Community Resources for Science

What Community Resources for Science does

Community Resources for Science (CRS) is a Berkeley, California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that operates a coordinated network connecting STEM professionals with TK-8 classrooms across the East Bay. Its core function is to address chronic underdelivery of hands-on science instruction in California elementary and middle schools by recruiting, training, and deploying volunteer scientists and engineers as classroom presenters, mentors, and curriculum contributors. The organization serves three primary constituencies simultaneously: teachers who receive lesson plans, standards alignment, professional development, and direct volunteer support; students in historically marginalized East Bay communities who gain access to scientist role models and inquiry-based science experiences; and STEM industry partners who channel corporate social responsibility and employee volunteerism through CRS programs.

The core product portfolio is built around the BASIS (Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students) program, which dispatches volunteer teams into K-8 classrooms, supplemented by the Be A Scientist middle school mentoring program, Science Ambassadors, Storytime with a Scientist, Day of Science corporate volunteer events, and a newer Climate & Environmental Literacy curriculum line. Supporting infrastructure includes an online Science Teaching Tools resource portal, the Champions of Discovery and Science Super Stars teacher recognition programs, and Broader Impacts Support for UC Berkeley researchers. Programs are delivered free of charge to teachers and schools; revenue is generated through STEM industry sponsorships (ranging from Discovery at $5,000+ to Curiosity tier), foundation and corporate grants (including a recorded $15,000 NBCUniversal grant), and individual donations processed via GiveLively.

The operating model is community-led and relies on a deeply embedded local ecosystem. CRS maintains direct district-level relationships with Oakland Unified, Berkeley Unified, West Contra Costa, Emeryville, and Hayward, and channels nearly 700 UC Berkeley graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates annually into classrooms through a campus steering committee. Corporate partners span Bayer, Clorox, Amyris, Bio-Rad, Tesla, Port of Oakland, Cytokinetics, Gilead Sciences, Lumentum, and others. In 2024-25 the organization reports reaching more than 12,000 TK-Grade 8 students across 500+ classrooms, with 150+ industry-team lessons delivered to nearly 5,000 elementary students. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors led by Board President Anne Baranger (UC Berkeley Chemistry) and Executive Director Teresa Barnett, with no parent company and no equity funding structure.

Name

Community Resources for Science

Legal name

Community Resources for Science

Website

https://crscience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Resources for Science is a Berkeley-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects STEM professionals with TK-8 classrooms in the East Bay, delivering hands-on science lessons, teacher training, and corporate volunteer programs serving over 12,000 students annually across five school districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-8 STEM Education Outreach

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC), Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Science volunteer coordination
• K-8 teacher support
• Classroom scientist visits
• Nonprofit science outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Foundation Funding: CRS receives grant funding from foundations and organizations focused on science education and STEM workforce development. The organization has been supported by various funders including Impact100 East Bay and Wareham Development.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: STEM industry partners provide sponsorship funding to support CRS programming. Sponsorships range from Discovery Level ($5,000+) to Curiosity Level and include employee volunteerism integration. Sponsors include Bayer, Clorox, Amyris, Bio-Rad, Tesla, Port of Oakland, and others.
3. Individual Donations: CRS accepts direct donations from individuals and community members through its website, with GiveLively platform for credit card donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Community Resources for Science is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that coordinates programs connecting volunteer STEM professionals with TK-8 classrooms in East Bay schools. Its core offerings include BASIS (Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students) classroom visits, the Be A Scientist middle school mentoring program, Day of Science corporate volunteer events, teacher professional development, and a library of standards-aligned lesson plans. All programs are provided free of charge to teachers and schools, funded through corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and individual donations.

