Irvine Co. Unveils Grants for Education

The Irvine Co. and the Donald Bren Foundation on Wednesday announced plans to give $25 million over the next several years to education, primarily for public schools attended by students who live on the Irvine Ranch.

The Bren Foundation, through its Educational Enrichment Fund, aims to hand out $15 million in grants to bolster programs in the sciences, technology and the arts. Priority will go to school districts that obtain matching funds from other private sources, which could provide a major boost to districts with strong fund-raising arms.

The other $10 million in funding will come from the Irvine Co.’s Educational Excellence Program and will be used to continue programs the company has long supported, such as a tradition of giving individual scholarships and leadership awards to students, teachers and principals.

Company officials will also be able to donate at their own discretion to programs at local schools.

“It sounds like a great plan and a great potential for the schools,” said Greg Bradbard, executive director of the Irvine Public Schools Foundation, which this year expects to raise and contribute $2.2 million in private funds to Irvine schools.

“I hope it encourages other corporations to step up and commit to the community.”

The $25 million appears to be one of the single biggest amounts ever targeted toward the county’s K-12 schools, according to officials from the Irvine Co. and the Orange County Department of Education. While the Irvine Co. has given more than $130 million to public schools and universities over the last 20 years, that has been a series of smaller amounts given to individual programs.

Earlier this year, for example, the Irvine Co. and the Bren Foundation together gave more than $2.2 million to the Irvine Unified School District after that district was roiled by budget shortfalls.

Gary Hunt, executive vice president of the Irvine Co., said the company decided to beef up and consolidate the way it gives money to schools as part of an effort to improve education across the county, and particularly in the Irvine Ranch area.

The ranch, a vast swath of land developed into residential and business communities over the years by the Irvine Co., encompasses all of the Irvine Unified School District and parts of the Orange, Tustin, Newport-Mesa and Laguna Beach unified school districts.

“What is being accomplished here is a greater focus on how we are giving our gifts, and also a tremendous expansion as to the amount we are giving,” Hunt said. “And it will now create a clear vehicle for schools and other educational institutions to apply for funds.

“Why now? Because education is clearly the single most important issue on everybody’s mind, from the two candidates running for president down to every family in Orange County and certainly on the ranch.”

Priority will be given to programs that already have matching funds to encourage districts to seek out funding from the private sector, and to encourage private companies and individuals to donate to schools, Hunt said.

Company officials opted to disburse the money through two separate organizations for “very complicated technical reasons,” he said.

Donald Bren is chairman of the Irvine Co., and the Bren Foundation has historically supported education across Orange County. The Irvine Co. also has a long philanthropic tradition.

Bill Habermehl, associate superintendent of the Orange County Department of Education, said he hopes the announcement will spur other Orange County companies to contribute to education.

“This is not a donation. It’s an investment,” he said. “They want to sell more homes. . . .The whole economy is better when you have better schools. Orange County is starting to realize that when you make that kind of investment, the returns are substantial.”

No time limits have been set on when all of the money will be distributed in order to keep the program as flexible as possible, said Rich Elbaum, Irvine Co. spokesman. But the funds are now available, he added.

Descriptions of the funding programs and eligibility requirements were made available to districts Wednesday. Checks will be cut as soon as school districts submit successful applications.

In the five Orange County districts that serve the Irvine Ranch, school officials pledged to start working on grant applications.

“We just found out about this . . . and I’m not exactly sure what this means,” said Mark Eliot, spokesman for the Tustin Unified School District. He said district officials would likely ask for grants to support reading programs.

“It’s a bit premature to talk about what exactly we’ll apply for,” he said. “But we’re very excited about it.”