Lee Brand, Fresno’s former mayor, donates campaign funds. ‘His heart is about this community’
Former Fresno Mayor Lee Brand is donating the remainder of his campaign account to local organizations to use for post-high school scholarships.
Brand closed out his political career with $400,000 in the bank. He’s using that money for scholarships to help students pay for college and vocational training.
The eight organizations receiving the money include: $100,000 to Roosevelt High School, Brand’s alma mater; $55,000 to State Center Community College District for Fresno City College, Brand’s other alma mater; $50,000 to the Fresno Metro Black Chamber Foundation; $50,000 to The Fresno Center; $50,000 to Youth Leadership Institute’s Boys and Men of Color group; $30,000 to Fresno State’s Social Science Department; $25,000 to On Ramps Covenant Church; and $25,000 to Fresno Economic Opportunity Commission’s Valley Apprenticeship Connections.
“My entire career as a public servant was to ensure Fresno’s future was bright, even in the depth of the great recession and the pandemic,” Brand said in a statement. “I always focused on meeting the needs of the current crisis, while still looking forward.
“There are many disadvantaged youths in our city. My hope is that the scholarship endowments I have established will encourage them to attend college or enroll in apprenticeship programs to attain good-paying jobs and improve their quality of life,” he said.
Brand served as Fresno’s mayor from 2016 to 2020 and two terms on the Fresno City Council.
“His heart is about this community,” former City Council colleague Oliver Baines said of Brand during a check presentation ceremony Wednesday at Roosevelt High.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 5:28 PM.