Santa Monica College Begins $25-Million Funding Drive

Santa Monica College launched one of the largest recent fund-raising campaigns in the community college system Wednesday with the announcement the college will seek $25 million from local donors for capital projects.

In seeking funds from private donors, the college is emulating state and private universities, among the biggest beneficiaries of charitable donations. The state’s 106 public community colleges, by contrast, have lagged in fund-raising.

While Santa Monica’s campaign is not the largest to be attempted by a state community college--Santa Barbara Community College, for example, raised $25 million in a similar drive several years ago--the effort coincides with an unprecedented expansion of community college foundations statewide.

Although Santa Monica has already raised $7 million toward its goal, the campaign was officially launched from a private home in Santa Monica Wednesday by actor Dustin Hoffman, a Santa Monica College alumnus and honorary head of the drive.

The money will be used to build a 500-seat performing arts center at the college’s Madison campus, and for equipment, a child care center and at least 10 endowed chairs for faculty to conduct research.