As part of a broader review of scholarship agreements and award criteria, one community college foundation identified potential compliance concerns related to long-standing scholarship criteria, including alignment with Proposition 209, Title IX, donor intent, and institutional values. Rather than approaching compliance as a barrier, the foundation used the process as an opportunity to strengthen donor trust, board leadership, campus partnership, and student access. This session shares how the foundation worked with legal counsel, board leaders, campus partners, donors, and a local community foundation partner to review and revise scholarship criteria with care, transparency, and mission alignment.


Presented by the foundation's executive director, director of philanthropy, foundation programs coordinator, and legal counsel, this session will offer practical perspectives from governance, donor relations, scholarship administration, and legal, governance, and risk management considerations. While this session does not offer legal advice, it will share one foundation's experience navigating complex scholarship criteria conversations while honoring donor intent and advancing student opportunity.


Participants will hear examples of mission-aligned criteria, strategies for navigating sensitive donor conversations, and lessons learned from a process that strengthened relationships, clarified donor values, supported thoughtful stewardship, and helped the foundation award more scholarships than ever before.