The donation is the largest single gift in the history of the college.
Otis College of Art and Design is honored to receive a significant donation from KORA Organics CEO Miranda Kerr and Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel through the Spiegel Family Fund. The donation will allow for the repayment of outstanding student debt for the graduating Class of 2022. This is the largest single gift in the history of Otis College and will reduce student debt for emerging artists and designers and their families.
“Otis is incredibly grateful for this historic gift from Miranda Kerr and Evan Spiegel, which will be life-changing for the Class of 2022 and their families,” says Charles Hirschhorn, President of Otis College of Art and Design. “Student debt weighs heavily on our diverse and talented graduates. We hope this donation will provide much-deserved relief and empower them to pursue their aspirations and careers, pay this generosity forward and become the next leaders of our community.”
“Otis College of Art and Design is an extraordinary institution that encourages young creatives to find their artistic voices and thrive in a variety of industries and careers,” says Evan and Miranda, founders of the Spiegel Family Fund. “It is a privilege for our family to give back and support the Class of 2022, and we hope this gift will empower graduates to pursue their passions, contribute to the world and inspire humanity for years to come.”
The donation was announced at Otis College’s 2022 Commencement, which featured three honorary degree recipients, including Miranda; Evan, who took classes at Otis College as a high school student before enrolling at Stanford University; and Bobby Berk, design expert and Emmy-nominated TV host of Queer Eye. You can see the graduates’ reactions to this remarkable gift by watching this video from Otis College’s 2022 Commencement ceremony.
Following the ceremony, graduating students received a letter outlining how this generous gift will help them pay back their educational loans borrowed during their time at Otis College that have been certified through its Financial Aid Office. The Spiegel family donation will also be used to create the Alternative Loan Debt Repayment Fund, which the College will use to make charitable gifts to graduating students with similar educational loans secured outside of Otis College.
Established in 2017, the Spiegel Family Fund is committed to philanthropy in California and beyond. Through dedication to the arts, education, housing and human rights, the Fund supports organizations that contribute to human progress.
Since 1918, Otis College has educated a diverse community of students and supported their passions in established and emerging creative sectors, including Communication Arts, Digital Media, Environmental Design, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Product Design and Toy Design, and has prepared them for a rapidly evolving global society. Otis College is one of the most diverse colleges in the U.S., with 77% of the student body identifying as students of color. Over 90% receive financial aid, and upon graduation, over 90% find employment in the creative economy. This gift will help advance the College’s goal of empowering students—regardless of background or socioeconomic status—to pursue their dreams, uninhibited by the burden of financial debt.
Otis College offers a range of services and resources to support its diverse student body, including the newly established Charles White Art and Design Scholarship, a four-year, full-tuition undergraduate scholarship for students from underrepresented groups.
Whether you want to impact a student’s life or pay forward the help you received in your college years, making a difference doesn’t require a checkbook. Contact Allison Graff-Weisner at (310) 658-6995 or agraffweisner@otis.edu to learn more about using your estate plan to support our mission today and in the future.