Dawn and Dave Gross are entrusting $15 million to the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) to fund a program that pays high schoolers to build real businesses.

The couple, both 1987 Newbury Park High School graduates, built NewCo Foundation to support young entrepreneurs across Ventura County. Now they are transferring its assets to VCCF, according to an announcement from the foundation published Wednesday, Oct. 28. The money will create the NewCo Foundation Charitable Fund at VCCF and keep NextGen Ventures running across the county.

At Newbury Park High, the program operates as Gold Coast Creations. It is one of nine student-led enterprises at eight schools across five county districts.

The gift is personal. Dave Gross, co-founder of NewCo Foundation and NextGen Ventures, said the couple wants to help young people find career paths and build something of their own. "Dawn and I have always loved starting companies and building something from the ground up," he said in the VCCF announcement. "We want to help others, especially our youth, … express their creativity and have fun. For us, the journey is the reward."

A decade of local giving

The gift caps more than a decade of philanthropy in the region. Through NewCo Foundation, the Grosses seeded California Lutheran University's entrepreneurship competition in 2015 and gave more than $1 million to Miracle League of the 805 to build Friendship Field in Camarillo, according to the VCCF announcement. They also equipped the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo's design lab.

The couple's next business venture, Hiatus Craft House, will direct all profits to the new VCCF fund along with additional planned giving, the announcement said.

How NextGen Ventures works

Since 2017, NextGen Ventures has placed students in paid entrepreneurial apprenticeships in partnership with five school districts. Students handle every stage of running a business: product design, marketing, budgeting and management. Revenue generated goes back into the program.

The program has provided more than 1,000 internships and logged over 140,000 student hours, according to VCCF. Student-led enterprises have generated more than $1 million in sales.

Going forward, Intentional Schools LLC will operate the program. The company was founded by Dr. Tiffany Morse, a veteran educator with more than 20 years in school administration and career education. VCCF will provide ongoing funding through the new charitable fund.

"With VCCF's stewardship and endowed funding from Dawn and Dave Gross, this work now has a lasting home," Morse said in the announcement.

Vanessa Bechtel, VCCF president and CEO, called the foundation "honored to serve as the keepers of their dream" and pledged support for the students "for decades to come."

Current NextGen programs include RCMakes at Rancho Campana High School, DTech at Foothill Technology High School, DMS Solutions and the Performing Arts Center at Santa Susana High School, Metal Jacket Labs at Oxnard High School, Royal Forge at Royal High School, Jaguar Video at Del Sol High School and Ojai Makers. Residents can learn more at newco.foundation/nextgen-ventures.