News

El Camino College Foundation raises record-breaking funds for 2023 to 2024 year

By Rhiannon Ellis • October 2, 2024

Andrea Sala, El Camino College Foundation executive director, works at her office desk in the Administration Building on Monday, Sept. 30. (Eddy Cermeno | The Union)

The El Camino College Foundation raised nearly $7 million in the 2023 to 2024 academic year, breaking a record for the organization.

The $6.6 million raised by the foundation was nearly double the $3.4 million raised in the 2022 to 2023 year.

Andrea Sala, the executive director of the foundation, said the record-breaking numbers came from large estate gifts. The foundation received $4.5 million from two $2 million estate gifts and one $500,000 estate gift.

Sala said the amount raised varies every year but the $6.6 million raised last year came as a surprise to the foundation.

“Usually, it’s more like two and a half to three million dollars, so last year was a really big deal,” Sala said.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1983 that raises money to support scholarships and programs offered by the college, like the South Bay Promise’s free tuition program and academic programs like the STEM initiatives.

Ann O’Brien, the executive director for the Office of Marketing and Communications said the foundation helps students succeed by providing necessary school supplies.

Ann O'Brien, El Camino College executive director of marketing and communications, works at her desk in the Administration Building on Monday, Sept. 30. (Eddy Cermeno | The Union) — Ann O'Brien, El Camino College's Executive Director from the Office of Marketing and Communications, works at her office desk in the Administration Building on Monday, Sept. 30. (Eddy Cermeno | The Union)

“They’re meeting out in our community with corporate sponsors that support things like the emergency laptop fund that we were able to initiate during the pandemic, to assist students with whatever their needs may be,” O’Brien said.

Along with regular donors, major companies have also donated to the foundation, including Honda, Kinecta Federal Credit Union and Torrance Memorial Medical Center.

Sala and O’Brien said industry and workforce development classes offered at ECC could lead to students working for foundation donors after graduating.

“They like to support the college because they’re supporting the future workforce, and they gain outreach and good community feelings,” Sala said.

O’Brien added that missions often align between ECC and corporations which include Torrance Memorial Medical Center donating to support nursing students who graduate from the college.

“It’s a way for us to come together and learn more about each other, and then we can support each other’s needs,” O’Brien said.

Companies gain free promotion from ECC for their large donations, having their logos posted on the college’s main site and on a large banner at Murdock Stadium.

According to Kate Choi, a financial officer for the foundation, the nonprofit organization had money used for awarding scholarships, even without financial support from large companies.

“But since 2011, we have more donations, especially during the pandemic. We normally worried that everything is tight, but we have more donations than ever during the pandemic,” Choi said.

O’Brien believes the foundation is a valuable asset in the community because the money helps fund scholarship programs and support students and their needs to continue their path at ECC and beyond.

“They’re there for our students when they need it the most,” O’Brien said.