CCCS Internal GIVING to the foundation
When you make a gift to the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges, you make an investment in the future of our students. You support colleges communities throughout Colorado.
Ways to Give
An unrestricted gift will support the area of greatest need. Make an unrestricted gift of $1,000 or more to join our Chancellor’s Giving Circle.
Or you can designate your gift to support a specific program or purpose, including the following:
- Make a Scholarship Gift and impact a deserving student’s academic journey.
- Establish an endowment, which supports the Colorado Community College System in perpetuity and allows you to leave a legacy.
- Designate your gift to a specific purpose. Contact the Foundation to discuss your interest.
Whatever you choose and whatever the amount, know that your gift makes a difference. We appreciate your generosity!
Types of Gifts
- Cash gifts can be of any amount and given one time or on a recurring basis. Make your gift in any of the following ways:
- Give online using a credit card
- Mail a check or money order to our office
- Set up a recurring transfer from your bank
- In-kind gifts are goods or services given in lieu of cash. The Foundation and our colleges periodically have need for education-related goods and services. Please contact the Foundation if you would like to make an in-kind gift.
- Matching gifts can increase the size and impact of your gift. Check with your employer’s human resources office to see if they offer matching gifts.
- Stocks, securities, and bonds can be used as all or a portion of your gift and can have significant tax advantages.
- Planned giving is a gift that is part of your estate planning and can be cash, stocks, life insurance or other assets. Make a planned gift to join the Civitas Society. As with any decision involving your estate plans, we urge you to seek the advice of professional counsel when considering a gift to the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges.
Where Your Dollars Go
The Foundation works closely with the Colorado Community College System to determine areas of greatest need for philanthropic support. The Foundation has supported these and other initiatives in recent years.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarships are a major focus for the Foundation. Your support can make the difference for a student being able to enroll in a community college or finish their degree. Our process is highly competitive, with the number of applications growing each year and approximately 20% of applicants receiving scholarships.
Over $1 million in scholarships annually!
RETURN TO EARN
The Return to Earn program reengages students who were close to completing college but then left—stopped out—before getting a degree. The program puts them back on a path to a college credential and better career opportunities. With the Foundation’s support, Return to Earn was implemented at the Community College of Aurora, Community College of Denver and Morgan Community College. Watch the video.
LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY
CCCS is re-examining our law enforcement programs and policies to improve training specifically in the areas of racial justice, diversity, implicit bias, and de-escalation of conflict. The Foundation’s support is helping to train instructors across the state and equip them with new curriculum designed to respond to the changing field of law enforcement. Read more
SINGLE STOP
We are helping to alleviate non-academic barriers to student success with Single Stop, an online platform that connects students to local community and governmental resources, including food assistance, other government benefits, legal assistance, and career advising.
The Foundation raised funds to make Single Stop available statewide.
ADVISORS/NAVIGATORS
Research shows that relationship-based advising is critical to student success. Navigators, a step up from traditional advisors, proactively check in with students to ensure progress on their academic plans. With the Foundation’s financial support, three colleges have created targeted Advisor/Navigator initiatives.
SHOT AT A SCHOLARSHIP
The Foundation provided 67 scholarships to Amazon Scholars under the “Shot at a Scholarship” program. The program, funded by Amazon, provided scholarships to students at all colleges.
Names were drawn from a pool of over 10,000 students who had attested to being fully vaccinated.
Giving Societies
Giving Societies at the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges acknowledge donors who give major gifts once, on an annual basis, and/or throughout their lives to build strong, educated communities throughout Colorado.
Chancellor’s Giving Circle
The Chancellor’s Giving Circle honors donors who give $1,000 or more in a year as an unrestricted gift. Chancellor’s Giving Circle members recognize the value of allowing the Foundation flexibility to target funds to an area it deems to be the greatest need at the time.
Benefits:
- Invitation to the annual Student Excellence Awards
- Listing on the Foundation’s website
- Opportunity to serve as a student scholarship essay reviewer
Champions Club
The Champions Club honors donors that give $5,000 or more in a year designated for a specific program or purpose. Champion Club members drive success for CCCS students and programs with their targeted gifts.
Benefits:
- Listing, including organization’s logo, on the Foundation’s website
- Invitation to the annual Student Excellence Awards
- Opportunity for a member of your organization to serve as a student scholarship essay reviewer
Summit Society
The Summit Society honors donors who have given $100,000 or more to the Foundation over their lifetime. Summit Society members recognize that their generous gifts have the power to change lives and improve our communities.
Benefits:
- Annual personal visit with the Chancellor at the donor’s request
- Invitation to annual special events
- Invitation to the annual Student Excellence Awards
- Listing on the Foundation’s website
- Opportunity to serve as a student scholarship essay reviewer
Civitas Society
The Civitas Society honors individuals who have included the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges in their estate plans. Civitas is Latin for a community with common goals, an apt description for those who are advancing the Colorado Community College System through a legacy gift.
Benefits:
- Invitation to a special Chancellor’s annual Civitas Society event
- Invitation to the annual Student Excellence Awards
- Listing on the Foundation’s website
- Opportunity to serve as a student scholarship essay reviewer
Establish an Endowment
Supporting the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) through an endowment is a meaningful way to leave a lasting legacy.
An endowment fund is a permanent, self-sustaining source of funding. These funds are built by gifts that are permanently invested by the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges. Each year, a portion of the fund is distributed to support its designated purpose, while the principal amount remains intact.
The spendable portion of the fund comes from interest, dividends, and gains, ensuring continuous support for the CCCS. Establishing an endowment helps secure the future of education and makes a lasting impact on the community.
The annual distribution amount is governed by the Foundation’s Endowment Spending Policy. Additional earnings are reinvested to provide for growth of the fund over time, as well as to preserve the purchasing power of the original gift. The Foundation provides endowment donors with an Endowment Report annually.
Contact the Foundation to discuss establishing an endowment.