This year was the fourth of the Vision for Success: Strengthening the California Community Colleges to Meet California’s Needs, the system’s multi-year plan to improve student success and close equity and achievement gaps for good. With a steadfast commitment to equity, continued focus on student-centered approaches, and implementation of key policies, the Chancellor’s Office and local colleges were able to make significant strides towards the bold goals and commitments established to help break down existing barriers that block students from achieving their educational and career goals. 

Major advancements such as a systemwide commitment to the Guided Pathways framework, adoption of the Student Centered Funding Formula and budget-aligned performance goals by districts, and the ongoing implementation of remedial education reform through AB705 which more accurately places students in transfer-level English and Math courses, influenced several progressions: 

• Colleges saw increased degree and transfer success across all student groups, a trend that was sustained after achievement of Goal 1 in 2020, with regional equity gaps slowly closing

• Students transferring to the University of California and California State University increased by 4% over the past year, a larger increase than the previous year

• Students earning Associate Degrees for Transfer increased by nearly 13% over the past year

Still, an uphill battle remained for many Californians seeking an education. Equity gaps persisted in all areas and, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, existing challenges were exacerbated while new ones arose. Students remained unemployed as the state navigated reopening, then grappled with more closures due to the uncertainty of the Delta variant.  Nearly 60% of our students reported food insecurity, housing insecurity, or homelessness in 2020, with students of color 16% more likely to be facing challenges related to basic needs than their white counterparts. The digital divide widened, forcing students to grapple with disparities in access to tools and services that support success in the digital learning environment, such as broadband internet connections, e-textbooks, virtual advising, and even online mental health support services. 

Operating in close partnership with the Chancellor’s Office and with the Vision for Success as our north star, FoundationCCC leveraged its unique position as a nonprofit auxiliary and a hub for innovation to help respond to these broad and evolving needs of the state, and those of our system and its students. Response and relief efforts were comprehensive and ranged from providing students with direct and urgently-needed emergency aid dollars to enacting new digital outreach activities to connect Californians with resources to address basic needs: 

• $100 Million commitment from the Jay Pritzker Foundation to address the immediate and long-term impacts of the pandemic: In October 2020, the Jay Pritzker Foundation pledged $5 million a year for 20 years to FoundationCCC and the California Community Colleges, what is expected to be the largest to a community college in the nation to date. Learn more about the resulting Finish Line Scholars Program and the more than $4 million in immediate emergency aid distributed.

• Over $700 Million in pandemic relief aid distributed in partnership with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS): FoundationCCC formed a new partnership with CDSS in February 2020 to help provide critical and timely support to vulnerable individuals and families, core participants of the communities our community colleges serve and are embedded in. Leveraging our statewide reach and significant investments in remote call center services and financial systems infrastructure, we supported the Golden State Grant Program by distributing one-time relief payments to recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/State Supplementary Payment (SSP) and Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). 

• Implemented new equity-centered and systemic reforms: The Success Center for California Community Colleges worked closely with the Chancellor’s Office to launch an update to the Vision for Success and provide research and policy support for key reforms, including the systemwide adoption of the Guided Pathways framework, integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into all policies and practices to address systemic racism and create more inclusive on-campus environments, remediation of unfair placement practices to narrow achievement gaps between white students and students of color, and much more. FoundationCCC’s Student Centered Design Lab supported reforms by redesigning the California College Promise Grant application, the financial aid application for the California Community Colleges, to be more student-friendly and increase the amount of financial aid awarded to eligible individuals.

• Awarded $6 Million through the California Education Learning Lab (Learning Lab) to close equity gaps in STEM: The California Education Learning Lab, an initiative of the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, officially joined FoundationCCC in October 2020 through the Incubation unit. Through this partnership, we were able to award five grants of approximately $1.2 million to $1.4 million over three years to innovative projects in higher education that boost STEM retention and completion in California, particularly for historically minoritized students.

These examples of historic efforts supporting the future of our students and our system show the continued belief in our California Community Colleges as a vehicle for change -- and as a critical component of the state’s economic and social recovery. The Innovation and Impact Report for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 provides a holistic overview of our accomplishments across our five priority Areas of Impact -- Student Success, Workforce Development, Equity, Community Impact, and System Support -- aligned with Chancellor’s Office priorities and a reaffirmed commitment to the Vision for Success.

Looking Ahead

FoundationCCC’s Double Impact Strategic Plan, and our bold goal to double our impact on the system by 2028, has helped us remain focused as we’ve responded to the complexities of the pandemic alongside our partners. As we lead into the second year of this plan, we move forward with unwavering commitment to our role as the flexible, nimble nonprofit auxiliary partner to the largest system of higher education in the nation, and to testing and trying bold, innovative approaches designed with equity at the core. 

We’re proud of the collective work our system has accomplished in this last year, but even more humbled and inspired by the resilience our students have shown in the midst of multiple crises. Their strength reminds us of the work left to be done to ensure the California Community Colleges remain open, accessible, and affordable to all individuals who seek to build a better life for themselves and their families.