California State University Dominguez Hills Foundation

California State University Dominguez Hills Foundation

The California State University, Dominguez Hills Philanthropic Foundation was established in 2015 as a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. Its creation formalized the university's ability to raise and invest private funds, separating the philanthropic arm from direct state appropriation cycles. Tracy Gray, a board director and the Investment Committee's treasurer/secretary, also founded The 22 Fund, a growth-equity firm targeting underserved communities in manufacturing and exporting — a link that suggests the Foundation's committee may draw upon a network beyond typical regional university boards. The Foundation's portfolio appears bifurcated: traditional financial assets held through the CSU Consolidated Investment Pool and non-financial assets held directly. The pooled structure provides exposure to real estate and commodities alongside conventional equity and fixed-income allocations, while direct holdings include works of art and historical treasures on the Dominguez Hills campus and the LGBTQ Archival Collection. The Foundation maintains risk-management relationships through the California State University Risk Management Authority, an alliance that pools insurance and liability programs across the 23-campus system. Sevcikova runs the office's operations, reporting to a board whose membership includes Gray and representatives from the Toro Auxiliary Partners, a separate auxiliary that handles campus fiscal services and commercial operations. The Foundation belongs to the Auxiliary Organizations Association, a professional network specific to CSU auxiliaries, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. EntreNous Community Empowerment, a community-based nonprofit, partners with the Foundation on youth and family engagement programs in the Carson area, extending the Foundation's reach beyond pure fundraising into direct program delivery. The Foundation's most distinctive structural feature is its dual holding of tradeable pooled assets alongside permanently held campus cultural assets — a governance challenge few small endowments face. There is no evidence of a separate investment office or dedicated CIO; investment decisions flow through a board committee whose members serve dual roles across other auxiliaries and outside firms, a model that can reduce overhead but demands robust conflict-of-interest management.