Impact

The UCSC International Genetically Engineered Machine (IGEM) team was awarded a grant of $20,000 to develop a complex science project that benefits underserved communities to be presented at the IGEM international conference. The grant supports solutions oriented experiential learning opportunities for UCSC students.

The BOF awarded $16,200 to bring together undergraduate student artists and members of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band (AMTB) to create an illustrated booklet on the traditional use of twenty local native plant species. This project, part of a broader ethnobotanical resource initiative will support the creation of ten additional plant illustrations and text, culminating in an ethnobotanical guide available online and in print. The project will also result in a public exhibition at a Santa Cruz museum

The Board Opportunity Fundapproved a $30,000 for the Giving Day Slug Power Challenge, with $10,000 allocated annually for FY23, FY24, and FY25. Giving Day, a 24-hour fundraising event, enhances student success by raising funds for financial aid, basic needs support, mental health services, research opportunities, and social mobility. The project teams with the most undergraduate alumni donors will receive $4,000, $2,000, and $500 for first, second, and third place, respectively.

The BOF awarded a $20,000 grant for a partnership between UC Santa Cruz and the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF) to establish archives for Huerta’s papers and DHF records. The grant supports the Project Processing Archivist to organize these archives, making them accessible to researchers, students, and the public, while also providing training opportunities for students. This project will promote Huerta’s overlooked legacy and the DHF’s history.

The Center for South Asian Studies (CSAS) received $15,000 from BOF to bring Arivu, one of India’s most prominent Dalit artists, and his band, the Ambassa Collective, to campus. Their visit provided a dynamic platform for promoting awareness and dialogue on these critical social issues within the broader public and community.

The Santa Cruz Galaxy Workshop (SCGW) received a $10,000 grant to support its role as a premier international conference on galaxies, where cosmology intersects with star and planet formation. The 2023 workshop will coincide with the Assembling Galaxies of Resolved Anatomy (AGORA) meeting, a key international collaboration focused on improving high-resolution galaxy simulation programs. Together, SCGW and AGORA underscore UCSC’s prominence as a global hub for astronomy.

The BOF awarded $13,818 for the public launch of the LEED Initiative (Leadership in the Equitable and Ethical Design of STEM Research) on February 27, 2024. Held at UCSC Silicon Valley Campus in Santa Clara, the event will feature a panel and public discussion with scholars, policymakers, and funders on “Centering Equity and Justice in Research: What Will It Take?” The initiative aims to develop guidelines for promoting equity and justice in science and engineering. This launch will bring together thought leaders from UCs, Stanford, Cal State, and Silicon Valley to envision more equitable research practices and communities.

The BOF awarded a $20,000 grant to support UCSC’s new role as Global Secretariat of the Right Livelihood College network. A weeklong convening from April 22-26, 2024, will advance donor and foundation development, launch international collaborations, and engage over 1,000 participants through events at UCSC’s Silicon Valley and main campuses. This strategic launch will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Right Livelihood Center, integrate with Earth Week programming, and align with student elections to boost voter turnout and support the Right Livelihood student fee measure.

The Board Opportunity Fund approved a $30,000 for the Giving Day Slug Power Challenge, with $10,000 allocated annually for FY23, FY24, and FY25. Giving Day, a 24-hour fundraising event, enhances student success by raising funds for financial aid, basic needs support, mental health services, research opportunities, and social mobility. The project teams with the most undergraduate alumni donors will receive $4,000, $2,000, and $500 for first, second, and third place, respectively.

This project was awarded a $20,000 BOF grant. The poject investigates the effects of climate change on Antarctic humpback whales. Key activities include collecting skin and blubber biopsy samples from whales around the Antarctic Peninsula during fall and winter, analyzing these samples to determine sex, pregnancy status, stress levels, and population details, mentoring students, and publishing findings.

The Center for Monster Studies received $20,000 from BOF to expand the 2023 Festival of Monsters, aiming to broaden its academic and creative reach and enhance its standing in the Monster Studies community.

This initiative leveraged a $40,000 BOF grant to facilitate a mutually beneficial partnership between entrepreneur students and local businesses, that aimed to address the challenges posed by COVID-19 through collaborative, cost-free solutions.

A BOF grant of $10,000 was awarded for use on Giving Day for matching fundraising challenges.

In 2021, a BOF $10,000 grant was awarded to expand this project, which installed barn owl nest boxes and raptor perches to test burrowing rodent control along the Pajaro River in Watsonville, California, including GIS tracking, constructing more habitats, community outreach, undergraduate training, and an internship for local indigenous youth.

