Because of the increasingly prominent role of foundations in supporting improved opportunities for community college students, it may be helpful to understand how foundations set priorities and make decisions. Some foundations engage in responsive grant making, whereby they outline priority areas and then respond to proposals received from the field, approving those they judge to be the best. Increasingly, though, large U.S. foundations pursue strategic grant making, whereby they specify not just priorities but also specific goals and strategies for pursuing them. Engaging in strategic grant making typically causes foundations to become more explicit about the theory of change that drives their strategy. A theory of change entails a causal analysis of the underlying problem, the leverage points for addressing it, and the strategies and approaches it deems most likely to effect change. This chapter explores various theories of change for community colleges and examines how external agencies and funders have sought to support reforms that improve success for diverse groups of students. The author provides a preliminary scan of how successful institutionalization attempts have been, including national and regional examples, and suggests ways that community colleges can sustain reforms over time.