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COVID-19 Giving Hub

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9 Projects
Ease Student Challenges through the Emergency Fund
COVID-19 Student Support
Make a gift to help ease the challenges brought about by this pandemic which are affecting all of our students, especially our most vulnerable communities.
Make a gift to help ease the challenges brought about by this pandemic which are affecting all of our students, especially our most vulnerable communities. <p>COVID-19 Student Support</p> The Student Emergency Fund provides much-needed, direct financial support to Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students who are experiencing unforeseen difficulties during this time. Many students are greatly impacted due to the loss of jobs and are struggling to find the necessary resources to cover their day to day expenses and academic endeavors.   <strong>To ensure the maximum number of students</strong><strong> finish their Berkeley education, Kathy Kwan, B.S. ’87, M.B.A./M.P.H. ’93 has committed $1,000,000 to support student emergency financial aid. Kathy has challenged the Berkeley community to build upon her generosity by also making a gift. </strong> <strong>We need to raise an additional $1,000,000 to meet that challenge and we're hoping you will</strong><strong> contribute today to make a difference for our students.</strong>   “How do we ensure that the maximum number of students finish their Berkeley education?” Kwan asked, emphasizing that the support our community provides today has significant implications for Berkeley’s long-term health. Our students are the lifeblood of our university, and we need your help to keep them on track to graduate and bring their talents to the world.    <em>"This is a scary time for everyone, but especially for kids who can’t get home or work jobs that once sustained them." </em> — Sara Jane Harris, mother of Andy, class of 2022, on why she gave to the Student Emergency Fund  The challenges brought about by this pandemic are affecting all of our students, especially our most vulnerable communities, including disabled students, student parents, first-generation students and low-income students.   Your gifts will be used to help students impacted by providing resources such as:<ul><li>Relocating students</li><li>Housing expenses</li><li>Food</li><li>Essential items like household goods, clothing, and books</li><li>Technology solutions for remote learning</li></ul> Join Kathy Kwan, Sara Jane Harris, and the many other alumni, parents, and friends of Berkeley in deepening the resources that we can and must provide for our students. With your support, their lives are changed for the better today, and our world is changed for the better tomorrow.  If you are specifically interested in supporting our international graduate students whose situation has changed dramatically due to the COVID-19 crisis you can make a gift <a href="https://give.berkeley.edu/egiving/index.cfm?fund=FU1288000">here</a>.    Looking to learn more? For questions about this resource for students, contact <a href="mailto:studentexperience@berkeley.edu">studentexperience@berkeley.edu</a>.   For more information on Berkeley's response to COVID-19, which includes campus community updates, visit <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/">https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/</a>.   For the latest research efforts emerging from Berkeley regarding COVID-19, vist <a href="https://innovativegenomics.org/">https://innovativegenomics.org/</a>.   <a href="https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/g/covid"></a>   Top Image: Armando Cortes, the campus’s PPE coordinator, accepted masks donated from a Cal parent in Pinole, California.
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Support COVID-19 Research at the Innovative Genomics Institute
COVID-19 Research
As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, there remains a critical lack of testing capability. Help us expand testing and turn-around time by making a gift today.
As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, there remains a critical lack of testing capability. Help us expand testing and turn-around time by making a gift today. <p>COVID-19 Research</p> As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in the U.S., there remains a critical lack of testing capability. We must test more people, or we cannot track and contain the virus. The <a href="https://innovativegenomics.org/">Innovative Genomics Institute</a> (IGI) is using our considerable scientific resources to expand testing capacity and turn-around time. The IGI is a Bay Area research partnership founded by Jennifer Doudna, co-developer of CRISPR, to use science for the public good. We are now working around the clock to set up a clinical COVID-19 testing lab at the IGI that will analyze patient samples collected by clinical partners. An effort of this nature is extremely challenging and requires staff at multiple institutions, new equipment, new reagents and extensive administrative support.  Looking ahead, we are developing point-of-care diagnostic tests and launching strategic research projects to understand the virus and combat it with new therapeutics. Contributions of any size get us closer to accomplishing our important goals. Thank you for your support!   <strong>For more information, contact</strong>: IGI COVID-19 Rapid Research Response Team <a href="mailto:igi-covid19@berkeley.edu">igi-covid19@berkeley.edu</a>     <a href="https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/g/covid"></a>
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Support the Pandemics and Urgent Health Crises Fund
COVID-19 Research
Help us increase the scientific understanding and innovative product development to slow the spread of newly emerging pandemics, such as COVID-19.
