The Orange County School of the Arts Foundation raised a net $1 million in support of the school’s students at a recent gala fundraiser.
It got a big hand from new foundation board member Mohamed El-Erian, who matched up to $250,000 of all funds donated toward the Fund-A-Dream portion of the event, which raised $574,500.
The amount will fund 115 students’ dreams.
El-Erian is chief economic adviser at Germany-based Allianz. He was formerly co-chief executive of Newport Beach-based Pacific Investment Management Co., which Allianz owns.
Fund-A-Dream benefits the Artist Scholar Sponsorship Program campaign for economically-disadvantaged students. The foundation supports the school’s tuition-free programs and expansion plans.
The academic portion of the Santa Ana public charter school is funded by the state of California, while the arts portion is funded by private donations.
–Deirdre Newman
