Herb Alpert has had one of the most successful careers of the last fifty years between his own hit recordings and his record label, A&M Records.
Alpert established the Herb Alpert Foundation in the mid-80’s after realizing that he had been “blessed beyond his dreams” in his life and career. The foundation was established to provide funding to charitable organizations and institutions that allow young adults to reach their full potential.
On Thursday morning, it was announced that Alpert’s latest grant through the foundation would be a $10.1 million donation to Los Angeles City College to allow them to provide full scholarships to all music majors at the school along with needed instruments. In attendance at the announcement were Alpert, his wife Lani Hall, Los Angeles city officials and the entire music faculty from the school.
Los Angles City College provides post-Secondary education to 40% of the area residents who go on to higher education, including three times as many Latino and four-times as many African-American students as all of the University of California campuses combined.
Robert Schwartz, executive director of the Los Angeles City College Foundation, said “The vast majority of our students are from underserved communities and faced with enormous financial challenges as they strive to attain their academic and career goals. This generous gift from the Herb Alpert Foundation allows these talented students to focus on their studies while pursuing their individual pathways towards successful careers in the music industry.”
He added, “It’s the largest gift to an individual community college in the history of Southern California and it’s the second-largest gift in the history of the state.”
Alpert said “LACC is a gem of an institution. The biggest motivation was helping kids who don’t have the financial energy to go to a major college. At LACC, they’ve nurtured thousands of dedicated students every year. My brother went there. My ex-partner [record producer] Lou Adler went there. I’ve visited the school. It’s alive. It’s kickin’.”
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