Donate Your Old Computer for an FHDA Student!

Through computer donations from members of our community, such as you, we are able to refurbish older computers and give them to needy students at De Anza and Foothill.

We always wipe the hard drive or storage device to insure that all data is completely erased before the system is passed on to the students. The appropriate operating system (Microsoft Windows) is installed along with any donated application programs.

How the Program Works

1. Computers are donated to Foothill and De Anza College’s Computer Donation & Scholarship Program.
2. Disadvantaged students apply for a computer scholarship through their college's Financial Aid Office.
3. OTI oversees the refurbishing operation that collects donated computers, refurbishes each unit and installs software and operating systems.
4. Qualified students are selected by Financial Aid to receive a refurbished computer.
5. When the computers are ready for distribution, OTI's Computer Donation Program staff members invite the selected student recipients to make an appointment to pick-up their machines at De Anza College.

The program relies on student interns to evaluate and refurbish the computers. This provides the student interns with valuable work experience in computer hardware and software technical support and customer service skills.

This program is made possible through the help and support of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.  The DASB (De Anza Student Body) has consistently provided funding and support for this project.  Local individuals and corporations have donated the necessary raw materials to refurbish into complete computer systems so necessary for student success in college.  Historically support has come in the form of donation from Foothill-De Anza Community College District’s Chancellor’s Circle, the Foothill-De Anza College Commission, the efforts of Executive World, a grant from David and Lucile Packard Foundation, a grant from the National Science Foundation, DASB, FCAS, the work of the CompTechS interns, and individual donations of computers and cash.

Make a Donation

If you would like to donate a computer to the Computer Scholarship Program, please review the minimum standards of equipment listed below. If you have a computer to donate that meets or exceeds these standards, please contact OTI at 408.864.5712.

If you would like to make a cash donation, please make checks payable to The Foothill De Anza Foundation. Please indicate the funds are for OTI's Computer Scholarship Program. Or go to the Foundation's website and download a gift form: http://foundation.fhda.edu/check

Mail the check to:
Foothill-De Anza Foundation
12345 El Monte Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 

Hardware Specifications

To make this program work, we have to make sure that the computers that we receive meet our minimum specifications.

The systems must meet these requirements:

• PC Desktop and Laptop Computers must be a Core 2 Duo or faster or have comparable Intel-compatible CPU.
• Computer equipment that cannot be reused are responsibly recycled.

Software Specifications

Due to software licensing requirements, the only way you can donate software is to donate the actual software and licensing key. Software that is more than three years old is not accepted.

When we receive a system we ensure that all data is removed. We then must install an operating system and application software. We will be installing the latest Windows operating system software on all PC systems. We cannot provide Microsoft Office software unless it is donated. For systems without MS Office, we install Libre Office, a MS Office-like open source product.

CompTechS and the students really appreciate your donations and understanding that only systems that meet our specifications are usable.

For additional information, contact: Joseph Lipsig at 408.864.5712 or lipsigjoseph@fhda.edu.

For information on receiving a computer scholarship, read the Computer Scholarship section of this website.