Golden State Today

UC Davis and UC Davis Health have made crowdfunding history by surpassing expectations in their recent campaign. The February Crowdfund UC Davis campaign saw 28 project teams of students, faculty, and staff raising an impressive $107,025 from 1,093 gifts. A record-breaking 14 project teams met or exceeded their fundraising goals.

One of the standout projects was the Restoring Vision in Dogs Blind with SARDS, led by Veterinary Medicine Professor Sara Thomasy. Professor Thomasy expressed her excitement, stating, "Participating in the February Crowdfund was a great exercise in science communication." She further added, "I made a YouTube video to describe the project, which was a first for me! It was exciting to see how the SARDS community engaged with the video and shared it on Facebook." The project successfully raised $11,630 from 102 gifts to support research on optogenetic therapy for dogs blind from Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome.

Another successful endeavor was the Cal Aggie Camp, which exceeded its goal by raising $15,892 with the support of 189 gifts. This achievement marked the most gifts to a single project in an October or February Crowdfund cohort. The funds raised will ensure that two weeks of free summer camp are available to children in foster care.

Several other project teams also achieved their goals during the February Crowdfund UC Davis cohort, including Engineers Without Borders, Native American Studies Graduate Student Symposium, and the Hunter Jumper Club at UC Davis, among others.

The Crowdfund UC Davis initiative, taking place biannually since February 2020, has raised over $813,659 to date. The program, managed by the Annual and Special Gifts Program in Development and Alumni Relations, provides teams with access to the crowdfunding platform, training, and guidance sessions to support their fundraising efforts. Applications for the next cohort in October will open on June 3.

The success of the recent Crowdfund UC Davis campaign highlights the dedication and support of the UC Davis community towards various impactful projects and initiatives.