Basic Needs Donation

As blog readers will know, we like to bring attention to donations to the university that do not involve construction of brick-and-mortar buildings. Here is one:

From UCLA Newsroom: Deepening its commitment to serving as a welcoming place for students from all backgrounds, UCLA will enhance the basic needs services it offers by opening an innovative new center, thanks in part to a $1 million gift from two alumni.

UCLA provides a host of services — emergency funding, food security programs, financial literacy workshops, short-term loans, housing assistance, access to child care, a temporary safe place to sleep for commuters and more — that benefit about 1 in every 10 students, helping to ensure they thrive in their daily lives and at the university.

Historically, such assistance has been available at a number sites across campus. In fall 2022, UCLA will also begin offering many of these basic needs services in the Strathmore Building, located in the heart of campus, providing a source of convenient, centralized and coordinated support.

“It is critical that all UCLA students, no matter their background or means, are able to take advantage of the incredible opportunities that exist on our campus,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “Bringing together our basic needs resources in a central physical location will help ensure that every Bruin has the support they need to focus fully on their academic work, research opportunities, extracurricular activities and campus life.”

The new center is supported by a lead gift of $1 million from alumni Ann Daly and John Gustafson. The married couple are longtime residents of Los Angeles and supporters of UCLA Athletics. Daly is also a member of The UCLA Foundation board of directors.

Their gift helps stabilize basic needs funding for UCLA students, nearly 90% of which currently comes from annual state appropriations and one-time grants, with the remaining amount coming from philanthropic giving.

Without predictable funding, basic needs programming at UCLA can fluctuate from year to year. The Daly-Gustafson gift allows the campus to meet immediate needs and helps fund capital improvements for the center and key administrative positions...

Full story at https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/gift-creates-new-ucla-center-for-students-basic-needs.