The CASFS project, with an emphasis on expanding and improving organic and sustainable farming education through online and remote learning, was kickstarted with a $20,000 grant from the UCSC Board Opportunity Fund.

In 2021, the startup pitch competition, IDEA Hub, marked its 5th year as a pivotal platform for UC Santa Cruz’s vibrant startup ecosystem, significantly increasing campus engagement in innovation through a notable $10,000 BOF award.

This initiative was granted $15,000 in funding to support a diverse range of programs, which cultivate a vibrant community that fosters collaboration among student entrepreneurs, mentors, and startups in Santa Cruz County.

The UCSC Physics Department was awarded $25,000 to develop an Optics Experiments Lab and course for undergraduates, addressing the previously unmet need for hands-on optics education.

In December 2019, the UCSC Experiential Leadership Program (ELP), aimed at developing innovative leadership and team-building services, was awarded a $20,000 BOF grant to support its revitalization and expansion.

The Barring Freedom project was awarded a $22,000 grant to support its extensive program, aimed at educating and engaging UC Santa Cruz students and the broader community about mass incarceration and its systemic issues through art and scholarship.

The UC Santa Cruz Astrobiology Initiative successfully kicked off the “Universe in Verse” campaign in Spring 2020 in collaboration with Maria Popova, focusing on the exploration of life outside Earth, and received funding of $30,000.

The Monterey Bay Archaeological Research Center (MBARC), a non-profit repository for archaeological materials from the greater Monterey Bay region, successfully secured a $10,000 BOF grant for the expansion and enhancement of its repository and public outreach capabilities.

In 2020, the Tech4Good Lab expanded its efforts and doubled in size to empower 80 undergraduate students through hands-on learning in public-interest technology, receiving $22,979 in funding.

The University of California Santa Cruz, in partnership with the Urban Research Based Action Network, successfully organized the “ALL-IN: Co-Producing Knowledge for Justice” conference, emphasizing community-engaged research for sustainable change, and was funded $21,600 from BOF for the initiative.

The Council of Department Faculty (CDF) and the Board Opportunity Fund (BOF) partnered in a one-year pilot for the 2020-21 academic year to seed interdisciplinary faculty-led research initiatives with a total of $36,000 in funding.

The Genomics Institute at UC Santa Cruz successfully proposed a shift to an online outreach program, focusing on video and streamed talks for genomics education and fundraising, and received a BOF grant of $15,000 that was matched by the Institute.

In fall 2020, the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery at UC Santa Cruz showcased the Unique Multiples: Teaching with the Parkett Collection, featuring around 60 works from international artists, funded by a $20,000 grant from the BOF.

In 2019, UC Santa Cruz launched the Southeast Asian Coastal Studies Initiative with a $24,468 grant from the BOF, aiming to foster interdisciplinary research on ecological challenges in Southeast Asia.

The University Library was granted a $15,000 seed grant from the Board Opportunity Fund in March 2019 to establish the Digital Scholarship Innovation Studio (DSI), aiming to foster a dynamic, interdisciplinary space for 3D printing experimentation and learning.

In 2019, UC Santa Cruz established a formal relationship with the Tinker Foundation, which supports research on and in Latin America, aiming to expand research funding opportunities for graduate students and faculty, with an initial grant amount of $10,000.

In 2019, Sikina Jinnah’s proposal for a workshop aimed at enhancing the teaching of global environmental politics through interdisciplinary collaboration was approved, receiving a $10,000 grant from the Board Opportunity Fund.

The Grand Opening Quarry Celebration, supported by a $20,000 BOF grant, successfully marked the reopening of UCSC’s Quarry Amphitheater with a free concert, involving the campus community in celebration of the $6.5 million renovation.

In 2017, Kresge College hosted Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas for a public lecture on the challenges faced by undocumented Americans, supported by a BOF grant amount of $10,000 used to incentivize giving to the Educational Opportunity Program.

This proposal is to fund critical research in the promising application of Chiral Conversion of Amyloid Proteins (patent pending) associated with various diseases including Alzheimer’s received a $15,000 BOF grant to advance this pioneering research.

The Right Livelihood Conference at UC Santa Cruz, aimed at profiling the university’s legacy in sustainability and social justice, received a $10,000 challenge grant from the BOF to match up to $10,000 in contributions for the regional conference of North American Right Livelihood Laureates held from May 15-18, 2018.

The Future Garden for the Central Coast of California project, initiated by the Institute of the Arts and Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, received a $10,000 grant from the BOF to enhance visitor engagement and support its ecological research endeavors.

