the new proposed EOPS legislation designated funds for books, school supplies, bus pass/gas cards and additional funds for more counselors, including maybe hiring a mental health counselor vs an academic counselor. 

Wish list here… I also would like to be able to have a dorm where 40 – 100 of our students could reside on campus.  They would pay a low rent from their financial aid funds, but would have safe, secure, on-campus housing with RA’s and they would feel like ‘real’ college students.~Pam Fleming