You Can Make the Difference

Almost half of PCC's students need financial help to attend college. Many students are working full-time, supporting families and trying to make ends meet. That's where the PCC Foundation comes in!

Through the generosity of private donors and PCC staff members, the PCC Foundation offers scholarships in a variety of programs for students. These scholarships range from the foundation's popular Service-to-Community student scholarship program - where students receive tuition funds for actively performing social service work in their communities - to a multitude of academic, merit and need-based scholarship awards. Funds may also be available for emergency student loans for books, tools and the like.

How to Give

You can help make a student's dream of a quality college education come true. There are a variety of giving options, such as a permanent endowment, annual gifts, matching gifts from you and your employer, one-time cash gifts, wills and bequests and charitable gift annuities. Annually, the PCC Foundation finances about 300 student scholarships, but is forced to turn down nearly twice that amount because of limited funds. To make a gift, go to our new, secure Online Giving page, or contact the PCC Foundation.

Mission

The Portland Community College Foundation aids and promotes excellence at the college by providing scholarships, equipment for teaching and training, special academic opportunities for students and support for outstanding faculty. The PCC Foundation expands the college’s ability to seek private funds and keeps private dollars separate from tax dollars.

Goals

The goals of the Foundation are to:

• Increase private funding to support students' scholarships and special needs of the college;
• Increase the public’s awareness of the college’s and students’ financial needs;
• Communicate the strong relationships between the college and the business community;
• Work to finance educational areas that enhance the growth of the Portland metro area economy;
• Establish PCC as the premier training and education center of the area; and
• Increase the self –sufficiency of the Foundation.

IRS Status

The Portland Community College Foundation is a tax-exempt organization as described in Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It qualifies as a public charitable organization under Section 170\ (b) (1) (A) (vi) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to the Foundation are fully tax-deductible according to the schedules established under income tax and estate tax regulations. The Foundation’s tax identification number is 93-0811291.

History

The Portland Community College Foundation was incorporated as a non-profit organization on October 19, 1982.

College Support

The Foundation Office was created to fulfill the purposes of the Foundation. The Director of the Foundation Office also serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation.

The Foundation works closely with the college president and the elected college board of directors to raise external funds for college priorities. The college general fund provides the Foundation Office with office space, equipment, materials and supplies, staff salaries, meeting and other operational expenses. The support provided to the foundation by Portland Community College is essential in ensuring that contributions from private support are spent on programs and scholarships.