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A new $3 million donation to UCLA will give foster-care youth students extra financial support.
The Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation recently made the donation to create an endowment aimed at making college more affordable for foster-care students, according to a UCLA statement released Thursday.
There are about 250 current or former foster-care students currently at UCLA. Financial aid covers some of the students’ school costs, but the Pritzker Family Foundation Foster Youth Endowment is aimed at funding student expenses that might not be covered by initial financial aid assessments.
“I want (foster-care students) to know they have a family and support that they can turn to when those unexpected needs come up,” Jeanne Pritzker said.
The endowment is meant to fund unforeseen academic costs, such as summer housing, tutoring and mental health services for foster-care students, since those costs might normally be paid for by family members, said Paolo Velasco, interim director of the Bruin Resource Center, which houses programs that help foster-care students.
Third-year psychology student Steven Chapman, who was in foster-care from ages 12 to 18, said that he thought the new funding would be a good resource for students who don’t have a backup to pay for unexpected costs.
“For most people their parents give them money, so it would be a great thing for those who have no parental support,” Chapman said.
He added that his financial aid pays for much of his expenses, but he would consider applying to the endowment when low summer funds make it hard to pay rent.
The Pritzkers founded Foster Care Counts in 2012 and host an annual Foster Mother’s Day event at their home. They also regularly donate to the UCLA Guardian Scholars Program, which funds the needs of foster-care students at UCLA.
“Those kids have the potential to clearly be next generation’s leaders,” Jeanne Pritzker said. “And I want to help ensure that they get to where – in my heart – I know they can go.”
The Bruin Resource Center is home to the Guardian Scholars Program, which was established in 2009 and aims to support the academic and personal success of foster-care students at UCLA, Velasco said.
He added that the endowment will allow the center and the Guardian Scholars Program to serve students on a greater scale.
To receive funding from the endowment, students can talk with members of the Bruin Resource Center about the help they need.
Correction: Steven Chapman’s name was spelled incorrectly.