PHILANTHROPY
IRSC EARMARKS PHILANTHROPIST‘S $45 MILLION GIFT
FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS, CAREER TRAINING
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TCBusiness.com
INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE
The Indian River State College Administration Building sits at the front of the college’s Massey Campus in Fort Pierce.
On the day of its 2020 commencement
ceremony, Indian River State College announced
it has received the largest single
donation in its 60-year history from philanthropist
MacKenzie Scott.
“We are especially grateful for Ms.
Scott’s generosity and her confidence in
IRSC’s critical mission,” IRSC president, Dr.
Timothy Moore, said. “The magnitude of
this gift will positively transform lives for
generations of IRSC students. It accelerates
our ability to redefine our College and
reframe the narrative on how American
community colleges can better serve all of
our constituencies.”
Equity and economic mobility for
students is at the forefront of the college’s
agenda under Moore. The donation will allow
IRSC to more quickly expand and grow
strategic initiatives that support access
and outreach to low-income, first-generation
and historically underrepresented
populations. It will also be able to expand
essential career training and degree
programs for in-demand jobs and encourage
entrepreneurism and develop critical
partnerships that bring new opportunities
and ideas to the Treasure Coast region and
the nation.
IRSC is among 384 organizations
selected after Scott’s team of advisers considered
some 6,500 organizations along
with data analysis on community needs,
program outcomes, and each nonprofit’s
capacity to absorb and make effective use
of funding. The announcement was made
in December on Scott’s blog. Donations
were focused on those “operating in communities
facing high projected food insecurity,
high measures of racial inequity,
high local poverty rates, and low access to
philanthropic capital.”
In 2019, Scott pledged to give away her
entire fortune, and in July she accelerated
her giving. In the past four months, she
has donated $4.16 billion. v
About Indian River State College
A leader in education and innovation,
Indian River State College is recipient of the
2019 Aspen Prize for Community College
Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition
of high achievement and performance
among America’s community colleges. The
college — ranked second-most-affordable
in the nation in the Department of Education’s
College Affordability and Transparency
Report — annually serves nearly 30,000
students in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee
and St. Lucie counties. It offers more than
100 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees,
associate degrees, technical certificates and
applied technology diplomas. Ninety-one
percent of IRSC students graduate debt free.
BY SUZANNE SELDES
/TCBusiness.com