Product overview

Community Resources for Science operates as a nonprofit education organization offering a suite of interconnected programs connecting scientists, engineers, and teachers with TK-8 students in the East Bay. The core portfolio includes BASIS (Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students), which dispatches volunteer STEM professionals into classrooms for hands-on lessons; Be A Scientist, a middle school mentoring program pairing 7th graders with scientist mentors; Storytime with a Scientist combining diverse read-alouds with science experiments; and Day of Science corporate volunteer events. Supporting these direct student programs are Science Teaching Tools (online lesson plans and standards resources), Champions of Discovery and Science Super Stars teacher recognition programs, Broader Impacts Support for UC Berkeley researchers, Climate & Environmental Literacy curriculum programs, and Science Fairs & Festivals. The organization functions as a network coordinator rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BASIS (Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students) Connects volunteer scientists and engineers with K-8 classrooms to deliver hands-on science lessons aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Free of charge to teachers and schools.
• Be A Scientist Middle school mentoring program matching 7th graders with scientist mentors for multi-session scientific inquiry projects.
• Storytime with a Scientist (You Belong!) Combines reading diverse storybooks featuring scientists of color with hands-on science activities for TK-2nd grade students.
• Science Ambassadors Matches scientists with Champions of Discovery teacher classrooms for ongoing classroom visits and mentoring.
• Day of Science Corporate volunteer program enabling STEM employees to lead science activities at school science festivals and events.
• Broader Impacts Support Provides UC Berkeley researchers with planning, training, and logistical support for K-12 outreach programs to meet grant requirements.
• Science Fairs & Festivals Event-based science activities where volunteer teams run interactive tables at school science fairs and community festivals.
• Science Teaching Tools & Resources Online portal providing teachers with lesson plans, standards alignment, professional development resources, and supply information.
• Science Super Stars Annual recognition program celebrating elementary teachers who excel at bringing hands-on, inquiry-based science to their students.
• Climate & Environmental Literacy Programs Teacher professional development workshops and curriculum units focused on climate change, environmental justice, and environmental stewardship.
• What's Your Climate Story? Curriculum unit enabling students to explore climate change impacts through personal narratives and community stories.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 150 lessons presented annually by industry teams reaching nearly 5,000 students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• BayercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayer is a major STEM industry partner whose employees participate in CRS science education outreach. The company has been involved for multiple years with programs including Family STEM Nights and scientist classroom visits. Bayer scientists volunteer through the BASIS program, and the company has been recognized for supporting CRS mission.
• CloroxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClorox has a robust employee volunteer program through CRS, with teams leading Dry Ice Explosions lessons and Day of Science events at local elementary schools. The company hosts annual Lab Days to recruit additional employee volunteers and has built community through science outreach.
• UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Berkeley is a foundational partner providing hundreds of graduate student and postdoc volunteers through the BASIS program. The partnership includes a campus steering committee representing over 150 volunteers and connections to multiple STEM departments.
• AmyrismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmyris employees volunteer as scientist role models in elementary school classrooms, leading hands-on science lessons about microorganisms and other topics aligned with company expertise.
• Bio-RadmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBio-Rad Life Sciences employees participate in CRS outreach programs, bringing biotech expertise and laboratory skills to elementary classroom science activities.
• TeslamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTesla employees have participated in Days of Science events, sharing engineering and technology concepts with students through hands-on activities.
• Port of OaklandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPort of Oakland employees engage in science outreach connecting students to port-related STEM concepts. Luana España serves as Community Affairs Representative facilitating the partnership and connecting employees with classrooms.
• Oakland Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOUSD is a primary district partner, with CRS programs reaching multiple elementary and middle schools. CRS participates in district initiatives including Oakland Teachers Advancing Climate Action (OTACA).
• Berkeley Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBUSD schools receive CRS programming including BASIS volunteer visits, professional development for teachers, and Science Super Star recognition for outstanding science educators.
• Health AdvancesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth Advances employees volunteer for Day of Science events at Oakland elementary schools, leading hands-on science activities and serving as STEM role models.
• Lawrence Hall of SciencemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner science center that hosts field trips for teachers and collaborates on science education programming.
• UC Museum of PaleontologymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCMP serves on the CRS Advisory Council, with Director Lisa White providing expertise and connections to paleontology education resources.
• East Bay Regional Park DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional park naturalists partner with CRS to bring outdoor science education experiences to classrooms and field trips for teachers.
• AevaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company whose employees have participated in CRS outreach programs leading hands-on science activities.
• SynopsysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company employees volunteer with CRS science education programs.
• X (The Moonshot Factory)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlphabet's innovation lab employees have participated in CRS Day of Science volunteer events.
• Gilead SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiopharmaceutical company employees engage in CRS science outreach volunteer programs.
• LumentumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOptical technology company employees volunteer for CRS science education events.
• AevaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSensor technology company employees participate in CRS outreach programs.
• CytokineticsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardiovascular biotechnology company is a Discovery Level sponsor with employees actively volunteering in CRS science education programs.
• Chan Zuckerberg InitiativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropy organization has participated in CRS outreach programs supporting science education in the East Bay.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Science from Scientists: National nonprofit that places real scientists, engineers, and medical professionals into K-8 classrooms for hands-on STEM lessons, closely matching CRS's BASIS model of in-classroom scientist volunteers.
• Iridescent (Curiosity Machine): STEM education nonprofit serving underserved communities with family engagement and mentoring programs for K-12 students, operating a similar equity-focused model with corporate and academic partners.
• Techbridge Girls: National nonprofit delivering out-of-school STEM programming to girls from low-income communities, sharing CRS's equity-driven mission, K-8 focus, and reliance on STEM professional volunteers.
• Citizen Schools: Nonprofit that mobilizes industry professionals to teach and mentor middle school students in extended learning programs, using a comparable volunteer-professional-in-the-classroom model for underserved schools.

Emerging players

• Lawrence Hall of Science: UC Berkeley-based public science center that CRS explicitly partners with for field trips and curriculum; both share a UC Berkeley affiliation and a focus on K-8 science education, though LHS operates a physical museum rather than a school-embedded model.
• Beyond100K Initiative: National STEM education network of which CRS is a named partner; Beyond100K works to strengthen the STEM teaching pipeline through universities and industry, overlapping CRS's university-corporate-district coordination approach.

Broad incumbents

• Change the Equation: National nonprofit coalition advocating for STEM literacy and equity, supported by major corporate members; a broader incumbent operating in CRS's domain of STEM education advocacy and corporate-volunteer mobilization.
• MIND Research Institute: Established nonprofit providing K-8 math and STEM instructional programs at scale, often via digital tools; comparable as a long-running equity-focused STEM nonprofit serving elementary and middle school classrooms.

Regional players

• Bay Area Science Festival: Regional consortium that CRS partners with for science outreach events; shares the East Bay/STEM volunteer ecosystem and complements CRS's classroom-embedded programming with festival-style engagement.

Others

• Impact100 East Bay: Women's collective philanthropy group that has awarded CRS grants; while not a programmatic peer, it represents a category of regional grantmaker funders CRS depends on for unrestricted funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/crscience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-resources-for-science
• Instagraminstagram.com/crscience97
• Xx.com/crscience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Community Resources for Science