Foundation for California Community Colleges

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
680412350
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Sacramento, CA, United States
Phone
9163254300
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Nonmonetary Support N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$237,022,470
Expenses
$203,807,153
Assets
$319,141,986
Liabilities
$135,014,418

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRIAN CAUGHELL (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE)
  • KEETHA MILLS (CEO/PRESIDENT)
  • BRYAN MILLER (VICE PRESIDENT COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY)
  • JORGE SALES (VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT)
  • SANDRA FRIED (VICE PRESIDENT STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER)
  • IRIS AGUILAR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EQUITY AND COMMUNITY IMPACT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KEETHA MILLS (CEO/PRESIDENT): $784,386 total reported compensation
  • MELISSA CONNER (CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER): $456,815 total reported compensation
  • JOSEPH QUINTANA (CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER): $454,667 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To benefit, support, and enhance the missions of the California Community College system. Our annual Innovation and Impact reports showcase our priorities and accomplishments from each year, as well as our vision for the future. This includes key data points which show how FoundationCCC has found new ways to meet vital statewide needs, alongside real-life examples of how support from our partners has changed millions of lives. These reports stand as a compass, guiding us towards our mission-driven goals and showcasing the extraordinary achievements that have propelled us forward. We are grateful for your interest in our programs and for joining us on this journey of innovation, growth, and transformation. Together, we can make an even greater difference.

What it reported doing in 2024

Systems support & services (includes collegebuys): distribute millions of dollars in scholarships and thousands in emergency aid for community college students to remove financial barriers and provide support in times of recovery from natural disasters, economic disruption, or other unimagined challenges. Develop and manage systemwide tools, resources, and services, and provide a hub for collaboration that enables colleges and mission-aligned partners to navigate and coordinate within a large and decentralized system. Operate the aggregate purchasing program on behalf of the California community colleges, which provides hundreds of millions in cost savings to colleges to be reinvested in student success, and to students to ensure they have the technology and educational resources they need to learn. Provide fiscal sponsorship and management services to mission-aligned partners to help incubate, scale, and sustain creative endeavors to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all californians.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 72% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 73% for direct work, and 27% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 86.3%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $54.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 14%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.57; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.42; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 19% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.2% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 76% of revenue deployed · 86.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $175.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $784K · 22 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $4.9M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 441 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 431 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 55/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.