Image via Porterville College

Porterville College announced Tuesday it is the recipient of a $7 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

Scott identified Porterville College as one of “286 Teams Empowering Voices the World needs to Hear” on her website.

 

The donation from the former wife of Amazon magnate Jeff Bezos is part of a total of $2.73 billion in gifts to “organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked.”

“Higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity, so we looked for 2- and 4-year institutions successfully educating students who come from communities that have been chronically underserved,” according to the post.

Dr. Claudia Lourido-Habib, president of Porterville College, states, “We are incredibly honored that Ms. Scott, along with her team of advisors and experts chose Porterville College as one of the recipients of this generous gift in recognition of our work. Their efforts to support organizations that can help bridge equity gaps and of institutions often overlooked, is to be commended as it will lift up traditionally marginalized and low-income populations. We are honored to receive this transformational gift. It will enable us to continue our work creating brighter futures for our students and our community. We accept the challenge to remain a pathway to opportunity.”  

Scott, along with husband Dan Jewett, announced similar gifts in July and December 2020.

“We are humbled and so grateful to be among the colleges and organizations benefiting from this generous grant” Habib added Over the next few months, Porterville College will consult with various stakeholders, about where to target this wonderful investment. “We will honor the spirit of this gift. We have a unique opportunity to make an investment in our students and fulfill our mission. We will be thoughtful and purposeful as we plan how to apply this grant in initiatives we could not have funded otherwise. “This is an historic day for Porterville College and for the communities we serve.”