The Linguistics Department at UC Santa Cruz was awarded a $12,000 BOF grant to support the creation of orthographies and other materials for the preservation of Oaxacan languages, involving fieldwork, the development of a more mature online database, and future projects to enhance language vitality.

In 2017, the CASFS project enhanced student engagement in organic farm-to-cafeteria production and year-round crop supply at UCSC, supported by a $7,790 grant from the Board Opportunity Fund.

In 2017, UCSC’s Chicano Latino Research Center hosted a reception and film screening to initiate dialogue on migration issues and to support fundraising initiatives, supported by a $10,000 grant from the Board Opportunity Fund.

In 2015, the Center for Jewish Studies was awarded a $10,000 BOF grant to establish a research fund in honor of the 500th Anniversary of the Venice Ghetto, supporting various academic activities and research projects.

The Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History was awarded a $9,800 BOF grant to preserve and enrich the Randall Morgan Insect Collection through meticulous curatorial and digitization efforts.

In 2016, Crown College launched a new 5-unit entrepreneurship practicum class for summer, supported with a $10,000 BOF grant, aimed at enhancing entrepreneurial skills among students.

In 2016, the Center for Public Philosophy at UC Santa Cruz received a $9,000 BOF grant to produce a digital animation aimed at redefining the language and framework of contemporary conservation through philosophical insight.

The Innumeracy Project, working to create a visual language for better comprehension of numerical concepts, especially in the context of uncertainty in medical diagnostics, received a BOF grant of $5,000.

In 2014, CASFS launched a project funded by a $8,709 BOF grant to produce three high-quality instructional videos to enhance its outreach and education in sustainable food production.

Hack UCSC 2015, the premier hackathon for the Santa Cruz Monterey Bay area, united over 350 coders, designers, and entrepreneurs to create innovative solutions in various award categories, ultimately benefiting from a $6,400 BOF grant to sponsor the award dinner.

In 2015, the Institute of the Arts and Sciences at UC Santa Cruz collaborated with the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art and artist Russell Crotty on the Vision and the Cosmos project, exploring the intersection of art and astronomy, funded in part by a $10,000 grant from the BOF.

In 2013, Merrill College and the Merrill-Ocampo Society was awarded $10,000 by the BOF towards revitalizing its educational and communal essence, marking a significant step in enhancing the student experience and fostering a culture of philanthropy.

The Pacific Rim Music Festival, focusing on collaboration between musicians from various Pacific Rim nations and western composers, was awarded $4,890 by BOF for travel to Korea to secure sponsorship and organizational commitments.

In 2013, UCSC hosted the South Asia by the Bay Graduate Student Conference, and BOF awarded a $7,500 grant to support its focus on “Feminist Interventions: On Gender in South Asia,” highlighting the strength of UCSC in feminist studies.

The Stevenson Alumni Career Education program was awarded a $6,000 grant in support of their efforts to harness online learning technologies for connecting alumni with students, offering career guidance and fostering relationships that could lead to mentorship, internships, and employment opportunities.

The Center for Analytical Finance (CAFIN) was launched with the aim of producing pioneering research in finance, focusing on systemic risk, market design, and financial access to address economic challenges in the post-crisis world, and received a $10,000 BOF grant in support of their mission.

The Center for the Study of the Force Majeure, embarked on the “Sagehen: A Proving Ground” project to explore species adaptation to climate change, receiving $9,820 from the BOF for the initial phase of this groundbreaking work in ecosystem adaptation.

In 2012, the Dreamweavers Scholarship Fund was initiated to support undocumented UCSC students by raising $40-$50K, leveraging a $10,000 Board Opportunity Fund grant to attract new donations.

The Friends of Dr. J. Herman Blake, with a $5,000 grant from the Board Opportunities Fund, produced a video documentary celebrating his life and impact on higher education, which was unveiled at his Tribute Dinner during the 2013 Alumni Reunion Weekend.

In 2013, Cal Teach at UC Santa Cruz expanded its program to include a one-week intensive internship for undergraduates considering careers as math or science teachers in high-need schools in Silicon Valley, with funding for 10 student internships provided by a BOF grant of $10,000.

The UCSC NASA Centennial Challenge team received $5,722 from the BOF in sponsorship for their project to build an autonomous rover for the 2013 competition, aiming to showcase their innovative engineering skills and represent the new Robotics Engineering major.

In 2013, the UCSC IGEM team, composed of 7 undergraduate engineering students, was granted $4,050 in sponsorship by the BOF to build a genetically engineered machine for the IGEM competition, aiming to tackle challenges in areas such as Bioremediation and Energy Production.

