Centering Communities Through Systemwide Support
Strengthening statewide tools, funding, and infrastructure
When we invest in the systems that sustain California's community colleges and related educational entities, we invest in the communities they serve.
Together with the Chancellor's Office, FoundationCCC leads systemwide efforts that ensure colleges have the tools, partnerships, resources, and infrastructure they need to deliver accessible, high-quality education, wherever students live and learn.
From technology platforms to funding models and strategic initiatives, our work builds a resilient foundation for innovation, equity, and student success.
By centering local needs within statewide solutions, we’re helping California’s education systems remain strong, connected, and responsive to the people and places they support.
Palomar College
Expanding Financial Support for Students
California's community colleges are vital launchpads for economic mobility, but many students face urgent financial barriers that threaten their path forward.
By connecting donor support to real student needs, FoundationCCC helps ensure that students across every region of the state have the resources to stay enrolled, graduate, and thrive.
Through scholarships, emergency aid, and targeted funding, we’re putting students and their communities first, keeping college within reach, and sustaining the institutions that serve as lifelines in times of need.
American River College
Using AI to Strengthen Enrollment Integrity Across California Community Colleges
In today's digital landscape, protecting access to education is more important than ever. That's why FoundationCCC, through its Enterprise and Procurement Services team, partnered with the Chancellor's Office's Digital Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Equity to expand access to LightLeap.AI, an AI tool that helps colleges detect and prevent fraudulent applications.
By identifying suspicious patterns, such as shared contact details or geographic inconsistencies, colleges can safeguard financial aid and ensure that real students, not bots, receive the support they deserve. This is especially critical as open-access policies and online learning environments face increasing misuse by AI-powered fraud.
LightLeap.AI can be up and running at a college within 1–2 weeks, without extra hardware or IT resources. Making this resource available to colleges reflects the core of what we do: protecting student opportunities, preserving trust in local institutions, and ensuring the integrity of systems that serve millions across California.
"I am an aspiring digital media creator, mainly focusing on Ocean videography. Adobe Creative Cloud [through CollegeBuys] makes it so much easier to work and edit all my projects. Looking forward to future projects that I can now create in my portfolio."
Collaborative Purchasing that Supports Our Colleges, Schools, and Communities
For more than 20 years, CollegeBuys has helped California's community colleges stretch public dollars further, delivering over $1 billion in savings on technology, goods, and services that directly support teaching, learning, and student success.
By centering the needs of educators, students, and local institutions, CollegeBuys helps colleges reinvest in the communities they serve. This year, FoundationCCC expanded its collective procurement services through CivicBuys and SchoolBuys, extending affordable access to essential resources for K–12 schools, municipalities, and public agencies across the state. A major innovation was integrating the CollegeBuys eStore with FoundationCCC’s Workday ERP system, streamlining financial systems, boosting efficiency, and expanding enterprise purchasing options for California’s education ecosystem.
Los Medanos College
Procurement Innovation with Local Impact
180
corporate partnerships delivering discounted access to essential goods and services
$144M
in savings for CCCs and public agency partners realized through CollegeBuys offerings
2.1M
students supported through CollegeBuys’ affordable educational technology
"The expansion of services CollegeBuys provides has definitely saved our district time and money."
Modernizing Facilities to Support Learning Where It Happens
The Facilities Utilization, Space Inventory Options Net (FUSION) program helps California's 73 community college districts manage and improve campus facilities, so they continue to serve as safe, sustainable, and welcoming places to learn.
By assessing over 30 million square feet of educational space this year, FUSION is ensuring that the physical infrastructure supporting students, faculty, and local communities is resilient, efficient, and ready for the future.
In 2024–25, FUSION accelerated equity-focused planning by modernizing tools that help colleges prioritize upgrades based on safety, climate impact, and functionality. A new energy usage calculator, enhanced cost models, and upgraded reporting systems allow districts to allocate limited resources more fairly, reinforcing the role of community colleges as vital local anchor institutions. New trainings, partnerships, and a three-year roadmap ensure colleges have the support they need to manage their facilities with transparency, strategy, and long-term impact in mind.
By embedding sustainability, equity, and innovation into facilities planning, FUSION is more than a tool; it’s a model for how we center communities through every aspect of college operations, from classrooms to capital planning.