Manny Garcia's school gets $1M to fund scholarships and faculty growth

The Ansin Foundation, the Channel 7 Foundation, and the Channel 18 Foundation committed $1 million to Florida International University on Thursday. The funds will support the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, where two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Manny Garcia serves as executive director.

Garcia was appointed to lead the school in 2025 as its first executive director from the Knight Foundation. The donation was announced during a ceremony in Miami that recognized his decades of investigative reporting. The three foundations trace their origins to Ed Ansin, who co-founded Sunbeam Television in 1957 and later owned WSVN and ABC Miami. His sons, Andrew and James, established the Channel 7 and Channel 18 Foundations.

Garcia described the contribution as a legacy gift designed to mentor future reporters. “This gift, it's a legacy gift because what it's doing is helping to support the next generations of journalists who are going to go out there and carry the torch forward,” he said. He characterized the event as an amazing opportunity for the department.

Brian Schriner, Dean of the College of Communication, Architecture and the Arts, stated that the money will provide immediate benefits to students. He noted that the funds will finance scholarships allowing students to work in the school's Washington bureau. The donation will also expand local news coverage and strengthen the faculty. Schriner thanked the Ansin Foundation for its confidence in FIU's students and faculty.

The Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media currently offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism, broadcasting, and digital and interactive media. The $1 million injection aims to sustain these programs while honoring Garcia's record of award-winning work.