Our Crowdfunding Groups
The Office of Parent and Family Engagement provides opportunities to experience meaningful connections to UCI in the ways that matter most to our families. We share helpful resources, host events like Anteater Family Weekend that immerse families in the Anteater experience, provide volunteer opportunities and promote ways in which UCI families can advance initiatives that have a significant impact.
One of the most active areas within The Office of Parent and Family Engagement is the Parent Executive Board (PEB), whose goal is to serve as trusted advisers to university leadership on student life initiatives, provide feedback on current issues facing UCI and act as well-informed representatives of the UCI parent and student experience. A notable contribution of the Parent Executive Board is their philanthropic support of the Anteater Grant Initiative (AGI), which provides funding to units that result in the creation of programs and resources directly impacting the UCI student body. This gives our board the unique opportunity to enhance the student experience directly, something incredibly special to our PEB members.
“I joined the Parent Executive Board to do something meaningful for the UCI community. The most meaningful part of the PEB is the chance to help students directly, through grants and community and career connections. The PEB is a community of generous parents, both of time and treasure. The greatest success for me was to understand and apply the rubric for grantmaking that is aligned with the mission of UCI. We support the American dream.” - Laarni von Ruden
Parent Executive Board Chair
Anteater Parent of Gian-Paolo, UCI School of Education
AGI grants result in opportunities for our students to learn and grow at their highest potential. One program supported by the Anteater Grant Initiative is UCI’s Student Achievement Guided by Experience, also known as SAGE Scholars. SAGE scholarships afford Anteaters the opportunity to translate their education into real life experience. They provide comprehensive growth through internships, career development, community service and networking opportunities to ensure the success of Anteaters post-graduation so they may transition to the next phase of their career with confidence.
View the following video, featuring an AGI supported SAGE scholar, Kevin Mendez ’20 as he shares his deep gratitude to his parents for their support and encouragement. As you listen to his firsthand account of how the boundless love of his parents shaped his academic trajectory, making him the first to graduate in his family, consider sharing the gift of opportunity through a contribution to the Anteater Grant Initiative. SAGE Scholars may not have brought Kevin to UCI but what the program did do for this accomplished scholar was provide individualized resources and training that helped amplify the support he experienced from family and the broader community.
First Generation student and SAGE scholar Kevin Mendez ‘20 thanks his
family for their support, and the opportunity to pursue his dreams.
Another way our Anteater families can show their support is through a gift to The UCI Fund. The UCI Fund serves students across all schools and departments, and provides the university with the ability to support areas of greatest need on campus and respond to new opportunities as they arise. Unlike endowments or restricted funds, the UCI Fund can be used when and where it is needed most, from tuition assistance to classroom equipment to faculty research.
Investing in the UCI Fund remains one of the most powerful ways in which you can help the university cultivate a dynamic learning environment for our students and community. Your generosity supplies UCI with the strength and stability to remain one of the best universities in the country.
No matter where or how you decide to direct your support, thank you for all you to do to enhance the student experience at UCI. We look forward to seeing you on campus sometime soon at an upcoming Parent and Family Engagement event. If you have not already done so, fill out our Parent Information Form to ensure you receive our bi-monthly newsletter, event invitations, and other communications.
