Ventura, Calif.--The Ventura College Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides resources and financial support to Ventura College students and to school programs, distributed $824,548 in financial support during the 2019-2020 academic year--$699,971 in scholarships, $84,577 in VC Promise tuition assistance and $40,000 in textbook support. The annual scholarship distribution was the largest in the foundation's history and was distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic in April.

A total of 427 scholarships (including 17 new scholarship) were awarded to 247 applicants. Over 3,100 students took advantage of the foundation's textbook lending library. All told 5,330 students (41 percent of the student population) received support from the foundation through tuition support, scholarships, or textbook lending.

In addition, another $919,792 of foundation facilitated support went to assist 44 programs in 15 Ventura College departments and divisions.

"Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the VC Foundation had to cut staff, cancel our annual scholarship awarding events, and rework our fundraising strategies. Our on-campus Weekend Marketplace, which generates revenue to run the foundation's day-to-day operations, was closed for over two months," says Anne Paul King, the Ventura College Foundation's executive director. "It reopened with only one-third of the vendors and lower gate capacity. It then had to temporarily relocate because of campus construction. Through it all, we have been fortunate to be able to continue our mission to foster and enhance the education of Ventura College students. We are grateful for the generosity of our donors and community members who have made this possible."

For more information on the Ventura College Foundation's financial impact on student education in 2019-2020, go to https://venturacollegefoundation.org/foundation-impact.