Help us increase the scientific understanding and innovative product development to slow the spread of newly emerging pandemics, such as COVID-19. <p>COVID-19 Research</p> Pandemics and Urgent Health Crises Fund   Emerging and neglected diseases encompass a variety of debilitating, and often deadly, infections. Neglected diseases have co-existed with humans for millennia, such as malaria, tuberculosis and leprosy. Emerging diseases are new diseases that may have come from drug-resistant forms of familiar pathogens or may be zoonotic diseases that have leapt from animals to people. You recognize them by names like Ebola, HIV, Zika, SARS and now COVID-19.   In supporting CEND, you help a set of people and projects underway in response to COVID-19.   Examples range from testing existing FDA-approved therapeutics against the novel coronavirus in our Drug Discovery Center, hack-a-thon teams developing low-cost at-home diagnostic tests and ventilators, to hard core research looking at disabling the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID-19, moderating the overstimulated immune response of the body when invaded by the virus, or conducting experiments to support the development of a universal vaccine.   <strong>A contribution of any size will make a difference.</strong> Some of the groundwork we lay today will help us combat the next health crisis or pandemic. That's what we do: the mission of CEND is to innovate and change the global response to emerging and neglected infectious diseases.   With gratitude.   For more information, please contact: <a href="mailto:cend@berkeley.edu">cend@berkeley.edu</a>   <a href="https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/g/covid"></a>
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Help Crucial Research Continue at Berkeley
COVID-19 Research
Your support of the VC for Research Discretionary Fund will help ensure that Cal researchers can continue their path-breaking work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Your support of the VC for Research Discretionary Fund will help ensure that Cal researchers can continue their path-breaking work during the COVID-19 pandemic. <p>COVID-19 Research</p> Your support of the Vice Chancellor for Research Discretionary Fund will help with one of Berkeley's highest priorities: ensuring that our researchers can continue their path-breaking work.  As our community faces the COVID-19 pandemic, UC Berkeley researchers have turned to making contributions to mitigate the challenges at hand. Our researchers are employing their science facilities and research labs, their advanced data analysis tools, their 3D printers and their vast international networks, to help ease the burdens societies around the world now confront. Until large-scale federal and state funding opportunities come online, we need to support our researchers with flexible funding, so that important discoveries and creative new ideas are not delayed. We also need to ensure that the restarting of research endeavors can proceed smoothly, once the majority of our researchers can return to the campus.   If you would like to support this effort, given the pressure it is placing on UC Berkeley’s constrained resources, <strong>please consider making a gift</strong> which will support initiatives including, but not limited to: <ul> <li> Enable researchers and their labs to pivot to COVID-19 research (upgrade capabilities, establish new collaborations etc.) </li> <li> Continue critical research disrupted by COVID-19 </li> <li> Support student researchers and postdocs, so that they can complete their studies and embark on the next step in their careers. </li> </ul> Funds will be deployed in a rapid and flexible fashion by senior academic leaders under the leadership of the Vice Chancellor for Research to provide relief in times of need. Your support will help us to ensure that exceptional researchers can continue their work at UC Berkeley and have the resources they need to be successful.    Some early examples of the kinds of projects that will be supported, include <ul> <li> Expanded campus facilities where researchers can work with the virus that causes COVID-19. Because it is both infectious and airborne, this work requires what is known as biosafety level 3, or BSL3, containment. Once underway, the expansion could be completed in 8-12 weeks and would greatly speed research toward treatment and prevention. </li> <li> Bridge funding for researchers applying the latest data science techniques to help optimize the distribution of ventilators and other critical resources. </li> <li> Students who are repurposing the chemicals in their research labs to manufacture and distribute hand sanitizers to the local community. Read more about this initiative here: <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/04/13/liquid-gold-uc-berkeley-lab-makes-free-hand-sanitizer-for-the-needy/">https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/04/13/liquid-gold-uc-berkeley-lab-makes-free-hand-sanitizer-for-the-needy/</a> </li> </ul>   <strong>Learn more about UC Berkeley’s response to COVID-19:</strong>  <ul> <li><a href="https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/covid-19/news">Highlights covering the latest COVID-19 related research and advocacy</a> </li> <li><a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/berkeley-conversations-covid-19/">COVID-19 Campus Conversations</a> </li> <li><a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/">COVID-19 Campus Response and Resources</a> </li> </ul>   The Vice Chancellor for Research Discretionary Fund provides unrestricted support at the discretion of the Vice Chancellor for Research.   <a href="https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/g/covid"></a>
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Support Rausser College's Sanitizer Projects
COVID-19 Research
Students and faculty are developing sanitizing items to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our most vulnerable populations. Make a gift to support our efforts!
