Charitable organizations working in West Berkeley to address climate action, health equity or economic resilience have an opportunity to receive financial support from Bayer.
Bayer has recently opened its second application cycle to award more than $450,000 to community-focused initiatives over three years. This year’s application process has been streamlined to make it easier for a broad number of organizations to express interest in the funding opportunity.
Nonprofit organizations working in West Berkeley to advance climate action, health equity or economic resilience need only to answer a few simple questions to start the process. Interest form submissions are due April 5. Fifteen organization will be selected to submit full applications, due June 14. The six organizations to receive funding will be notified by the end of September, with funding expected to begin in early 2025.
“We’re excited to learn more about the grass-roots initiatives making a tangible impact in our community,” said Terry Taplin, District 2 council member where the Bayer campus is located. “Our goal is to strengthen organizations, promote collaboration and drive positive change in this neighborhood.”
Interested in Bayer’s funding for your nonprofit?
Submit an expression of interest for funding.
Interest forms due: April 5. Available online
Full applications due: June 14
Community funding focused on West Berkeley is made possible by the 30-year development agreement extension signed in 2022 between Bayer and the city of Berkeley. (More about that here.) When that agreement was negotiated, community voices defined the three areas where funding would have a positive impact in the community, with an emphasis on benefiting community members in need and historically underserved groups. A selection committee plans to award funds to two organizations per category. Each awardee is expected to receive approximately $25,000 annually for three years.
The nine-member selection committee includes six Berkeley residents (three selected by city leaders and three named jointly by city and Bayer leaders) along with three Bayer-selected employees with ties to the Berkeley community. This body will review the interest forms and invite 15 organizations to submit a full application. The application will delve into problem definition, desired results, equity outcomes and core organization strengths.
The selection committee members offer a wealth of expertise in equity and inclusion, as well as an intimate understanding of community needs. Backgrounds of the committee members include experience in public health, transportation, community engagement, and early childhood development in the Spanish-speaking community. Among them are two Bayer employees who grew up in West Berkeley and a third Bayer employee currently residing in the neighborhood.
Bayer’s commitment to investing in West Berkeley demonstrates the company’s commitment to its neighborhood. It also stands as a testament to the power of collaborative efforts between corporations and communities in driving positive change.
Through investments in West Berkeley, Bayer is supporting seven organizations in the first three-year funding round (2022-24). Each project uniquely contributes to the neighborhood, bringing innovative solutions to community challenges. The first round of funding recipients were:
- Waterside Workshops: Supports climate action through job training, internships and bike giveaways to West Berkeley youth.
- Bike East Bay: Supports climate action by funding green mobility ambassadors in West Berkeley.
- Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center: Supports health equity through enhanced family services for Berkeley families who are unhoused or at risk of losing housing.
- Healthy Black Families: Supports health equity through a program focused on healthy living and mental health.
- House of Loving Hands: Supports health equity by providing nutrition, emergency shelter and other services for families in crisis.
- Multicultural Institute: Supports economic resiliency through vocational skill support for day laborers and domestic workers.
- Dorothy Day House & Rebuilding Together: Supports economic resiliency through services designed to support the unhoused.
