Capital Outlay Program

The State capital outlay process, although long standing, became particularly active just after World War II, when State and local funds were plentiful and burgeoning population was willing to pay taxes for schools, colleges, parks, highways, and other capital improvements. These capital outlay funds were earmarked for initial capital improvements: land, infrastructure, buildings, and first-time purchase of equipment.

The Capital Outlay Program assists community college districts by providing financial resources for major capital projects, such as new construction or existing facility renovation. Local contributions to any given project are determined on a case by case basis.

Projects funded by this program must be major capital projects, such as new construction or existing facility renovation. Projects for facilities that are not State-supported pursuant to Title 5 (parking lots, stadiums, bookstores, and dormitories) are not considered for funding in the Capital Outlay Program. Projects for repair or maintenance of facilities are supported by the Scheduled Maintenance & Special Repairs Program. Projects for control or removal of hazardous substances are supported by the Hazardous Substances Program.

To apply for state capital outlay funds, community college districts annually submit project proposals to the State Chancellor’s Office in two parts. The first part, called an Initial Project Proposal (IPP), is a three-page concept paper. The second part, called a Final Project Proposal (FPP), is a complete proposal with justification and budget detail. Projects are to be initially submitted to the Chancellor’s Office for review by July 1 using the three-page IPP form. After evaluating the IPPs, the State Chancellor’s Office notifies the community college districts of those IPPs to develop into FPPs due the following February for possible submission to the Board for project scope approval. It is expected that each district will discuss in the FPP the relationship of the proposed project with the district’s comprehensive educational and facility master plans. It is further expected that the districts will explore why there is no viable alternative other than to support the proposed project. 

For information on how the State Chancellor’s Office prioritizes capital outlay projects, please refer to Board of Governor's Policy on Capital Outlay Program Priorities 2020 Revision  .

Every year, SMCCCD submits a Five Year Construction Plan (5YCP) to the State Chancellor’s Office for funding consideration in the Capital Outlay Program. This plan is developed by the Facilities Planning Department, in consultation with College and District administration and as approved by the Board of Trustees. Initial project proposals for State funding, final project proposals, and a comprehensive detailing of planned projects (be they locally or State funded) are shown in priority and sequence in the five year construction plan. The plan takes into account an important criterion for campus facilities planning: capacity to load ratios. The capacity to load ratio is a comparison of the square footage a College has in relation to the square footage the College’s enrollment indicates it needs. Capacity to load ratios are measured for different categories of space, including lecture, laboratory, office, library, and audio/visual support spaces.

The Five Year Construction Plans are extremely large documents which include multiple Final Project Proposals (FPPs), Initial Project Proposals (IPPs), and capacity to load ratio analyses. For copies of these documents, please contact the Facilities Planning & Operations Department.

Five Year Construction Plans and FPPs are available here:

Five Year Construction Plans and Project Proposals