A Commitment for Years to Come

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is to donate $2 million to the Los Angeles City College's Cinema and Television Department.

Funds from the donation will be used to upgrade all studio, post production and theater facilities and will also finance numerous annual scholarships.

In recognition of the gift, the department will be renamed the HFPA Center for Cinema and Television at Los Angeles City College.

The donation serves as a symbol of the HFPA’s dedication to the school and its students pursuing careers in the film and television industry.

The college, on Vermont Avenue, has 17,00 students, 1250 of them in the film, television and theater program.

It has three studios and two theaters where the students learn all elements of film and television production. Two of the studios have not been upgraded to HD. While bonds pay for construction and buildings they do not cover the cost of equipment.

The donation has the full support of Mayor Eric Garcetti, and the LA School Board has unanimously approved the agreement between HFPA and LACC.

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is excited to donate this contribution to the Los Angeles City College Film & TV Department. We are dedicated to providing resources to students who have a passion for the film and television industry, so they can become the next great generation of writers, producers, cinematographers, and directors. This is much more than a donation, this is a commitment to these young scholars for many years to come,” said Theo Kingma, president of the HFPA.

In addition the HFPA will organize year-around roundtables, seminars and screenings for students and introduce them to today's entertainment industry.

Robert Schwartz, Executive Director of the Los Angeles College Foundation, said “The LACC Foundation is truly honored to be the recipient of this extraordinary gift from the Hollywood Foreign Press. This donation will be transformational in its impact, not only in the upgrade of facilities at the college’s cinema and television program, but also in the effect that this will have on the lives of the more than 1,500 students who will study at the HFPA Center for Cinema and Television each semester.

The LACC Foundation was created in 1968 to develop private support for the College. Through a combination of revenue-generating enterprises and traditional fundraising activities, the Foundation works to fill the needs of students striving to improve their lives through higher education. The Foundation directs 100% of all donated funds to support the College and to financially assist the students. During the 2013-2014 academic year, the Foundation provided more than $600,000 to more than 1,000 students in the form of scholarships, textbook vouchers, emergency loans and grants. Additionally, the Foundation provided more than $230,000 to the campus for support of its department initiatives, and an additional $1.6 million in grants from private foundations for various programs across the campus.

Founded in 1929, Los Angeles City College is set on 49 acres near downtown Los Angeles. During its first year, the College offered only first-semester courses to about 1,300 students. Today, LACC educates more than 17,000 students and awards more than 900 degrees and certificates annually.

Originally established as part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nine-campus Los Angeles Community College District did not become a separate, autonomous entity until 1969. A seven-member elected Board of Trustees is responsible for governance. The college facilities include more than a dozen multistory classroom buildings including a library, computer labs, fitness center, theatre, and TV/film studios. Through a $147 million bond award, the college has enhanced the campus with a new advanced technology learning facility, increased parking, and expanded athletic/fitness and child development centers. The bond program continues with the construction of a dedicated Student Services building and the refurbishment of the music building, art building, Holmes Hall and the administration building.

Serving the Greater Los Angeles area, LACC's student population is among the most diverse in the nation. Of the College's more than 17,000 students, 45% are first-generation college students and more than 30% primarily speak a language other than English at home. People with disabilities compose 10% of the student body. LACC students are Hispanic/Latino (46%); Caucasian (19%); Asian/Pacific Islander (17%); African American/Black (12%); and Other (6%). It is a population composed predominantly of students from working poor backgrounds, 70% of whom are eligible for tuition waivers and 53% of whom rely on additional financial assistance. The median income of LACC students is $16,233, and one quarter of students earn less than $5,544 per year.

The college's alumni have had a profound impact on the community and include notable educators, civic leaders and politicians, business leaders and Oscar, Emmy and Grammy recipients including Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, and Alan Arkin. Others who attended the college include Congresswoman Diane Watson, Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, Nobel Prize Laureate Lawrence Klein, Architect Frank Gehry, dancer Alvin Ailey, and many, many others.

LACC offers 64 associate's degree programs, more than 70 degree-applicable, career-technical and skills certificates and an additional 35 non-credit certificates of competency and completion. LACC has extraordinary vocational programs, with health science degrees in Radiologic and Dental Technology that are ranked number one in the country.

The college awards nearly 1,000 degrees and certificates annually.