Below is a list of project proposals that have received funding through the Wellness Fund for the 2022-2023 academic year. Click on any proposals for further information.
List of Projects
Bear Pantry
Description: The Bear Pantry strives to meet the most basic needs of the undergraduate, graduate, student parent, DSP, transfer and first generation communities at Cal by relieving food insecurity. Funding is used to purchase healthy food options, formula and hygiene items. Students are able to pick up these resources for free at the Bear Pantry located in the MLK building.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $86,879 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 1 year
La Cultura Cura Project
Description: La Cultura Cura Project is grounded in centering community and cultures as means to engage and promote positive and sustainable practices for physical, mental, financial, sexual and the overall well-being among the Latinx student body at UC Berkeley. Funding is used towards student-led and organized programming that includes, but is not limited to, inviting bi-weekly cultural/bilingual speakers and connecting students to campus resources.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $30,400 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 1 year
Menstrual Equity Campus Program
Description: This campus program addresses student menstruators' needs, institutionalizing equitable access to this biological necessity. Funding will be used to maintain and restock bathroom dispensers with pads and tampons along with the support of the Custodial Services division of Campus Operations.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $26,381 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 1 year
Underground Scholars Initiative (USI) Wellness Equity Program
Description: The USI Wellness Equity Program serves formerly incarcerated (FI) and system impacted (SI) students who report high incidents of being referred by the Tang Center to outside providers for expensive services while facing basic needs insecurity. Funding is used to provide grants for wellness services to FI and SI students.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $83,000 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 1 year
UC Berkeley Harm Reduction Expansion Program
Description: This project expands the existing harm reduction information, training and resources provided by PartySafe@Cal, in collaboration with other campus and community partners, to address risks of potential fentanyl contamination. This proposed project offers students low-barrier access to fentanyl testing strips by placing harm reduction resources in locations such as bathrooms, the Tang Center, and other student recommended locations.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $18,215 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 1 year
Land as Wellness
Description: Land as Wellness offers students the opportunity to practice farming as a form of therapy. Its goal is to improve distribution of food and herbal medicine on campus, continue the creation and expansion of the gardens at UC Berkeley and to create programs that generate ongoing revenue. This project serves BIPOC, low income students, differently abled students and marginalized students.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $150,228 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 1 year
Student Parent Food Donations Program
Description: This project focuses on mitigating the food insecurity faced by the population of underserved student parents who attend UC Berkeley. The program rescues over 2,000 lbs of food donated by local community supermarkets weekly and distributes them to student parents at the UC Village. Funding is used for a community-building project that affords student parents the agency and resources to care for themselves and their families.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $35,900 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 3 years
Ethical Leadership Certification Program
Description: This program is a homegrown hazing prevention and leadership development program targeting student organization leadership on campus. Initiatives include deconstructing the idea of tradition and practicing bystander intervention tools to engage with others in their organization who may not be acting in alignment with the values of the group. Funding is used to support the hiring of student employees to implement this project.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $13,426 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 4 years
Exercise is Medicine: Students on the Move!
Description: This project is a call from the American College of Sports Medicine for universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a sign of health. The goal of this project is to identify and reduce barriers to and increase inspiration for physical movement for UC Berkeley students. Funding is used to provide low income students with gift cards for sports clothing, shoes, and/or equipment in order to facilitate students' abilities to participate in group or individual fitness opportunities.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $3,000 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 2 years
New Disability Cultural Community Center
Description: The New Disability Cultural Community Center is a space that seeks to create a more inclusive culture and addresses ableism on our campus for people with disabilities. Funding is used for events and programs that surround health and wellness, disability arts and cultural programs, Disability Studies lectures and symposiums, support groups and mentoring for specific communities, media presentations and more.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $36,000 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 2 years
Working & Self Care Retreat for Underrepresented Economics Students
Description: This project provides monthly peer support groups and writing retreats for economics undergraduate and graduate students from traditionally marginalized and excluded backgrounds. At each retreat, students will have the opportunity to hear from current URM economists in their paths as students to professors and how their URM identities affect their experiences. Overall, the goal is to create a space for community building amongst URM graduate and undergraduate students and enable them to dedicate time to their work and engage in activities which promote a healthier work balance.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $9,544 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 2 years
Berkeley Student Well-being platform
Description: This project was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic and it seeks to support students' health and well-being as they navigate virtual student experience. The Berkeley Student Well-being platform has regular health and wellbeing content, a weekly newsletter, campus and department health and well-being information/opportunities that support marginalized communities.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $21,400 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 3 years
Graduate Student Financial Consultant
Description: This project creates a graduate student position that is asked to tailor the existing Bears for Financial Success financial literacy curriculum into a version that is more relevant for academic and professional graduate students, particularly for students with more complicated financial situations, including students with dependents and international and undocumented students. Full job duties include communications, outreach, coaching, resource and development and hosting workshops.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $33,500 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 3 years
Transgender Student Wellness Initiative (TSWI)
Description: TSWI is a student-initiated effort to uplift and support the lived experiences of Transgender and Non-Binary students. This project offers a multi-layered program of support to meet individual and community mental, emotional and physical health needs. Funding is used for initiative activities such as community dinners, visibility campaigns, panel discussions about navigating careers and parenthood, access to gender affirming clothing, and more.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $99,440 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 2 years
Disability Beyond Compliance (DBC)
Description: This project is a student-led initiative centered around improving the wellness of the 8,000+ disabled, chronically ill, and neurodiverse students at Cal. DBC leverages the lived experiences of these students to fill in a significant gap in service to student development centers, campus departments, student housing and other core services on the intersection of disability in higher education. It empowers undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research, facilitate workshops and town halls, and collaborate with stakeholders to disrupt ableism at Cal.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $30,000 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 2 years
UVA Outdoor Multisport Facility
Description: This project will create an outdoor multi-sport fitness space at University Village (UVA) and will serve undergraduate, graduate, and student parent families. This project includes upgrading the Monroe outdoor basketball courts and creating a multi-use space that houses basketball courts, pickleball courts, a skate center and fitness class space. The goal of this project is to lessen the barrier of expensive childcare by giving student parents the opportunity to remain close to their children during exercise.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $120,000 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 1 year
MSA Community Wellness Initiative
Description: The Berkeley Muslim Student Association focuses on meeting the needs of Muslim students on campus. This project increases access to basic needs for their members as well as delivering Ramadan initiatives.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $30,000 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 2 years
WellNourishedBerkeley2.2
Description: This continuing project aims to promote healthy eating and body positivity among UC Berkeley students by focusing on underserved student communities. It also seeks to promote service accessibility by maintaining telehealth services and expanding other forms of media outreach.
Funding Information
- Funding Allocated: $82,212 (July 2022)
- Duration of Funding: 2 years