Students and faculty are developing sanitizing items to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our most vulnerable populations. Make a gift to support our efforts! <p>COVID-19 Research</p> Faculty and students in the Rausser College of Natural Resources are working on a myriad of projects to address the devastating impacts of COVID-19.   For instance, the Clean Hands Project, an effort put forth by students and staff in the Energy Biosciences Institute and the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, is developing sanitizing wipes. Professor James Olzmann in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology is also generating hand sanitizer, in collaboration with Professor Robert Tijan and Professor Xavier Darzacq from the Department of Molecular Cell Biology. Both projects are distributing these potentially life-saving items to homeless shelters and domestic violence centers in the Bay Area, in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in some our most vulnerable populations.   Gifts to this fund will seed this initiative and other small-scale projects that can make a big difference.
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Provide Essentials to Students through the Basic Needs Fund
COVID-19 Student Support
Help the Basic Needs Center meet the exacerbated need of students by address food, housing, and financial insecurity during this time of crisis.
Help the Basic Needs Center meet the exacerbated need of students by address food, housing, and financial insecurity during this time of crisis. <p>COVID-19 Student Support</p> As a result of COVID-19 the Basic Needs Center redesigned its services to meet the exacerbated need of students while honoring public health guidelines including moving case management services online and setting up food pop-ups and grocery bag distribution sites throughout the community.    In March alone these new efforts yielded: <ul> <li> 2,000+ visits to food pantry pop-ups and grocery bag distributions </li> <li> $30,000 awarded in rental assistance to 26 students </li> <li> 41 students served through case management  </li> </ul> The Center is dedicated to providing ongoing support to the community throughout COVID-19 and beyond and is proud to be working with campus partners as part of the UC Berkeley COVID-19 Student Relief Circle to ensure students are food and housing secure.    Looking to learn more? For questions about this resource for students, contact <a href="mailto:studentexperience@berkeley.edu">studentexperience@berkeley.edu</a>.   For more information on Berkeley's response to COVID-19, which includes campus community updates, visit <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/">https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/</a>.   For the latest research efforts emerging from Berkeley regarding COVID-19, vist <a href="https://innovativegenomics.org/">https://innovativegenomics.org/</a>.   <a href="https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/g/covid"></a>
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Provide Students Access to More Library Resources 2020
COVID-19 Student Support
Your support will help us provide access to resources online as the Library expands its outreach and digital services while students are remote learning.
