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The Connie J. Hillman Family Foundation has pledged a two-one matching grant initiative over the next three years. For every two dollars PCC raises, the foundation will match one dollar up to $5 million. So, to get the full $5 million, PCC will have to raise a total of $10 million over the next three years.

It’s the largest private gift the college, which has a total endowment of more than $8 million, has ever received.

Founded in 2011, the Hillman Foundation has given $14 million to local nonprofits over the past decade. This $5 million grant is the largest single pledge to an organization in the Tucson area and is “designed to have a transformative and indelible impression on the regional economy and the future workforce in Southern Arizona.”

Setting up the gift as a so-called challenge grant instead of a direct donation has its benefits, according to the Hillman Foundation.

“What we’ve learned from doing these challenge grants is that it helped charitable organizations much more than just an outright grant,” Larry Adamson, director of the Hillman Foundation, said Wednesday night at an event at the Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort. “It permits those funds to be a challenge to make it easier for (PCC) to go out and ask people to step up and meet the challenge. It permits them to have those supporters continue to support them in the future, which might be worth more than just the money we gave them.”

The grant’s focus on workforce development also supports one of Chancellor Lee Lambert’s signature initiatives: Centers of Excellence.

The college has spent millions on renovating and expanding its facilities to provide hand-on career training in high-demand fields including, automotive repair, information technology and health care. The idea is that those students will graduate and expand the pool of skilled workers in Tucson and the surrounding region.

“A major focus for us is having people obtain jobs so they can have a sustainable living,” Adamson said. “When we became aware of the vision Lee Lambert was presenting for the community, we reached out to Lee’s staff about three years ago.”

The challenge grant, Lambert said, has the “potential for transformational impact by empowering PCC to continue to provide high-quality educational opportunities designed to meet the ever-changing needs and technology advances of today’s workforce.”

Marcy Euler, president of the Pima Foundation, said raising the full $10 million — which the grant would increase to $15 million total — in three years is “daunting,” but “we’re up for it and excited.”

The college has a multilevel strategy in mind for reaching local, state and national donors and achieving the full grant amount within the timeframe.

“Pima Foundation is creating a comprehensive campaign to maximize our ability to achieve the match,” Euler told the ����Ӱ��AV via email. “The campaign will be developed over the next few weeks and will be designed to attract large donations and small gifts from individuals and industry partners, as well as other foundations.”