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Support Us
Become a supporter of the Berkeley Food Institute!
Our work is generously supported through both university and non-university funding sources. External grants and private donations provide crucial core operation and project-based support that allow us to carry out critical programs and activities aimed to transform food systems to expand access to healthy, affordable food and promote sustainable and equitable food production.
Your tax-deductible donation to BFI will help us achieve our mission to empower new food and agriculture leaders with the capacity to cultivate diverse, just, resilient, and healthy food systems.
BFI was founded on two core principles: cross-disciplinary collaboration and ongoing, mutually beneficial partnerships inside and outside of Berkeley. This includes our outstanding researchers and students, and with community groups, worker organizations, food businesses, and other external partners.
Five schools at UC Berkeley — Rausser College of Natural Resources, the School of Public Health, the Graduate School of Journalism, Berkeley Law, and the Goldman School of Public Policy — signed on to support our launch, with private philanthropic backing. In the years since, we have added the College of Environmental Design, Haas School of Business, and the Division of Social Sciences at the College of Letters and Sciences to our group of partner schools. Each contributes faculty and expertise, especially for events and programs that engage students, legislators, community members, and partners. However, none of these departments contribute significant operating funds to BFI.
Like most research centers on this public university campus, we are responsible for raising the majority of our costs. As a result, BFI is completely independent in terms of strategic direction and output. Our tax and lobbying status are as a hybrid government-nonprofit organization.
Thank you to our funders!
Our Core Funders*
- 11th Hour Project of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Family Foundation
- Epstein/Roth Foundation
- Vice Chancellors Office for Research
- Wellness Fund (Student Fee Referendum)
- UC Global Food Initiative
- Hellman Foundation
- CS Fund
- Stupski Foundation
- USD Transition to Organic Partnership Program
- CS Fund
- Cindy Daniel and Douglas Lipton
- Patagonia
- The Green Initiative Fund
- USDA OREI (UCSC Subaward)
- CDFA Farm to School Evaluation
*This list comprises donors of $10,000 or more from July 1, 2022 to March 20, 2023. We are also grateful for the generous support of many additional donors.
We are also pleased to acknowledge the following funders of affiliated Berkeley Food Institute centers:
Center for Diversified Farming Systems
- CS Fund
- National Science Foundation
- The U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Army Research Office
- USDA-NIFA: Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment Program
- The Walker Fund
Food Labor Research Center
- Coit Family Foundation
- Epstein/Roth Foundation
- Noelle Leca
- Stacy R. Jacobs Foundation
- The Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation
If you would like to give by check, please make it out to the UC Berkeley Foundation with “Berkeley Food Institute” in the memo line and mail to:
Gift Services
University of California Berkeley
1995 University Ave, Suite 400
Berkeley, CA 94704
For more information on ways to support the Berkeley Food Institute, please contact Nathalie Muñoz at namc93@berkeley.edu.