This February, Crowdfund UC Davis will feature more than 50 dynamic team projects, driven by students, faculty and staff, all ready to make a real impact on our campus and beyond. 

As crowdfunding is considered one of the most popular forms of fundraising worldwide, Crowdfund UC Davis experienced exponential growth in the number of applications submitted for both its October and February cohorts this academic year. The February cohort will feature a record 51 project teams from a wide range of areas across UC Davis and UC Davis Health. Twenty-nine are managed by students.

The Crowdfund UC Davis program enables these project teams to conduct a monthlong, grassroots donation-based campaign to raise money using GiveCampus, a secure, UC Davis-affiliated online platform. Donors can give matching gifts to encourage others to support projects they are passionate about.

Below are some teams participating in the upcoming cohort.

Cyclone RoboSub

An engineering student design team at UC Davis, Cyclone RoboSub provides students with hands-on robotics engineering experiences through the design and assembly of an autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, for the RoboSub Competition. 

Their mission is to create an encouraging environment for UC Davis students to explore robotics and hone their engineering and research skills through project-based work.  Cyclone RoboSub also organizes training to teach students the basics of robotics through collaborative, interactive workshops.

Accessible Veterinary Care at UC Davis

This project team hopes to increase access to veterinary care for pet owners who lack the ability to afford recommended treatment options. Their goal is to use the funds they raise to offset the cost of care for clients who cannot otherwise afford to treat their animals.

While the School of Veterinary Medicine already reaches more than 5,000 animals a year with accessible services, this project team hopes to assist the animals who have needs that are beyond what are typically offered. These gifts will allow us to allocate additional funds to support additional services such as dentistry or simple surgeries for pets in need.

Summer Health Institute for Nursing Exploration and Success 

The Summer Health Institute for Nursing Exploration and Success program, or SHINES, is a Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing initiative led by Piri Ackerman-Barger, associate dean for Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence at the school. 

Because research shows that rural and underserved communities are healthier when the health practitioners are a part of their community. SHINES is a summer program for high school students (or those who have recently graduated) that provides education and guidance about whether nursing is a right fit for them, what nursing pathways would suit their needs and how to become successful in their academic aspirations. By the end of the program, participants understand the important impact they can make by returning to their communities as a respected health practitioner to serve the people they know and love.

SHINES has seen repeated success from their participation in Crowdfund UC Davis, raising a total of over $16,820 over the last three years.

About Crowdfund UC Davis 

Crowdfund UC Davis cohorts take place in October and February each year. Since its debut in February 2020, the program has raised more than $3.7 million from over 16,500 gifts.

The Annual and Special Gifts Program, in cooperation with Advancement Services, reviews applications and provides the Crowdfund UC Davis platform, training, guidance and some publicity — but it’s up to project teams to fuel the marketing and networking that lead to fundraising success.

Questions about Crowdfund UC Davis can be sent by email.