Your support will help us provide access to resources online as the Library expands its outreach and digital services while students are remote learning. <p>COVID-19 Student Support</p> When the COVID-19 pandemic closed much of the campus, the UC Berkeley Library remained open — virtually — so the need for digitized collections to provide Cal’s students, faculty, and researchers, as well as students and scholars worldwide, with immediate access to millions of items is more critical than ever.   This year, the Library launched its new Digital Collections website — a unified home for its rapidly growing collection of digitized materials. The website connects people with the Library’s rare and unique digitized special collections, books, manuscripts, images, photographs, newspapers, and more. Fully searchable and free to all, the platform makes possible endless research quests and rabbit holes to delve into the Library’s collections, from the archives documenting life in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake to historical issues of Berkeley’s student newspaper to a trove of materials on the Japanese internment.   Not only is the Library working to digitize our existing collections, but we are also focused on purchasing new items in electronic formats wherever possible to provide the Berkeley academic community with quick access to the materials they need for coursework, research, and teaching.   At the same time, the Library is striving to untether the discoveries of the future. A national leader in the push for open access, the Library is fighting to make University of California research freely available to all, helping global leaders and researchers tackle society’s greatest challenges. A world without these barriers advances knowledge, promotes progress — including in the critically important fields of health care and medicine — and maximizes the impact of research.   Your gift will allow us to continue to support the Berkeley community — and the world beyond — during this challenging time. With your support, we will continue to provide access to a wealth of resources online as the Library expands its outreach and remote services. We will be able to keep digitizing our historical, one-of-a-kind treasures, making them freely available to Berkeley students and researchers, and people across the globe, while we’re in the throes of self-isolation. Your support will enable the digitization of collections big and small, with materials including audio and video recordings, maps, manuscripts, historical photographs, and rare books. And it will allow us to purchase Library materials in electronic formats, ensuring everyone has a world of knowledge at their fingertips.   If you have any questions about these giving opportunities, please contact <a href="mailto:give@library.berkeley.edu">give@library.berkeley.edu</a>.   More details on supporting digitization and open access: <a href="https://give.lib.berkeley.edu/set-our-treasures-free">https://give.lib.berkeley.edu/set-our-treasures-free</a> How the Library can help during the pandemic: <a href="https://news.lib.berkeley.edu/COVID-FAQ">https://news.lib.berkeley.edu/COVID-FAQ</a> Digital Collections website: <a href="https://digital.lib.berkeley.edu/">https://digital.lib.berkeley.edu/</a> Bringing The Daily Californian to everyone: <a href="https://news.lib.berkeley.edu/Daily-Cal">https://news.lib.berkeley.edu/Daily-Cal</a>   <a href="https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/g/covid"></a>
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Ensure Students can Access Health Services
COVID-19 Student Support
Make a gift to ensure that our Student Health Services have the resources they need to treat students in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Make a gift to ensure that our Student Health Services have the resources they need to treat students in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. <p>COVID-19 Student Support</p> As Berkeley students navigate the impacts of COVID-19 on their academic experience, many require critical support for their physical and mental health. In response, UHS has enhanced its care offerings during this time, while minimizing the risk of exposure to others through enhanced screening, dedicated sick and well clinics and increased virtual access to medical care.   University Health Services is an important campus resource, providing numerous COVID-19-related resources including online therapy assistance, phone appointments with counselors and virtual workshops, as well as,after-hours counseling services for students. To continue these critical services, we welcome your support to ensure all Berkeley students are supported physically and mentally during this time.   Looking to learn more? For questions about this resource for students, contact <a href="mailto:studentexperience@berkeley.edu">studentexperience@berkeley.edu</a>.   For more information on Berkeley's response to COVID-19, which includes campus community updates, visit <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/">https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/</a>.   For the latest research efforts emerging from Berkeley regarding COVID-19, vist <a href="https://innovativegenomics.org/">https://innovativegenomics.org/</a>.   <a href="https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/g/covid"></a>
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Alleviate Financial Burdens through Scholarship Support
COVID-19 Student Support
Your support of Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarships will provide valuable financial support to our students during this uncertain time and in the future.
Your support of Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarships will provide valuable financial support to our students during this uncertain time and in the future. <p>COVID-19 Student Support</p> During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our students have had to leave their current jobs or have had unexpected substantial expenses. The Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship can help students in need alleviate some of the costs of tuition. As Berkeley's most historic scholarship program, the Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship has been recognizing the academic merits and financial need of our undergraduates. Each year, over 3,000 students receive a Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship which are widely supported through the generous philanthropy of our donors. Make your gift today to ensure that our students continue to receive the education that they deserve. Your gift will greatly impact the next generation of students and ensure that we can provide financial resources during this critical and uncertain time.   For more information on the Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship, visit <a href="https://financialaid.berkeley.edu/berkeley-undergraduate-scholarship">https://financialaid.berkeley.edu/berkeley-undergraduate-scholarship</a>. For the latest COVID-19 news from Berkeley, visit <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/">https://news.berkeley.edu/coronavirus/</a>.   <a href="https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/g/covid"></a>
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