We provide the philanthropic support that helps San Mateo County Community College District students take full advantage of the programs and services at the three colleges of the San Mateo County Community College District: Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College.
SMCCC Foundation was built as an organization of hope. An organization that can help students imagine a brighter future through access to higher education.
2020 was challenging on many fronts, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the racial injustices we all witnessed. The struggles our students faced were real, and through it all, you, their supporters, were able to make a positive impact on their lives.
This last year straddled two different realities. The “before” when life was “normal.” And the “after” of the pandemic, economic crisis, and physical distance. While the time we are in has been difficult, the Foundation team and I have looked for the gifts and opportunities to be found within our challenges.
To say that the last year as been a once-in-a-career milestone would be an understatement. As the world has grappled with the health, societal, economic and personal impacts of the pandemic, we have faced both surprising norms and harsh realities together. For the San Mateo County Community College District, through the heroics of our amazing faculty and staff and with the resilience of our incredible students, we have continued the District’s tradition and fulfilled its mission of providing world-class teaching and learning opportunities for students, supporting them at every step along their educational journeys.
For more than 50 years, the San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation and the District have helped millions of students realize their educational dreams
Annually, over 850 students at Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College receive scholarships from Foundation Funds. Our donors’ generosity in providing this financial assistance helps our students achieve their academic and career dreams.
Current Student at Cañada College
Aimee Kanadjian describes her high school experience as really tough. “I didn’t have the support I needed and I didn’t succeed academically at all. I didn’t have any big plans or dreams for the future and I didn’t get into any of the colleges where I applied.” Feeling aimless and unsupported, she decided to give community college a try thinking *as it turns out, correctly* that she would have better opportunities and better success.
Current Student at College of San Mateo and Cañada College
Adrian Afif is a true testament to the power and effectiveness of San Mateo County Community College District and, indeed, the community college system in California. After spending a year of uncertainty at California State University, Chico, Adrian chose to attend College of San Mateo (CSM) and Cañada College to find his direction. The outcome of this choice was better than he could have ever anticipated.
Current Student at Skyline College
At the age of 16, Mario Guzman had to rebuild himself. At Skyline College, Mario found himself and his future. The resources he was able to access through the college, the Promise Scholars Program, and other scholarships he’s received have helped steer Mario towards his future in web interactive design.
In year-end 2020, our donors contributed nearly $3 million to support student scholarships and college programs. Without our donors’ support, many of our students would not be able to attend college and reach their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families.
Click on each donor's name to learn more.
Corporate Supporter
SMCCCD Trustee on the Foundation Board of Directors
SMCCCD Trustee on the Foundation Board of Directors
Corporate Supporter
SMCCCD Retiree Donor, Endowment Fund Donor, and SMCCCF Board Member
Named Scholarship Donor
In Memoriam
The Foundation supports over 100 programs at Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College, and Districtwide. The programs we support, such as those you will read about in this section, ensure student equity, quality of campus life, and that students have access to extra-curricular activities.
Promise Scholars Program
The Promise Scholars Program is a completion program, focusing on support that will keep first-time, full-time SMCCCD college students on track to complete their educational goals within two-three years. At only five years old, the program is already helping students succeed in realizing their academic goals.
EOPS | CARE | FYSI at Cañada College
Educational equity and access are the philosophical and cultural bedrocks of the San Mateo County Community College District and SMCCC Foundation. EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services) | CARE (Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education) | FYSI (Foster Youth Success Initiative) at Cañada College, and throughout the District, reflect those principles in a concrete way on a daily basis.
Equity Institute at Skyline College
Equity is just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. In 2018, Skyline College launched the Equity Institute to transform the landscape of higher education by helping colleges develop and sustain institutional approaches to equity and student success. Benefits of the Equity Institute’s programming and research extend to Community Colleges and educators nation-wide from varied institutions.
College of San Mateo Football
There’s nothing like the feeling of team and school pride when you’re sitting in the stands and cheering your own college football team on to victory! Unless you’re playing the game yourself. Just ask some of the NFL players who are proud that they started their illustrious sports careers playing for the Bulldogs.
Together, as partners, the Foundation and the colleges annually host events highlighting our donors’ generosity and our colleges’ accomplishments.
May 2020
2019 - 2020 fiscal year
August 2019
January 2020
January 2020
Alumni of Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College have gone on to be successful in a variety of professions. We celebrate the achievements of our alumni and the honor they bring the District’s colleges. To join the Alumni Association, visit foundation.smccd.edu/alumni and sign up. To share your alumni story, email Melissa Rohlfs at alumni@smccd.edu.
Click on the alumni names below to read more.
Nimsi Garcia is passionate about advocating for non-traditional students. She’s keenly aware of what it’s like to have a dream of attending a university, but with limited or no resources. Despite her own academic potential, a college education seemed virtually impossible to Nimsi. A friend, who had previously attended Cañada College, explained the college’s transfer program, and tipped her off to campus resources and potential scholarships. Suddenly, Nimsi knew that while it would be challenging, it was also possible to achieve her goal of a university degree.
Despite being a young man, the accolades and opportunities keep coming for Franck. And he credits much of it to the strong foundations he built attending Skyline College, as well as his faculty mentors.
Franck first became familiar with Skyline College during a college and university fair held by the U.S. Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire. After considering many others, he ultimately decided that Skyline College had the right mix of academic programs, student support, and an enviable proximity to Silicon Valley’s tech community.
Despite being a young woman, Allison Fuller has ties to College of San Mateo that go back nearly 20 years. It’s a connection she speaks of fondly and openly, as she talks about the importance of nurses and the vital role they play – both in good times and trying times, such as now as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and nurses are on the front lines fighting against it.
Our Supporters
SMCCC Foundation’s community of supporters fuel education equity. They ensure that anyone who wants a college education can achieve their dream, regardless of economic status, ethnic or racial identity, sexual orientation or gender identity, learning challenges, or other circumstance that might be barrier to higher education.
Below please find a listing of the Foundation’s generous year-end 2020 donors and our endowed funds.
Individual Supporters give one or more gifts throughout the year that help power our work now and into the future.
Business & Institutional Partners share the Foundation’s vision for how our students can achieve their dreams, and support this work boldly through donations, sponsorships, and in-kind contributions.
Scholarship Endowed and Named Fundholders dedicate their resources and time to invest in students. Together, we award scholarships annually to support students’ educational journeys and dreams.
The impact report list of donors contains names of individuals, corporations, and foundations that have made gifts to SMCCC Foundation between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020 and all endowment funds. If your name was omitted in error or listed incorrectly, please contact Dafna Kapshud at kapshudd@smccd.edu or 650.358.6791.
Endowment: The Gift of a Future
When you establish an endowed scholarship fund, you create a legacy with a long-term, sustained impact. An endowed scholarship turns dreams of higher education and career success into a reality today and for generations of students to come.
There are many ways you can establish your legacy with an endowed scholarship fund — you can donate today, you can remember SMCCCF in your will or trust with an endowed scholarship fund, or you can designate unused retirement money. Whichever way you create an endowed fund, the name of the fund will live on to help students achieve their dreams.
For more information or to create an endowed fund, contact Development Director, Kathleen Harris at harrisk@smccd.edu.