Community college leaders ask Legislature to let current-use donations qualify for endowment match

Marilyn Kuhar, chief advancement officer at Bunker Hill Community College, and Amanda Sabrisha, vice president of institutional advancement at Holyoke Community College, testified in support of S.919/H.1454, which would modify the Public Higher Education Endowment Incentive Program so that community college foundations can receive the state matching dollar for dollar on private donations intended for current use as well as endowment or capital projects.

Current law, the witnesses said, limits the match to gifts to endowments and capital projects. Endowments take large initial gifts and many years to produce spendable income; community colleges increasingly rely on donations for immediate student needs such as food pantries, emergency grants, equipment, uniforms and childcare assistance. “Do we ask a donor for $10,000 for an endowed fund, or that same amount to fund grocery purchases from our food pantry?” Kuhar asked.

Both witnesses said the change would make community colleges more attractive to donors who want immediate impact and would amplify donors’ contributions with state matching funds. Testimony emphasized that community colleges generally have smaller donor bases and less fundraising staff than larger universities, so broadening eligible gifts would increase equity in access to the state match.

No committee vote was taken at the hearing. Witnesses asked the committee to advance the bill and said they would provide supplemental information about projected match amounts and implementation steps.