America's community colleges are a key link in the chain of upward mobility, and they need more support than they're getting. This is an obvious statement for many in the community-college world, but with the growing challenges facing the system that educates almost half of the nation's undergraduates, the author contends that there is need to push the discussion of how to increase financial support--particularly in private and philanthropic dollars--for community colleges. That discussion is increasingly important because public funds for community colleges are becoming more and more unreliable. The current economic woes add to that unreliability, with some cash-strapped states even raiding the funds of community colleges to pay for other services. Without reliable budgets, it is difficult for college administrators to think in the long term financially. Community colleges need sustainable support that incorporates more philanthropic dollars to supplement the public funds that often come at the whim of the electorate.