This February’s Crowdfund UC Davis features 29 student-led projects
Quick Summary
- Crowdfund UC Davis (CFUCD) is a fantastic way for our students to gain firsthand experience in organizing, promoting and fundraising for projects close to their hearts.
Crowdfund UC Davis (CFUCD) is a fantastic way for our students to gain firsthand experience in organizing, promoting and fundraising for projects close to their hearts. CFUCD gives students the opportunity to apply concepts they are learning in the classroom and through student organizations, providing valuable early, career-building experience that helps shape their futures.
CFUCD has experienced exponential growth in applications for both its October and February cohorts this academic year. The February cohort will feature a record 51 project teams representing a wide range of disciplines across UC Davis and UC Davis Health. Among these projects, 29 are led primarily by our incredible students, often with support from faculty and staff mentors.
The CFUCD program enables project teams to conduct a month-long, grassroots, donation-based campaign using GiveCampus, a secure, UC Davis-affiliated online platform. Donors can also offer matching gifts, encouraging others to rally behind projects they are passionate about and amplifying the impact of every contribution.
A wonderful example of a student-led project is Cyclone RoboSub, led by an engineering student design team at UC Davis. Cyclone RoboSub provides students with hands-on robotics engineering experience through the design and assembly of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for the international RoboSub Competition. Through this work, students develop technical, research and teamwork skills while learning what it means to bring a complex project from idea to reality.
Crowdfund UC Davis cohorts take place each October and February. Since its debut in February 2020, the program has raised more than $3.7 million from over 16,500 gifts, directly supporting student creativity, innovation and learning beyond the classroom.
The Annual and Special Gifts Program, in cooperation with Advancement Services, reviews applications and provides the Crowdfund UC Davis platform, training, guidance and limited publicity. Ultimately, it is the students and project teams themselves who drive fundraising success through outreach, storytelling and community engagement—skills that will serve them long after graduation. For more information about the program, email [email protected].
As a parent, your support plays a powerful role in helping students gain confidence, leadership skills and real-world experience. Whether you choose to give, share a project with your network, or simply cheer students on, your involvement helps make these opportunities possible.
For more information about how parent giving makes a difference in students’ lives, contact Tessa Haden, Associate Director of Development, Parent Giving, at [email protected], 530-304-5382.