The Bateson Initiative at UC Santa Cruz successfully received $7,500 in funding from the BOF towards Ursula K. Le Guin’s speaker fees for her to inaugurate a conference exploring human-environment relationships in the Anthropocene.

The Isabella d’Este Archive (IDEA) project, aimed at creating an expansive online resource detailing the life and contributions of a key Italian Renaissance figure, receiving a grant of $9,485 from the BOF.

The Smith Renaissance Society successfully launched a 2:1 Challenge Match campaign to bolster its donor base, enhancing student support sustainability, which was funded with $14,000 from the BOF.

In 2011, the A Friend to Cowell program was launched, aiming to raise $50k-$100k for Cowell’s funding needs through a matching fund strategy, with $10,000 initially funded by the BOF for the matching fund.

In October 2011, the UCSC Mock Trial Team received $5,000 from the BOF to support their goal of achieving national recognition and momentum by attending competitions in Georgia and Washington, D.C., as well as fostering student participation and engaging alumni lawyers.

In 2012, the UCSC Ethics Bowl team, sponsored by the Philosophy Department and Stevenson College, received $3,500 in funding to compete in the Sixteenth Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competition in Cincinnati, OH, after winning the California Regional Competition.

In July 2010, UCSC’s Center for Integrated Water Research collaborated with the City of Watsonville to create the Water Teaching and Research Laboratory (WaterLab), funded with $15,000 from the BOF, to foster educating and researching urban water management and treatment technologies.

In August 2010, the Campus Sustainability Internship Program was initiated to pair student interns with mentors for sustainability projects across various sectors, with an initial funding of $11,600 from the BOF to prove the program’s viability.

The Visualization Tools for Astronomy project received a $20,000 grant from the BOF in support of their mission to enhance astrophysical understanding through sophisticated visualization tools by merging digital arts, game design, and astrophysics at UCSC.

The Gabriel Zimmerman Scholarship Fund, initiated in honor of the slain UCSC alumnus and public servant, received a $2,500 grant from the BOF to use as a challenge match for their fundraising campaign that aimed to amass $50,000 to endow need-based scholarships for social sciences students driven by public service and social issues.

In March 2011, the Green Kitchen Project, aiming to become a hub for sustainable living and food systems education at UCSC, received $15,000 in funding from the BOF to help reach its ultimate fundraising goal of $250,000.

The Bridging the Gap Symposium, held in June 2011 and funded with $10,000 from the BOF, successfully reconnected Film and Digital Media alumni through a multi-event program that included screenings, discussions, and a reception.

In June 2011, a paid summer internship was approved for a team of 2-3 students to create a game aimed at teaching children about recycling Styrofoam, funded with $15,000 from the BOF and designed to integrate serious gaming into the curriculum.

In January 2010, the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, in collaboration with the UC Observatories at the Physical and Biological Sciences Development Office, received up to $10,000 in funding from the BOF to host two Astronomy Salons aimed at cultivating and stewarding donors, with the goal of soliciting two six-figure donations by the fiscal year’s end.

In 2010, the Laboratory of Experimental Linguistics received $10,000 from the BOF, matched 1 to 1.5 by Vice Provost Bruce Margon, to enhance its IT infrastructure and establish a UCSC Foundation Fellowship.

In March 2010, the UCSC Center for the Study of Pacific War Memories received a $15,000 grant from the BOF to explore the transnational stories of Akira and Hideko Nagamine, documenting their wartime experiences, immigration, and community building between Japan, China, and Watsonville.

In March 2010, the BOF contributed $20,000 to provide matching funds for a grant from the Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Jim Joseph Foundation for a two-year Post-Doctorate Teaching Fellowship in Jewish Studies in the UC Santa Cruz Center for Jewish Studies.

The Genome 10K Planning Workshop, aimed to compile bio-specimens from 10,000 vertebrate species for whole genome DNA sequencing, and was funded with $12,500 from the BOF to match $12,500 awarded by the American Genetic Association.

In October 2008, the Partnership Task Force implemented a successful $10,000 challenge grant for a college renewal phone-a-thon, funded by a $5,000 contribution from both the Foundation Board Opportunity Fund and Alumni Council.

In May 2009, the BOF contributed $6,250 that was matched by the Parents Council to help raise $25,000 in seed money to establish a Student Assistance Emergency Fund.

In April 2009, the BOF provided start-up funding of $10,000 to support UCSC’s inaugural Business Plan competition, aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and building connections within the Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley communities.