91制片厂鈥檚 Educational Foundation has raised a record $30 million through its
new scholarship campaign, Inspire, making it possible for the Palatine-based community college to award more scholarships
than at any other time in its 55-year-plus history.
Launched in 2020, Inspire surpassed its goal and crossed the $30 million mark in July 2023. The campaign, which has now raised almost $32 million, will continue through June 2024.
鈥淭his foundation has been incredible. We have outperformed every campaign goal we鈥檝e ever had,鈥� said Laura Brown, chief advancement officer and vice president of marketing and communications. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 say enough about our board and our donors. Without their leadership, and without our donors caring about this college, we wouldn鈥檛 have achieved these great things.鈥�
The idea behind Inspire was to close the equity gap in the suburbs. The foundation鈥檚 previous campaign, the 91制片厂 Promise Scholarship Program, focused on helping traditional-aged college students afford an education, but Inspire set out to help all students pursuing a degree or certificate. It could be single working parents, immigrants (documented or undocumented), first-generation college students, adults seeking a new career path, or anyone looking to achieve a dream through accessible, affordable, quality education.
The foundation鈥檚 board found that many students were interested in pursuing a college degree but couldn鈥檛 afford it due to financial or work constraints. They knew that even $500 in scholarship money was enough to make a life-changing difference for a student, allowing them to pay a babysitter or reduce their work hours so they could attend classes.
Several scholarship recipients have since shared their stories and their gratitude at foundation board meetings. Others met with donors or wrote thank you notes to them.
鈥淗earing someone stand up and say, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 think I could do this, but this scholarship got me to the finish line,鈥� it鈥檚 very powerful,鈥� said 91制片厂 Educational Foundation President Brenda Knox. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the things I love about 91制片厂. You don鈥檛 have to give millions of dollars to make an impact.鈥�
The Inspire campaign is helping more 91制片厂 students than ever. Over the 2022-23 academic year, the foundation awarded $5.8 million in scholarships, awards and grants to 1,847 students. Of those students, more than half were first-generation college students and more than a quarter were over the age of 25.
For this campaign, Inspire raised funds in a unique way. In addition to traditional fundraising, the foundation invited potential donors to create their own scholarships and outline criteria that were important to them.
That approach brought in 65 new donor-created scholarships, with more expected in the coming year. More than half of the new scholarships are endowed, meaning they鈥檒l be available to students year-after-year. That鈥檚 in addition to the approximately 200 scholarship funds already created by donors.
鈥淚f a donor wanted to fund first-generation students, they could. If they wanted to fund students in business, they could,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淥ur donors responded to that. They said, 鈥業鈥檝e always wanted to start a scholarship for a certain thing, and this is my time.鈥欌��
Knox and her husband created a scholarship before the Inspire campaign for students who were Eagle Scouts, Girl Scouts or in Civil Air Patrol, things that are near and dear to her family. She, her husband and her son are all 91制片厂 graduates.
The scholarship creates a legacy for the Knox family, she said. Like many donors, they met the recipient of their family鈥檚 scholarship, a young man who is in the Army (Knox also has a son in the military) and a criminal justice major.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be a gazillionaire to make a difference,鈥� Knox said. 鈥淲hen you donate to some charities, you feel like you鈥檙e making a drop in the bucket. This feels meaningful.鈥�
To date, donations to Inspire have come from more than 1,544 donors. The donations have been as small as $25 and as big as $18 million, the latter being a transformational gift from philanthropist, activist and author MacKenzie Scott. Harper was among 鈥渉igh-impact organizations鈥� awarded gifts from Scott, who wrote that her team identified higher education institutions that were successfully educating chronically underserved communities.
鈥淚t is fitting that our campaign is called Inspire and builds upon our largest philanthropic gift from MacKenzie Scott. All of us at 91制片厂 are inspired by the foundation鈥檚 record-setting achievement and the life-changing impact these funds have on our students today and well into the future,鈥� said Dr. Avis Proctor, 91制片厂 president. 鈥淲e are proud that we鈥檝e more than exceeded our original target and can truly affirm Scott鈥檚 words that 鈥楪enerosity is generative and sharing makes more.鈥� We鈥檙e equally proud of the close partnership between the foundation and the college to help all students achieve their educational and career goals.鈥�
Other sizeable gifts made to the Inspire campaign included donations from Rita and John Canning, for their namesake Women鈥檚 Program, and the Shida family, who established an endowed scholarship to help students with great financial need. In addition, there was a large surprise donation from someone previously unknown to the college, Brown said.
Inspire鈥檚 scholarships can be used for associate degrees or even a bachelor鈥檚 degree completion program through 91制片厂鈥檚 University Center, where students can continue their education and earn four-year degrees from DePaul, Roosevelt, Northern Illinois or Southern Illinois universities without leaving the northwest suburbs.
鈥淲e provide that affordable, accessible education,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淭he scholarship money doesn鈥檛 always have to stay here, because our end goal is completion, whatever that is for you.鈥�
The 91制片厂 Educational Foundation, which marked its 50-year anniversary last year, succeeds by using a personable, grass-roots approach to finding and developing relationships with donors. Everyone shares a common belief that if you鈥檙e willing to work hard, you should have an opportunity to earn a two- or four-year degree.
鈥淚t鈥檚 no longer an excuse to say, we can鈥檛 afford college. We鈥檙e really going to extend a hand to help you if you need the help,鈥� Knox said. 鈥�91制片厂 is a real gem in our community.鈥