The Ballmer Group – the philanthropic arm of billionaire Los Angeles Clippers and Intuit Dome owner Steve Ballmer and wife Connie – ramped up its commitment to Los Angeles last week.
The group made three major donations to local universities, to the tune of $110 million, that will enhance the schools’ education of mental and behavioral health professionals. The gifts will be doled out over five years and also support the launch of a new initiative, Toros Heal L.A., that aims to improve California’s shortage of mental health professionals.
Cal State Los Angeles will receive the largest slice of this gift, at $48 million. This also represents the largest gift in the university’s history. The money will allow Cal State L.A. to educate more than 1,000 additional students in its Master of Social Work and School-Based Family Counseling programs, which have contributed to mental health assistance in East Los Angeles.
“We deeply appreciate Ballmer Group for this grant, which will change lives across Los Angeles by preparing a new generation of counselors and social workers who reflect and understand the communities they serve,” Cal State L.A. President Berenecea Johnson Eanes said in a statement.
Meanwhile, UCLA is receiving $33 million as part of this donation, which will be divvied up among the university’s psychology department, school of social welfare and fellowships within the psychiatry and behavioral sciences departments.
“The generosity of Ballmer Group will enable UCLA to equip more professionals with the skills and deep knowledge needed to care for young people and their families,” UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said.
And Cal State Dominguez Hills will take home $29 million to fund scholarships, licensure preparation and emergency aid for its students in community and mental health degree paths.
“This gift is a response to acute child and youth behavioral health shortages in South L.A. and adjacent areas – communities our students and graduates call home,” Cal State Dominguez Hills interim President Mary Ann Villarreal said.
