BERKELEY LAB FOUNDATION

What BERKELEY LAB FOUNDATION does

Berkeley Lab Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization established in 2013 and operating as the official philanthropic support group of the University of California. Its sole function is to serve as the bridge between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — a DOE national laboratory founded in 1931 and credited with 13 Nobel Prizes and 15 National Medals of Science — and donors wishing to support scientific research in climate change, clean energy, health, and fundamental physics. The foundation operates from a single headquarters at the UC Office of the President in Oakland, California (1111 Franklin Street), with a two-person executive team (President Jake DeMoe and Vice President Alicia Chang) and a governance board drawn from UC leadership and external specialists in law, investment, and science.

The foundation's product surface is a portfolio of giving programs rather than technology products. Core offerings include the K-12 STEM Education Program (which has reached 10,000+ Bay Area students across 20+ school districts since 2020 with 85%+ of program alumni pursuing STEM majors), the Berkeley Lab Postdoc Association (BLPA) for early-career scientists, the newly launched Michael S. Witherell Legacy K-12 STEM Education Fund (established 2024 as a tribute to the retiring Lab director with a challenge-match mechanism), and the unrestricted "Where The Need Is Greatest" fund. The foundation also facilitates planned giving through wills, stock/property donations, memorial and tribute gifts, and endowed chairs and fellowships. All contributions are tax-deductible and processed online through Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee) at the donor's discretion, with no set price tiers.

The business model is philanthropic pass-through: donations flow from individuals, other foundations, and corporations to Berkeley Lab research projects. Notable institutional grants channeled include Chan Zuckerberg Initiative support for parasitic disease imaging using Berkeley Lab's CAMERA-developed machine learning algorithms, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation support for compact free-electron laser development, and Heising-Simons Foundation bridge financing for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). The foundation retains no disclosed financials and operates with a lean staff structure, with growth signaled primarily through board expansion and program launches rather than revenue metrics.

Name

BERKELEY LAB FOUNDATION

Legal name

Berkeley Lab Foundation

Website

https://berkeleylabfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berkeley Lab Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2013 as the University of California's official philanthropic bridge to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, channeling donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations to scientific research and Bay Area K-12 STEM programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Philanthropy & Fundraising Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Scientific research fundraising
• STEM education programs
• Philanthropic foundation services
• Charitable giving programs
• National lab philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: Berkeley Lab Foundation generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations supporting Berkeley Lab's scientific research. Donations can be directed to specific programs (K-12 STEM education, postdoc association) or to an unrestricted general fund supporting lab scientists. The foundation facilitates various giving methods including online donations, stock/property donations, planned giving through wills, memorial/tribute gifts, and endowed chairs/fellowships.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Berkeley Lab Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises and channels philanthropic donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations to support Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's scientific research programs and STEM education initiatives. It offers donors tax-deductible giving vehicles including restricted funds (K-12 STEM education, postdoc association) and an unrestricted general fund, along with planned giving options such as stock/property donations, wills, and endowed chairs.

Product overview

Berkeley Lab Foundation is a 501(c)(3) philanthropic organization that serves as the bridge between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and donors. Rather than offering a unified software product, the foundation provides a portfolio of giving programs that fund Berkeley Lab's multi-disciplinary scientific research. The main offerings include the Michael S. Witherell Legacy K-12 STEM Education Fund, which provides hands-on STEM opportunities for Bay Area high school students; the K-12 STEM Education Program supporting underserved communities through mentoring and internships; the Berkeley Lab Postdoc Association supporting early career scientists; and the Where The Need Is Greatest unrestricted fund for general research support. These programs enable donors to contribute toward scientific research in areas including climate change, energy, health, and fundamental physics discoveries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Michael S. Witherell Legacy K-12 STEM Education Fund A K-12 STEM education giving fund honoring retiring Berkeley Lab director Michael S. Witherell that provides critical resources for education and outreach programs for the next generation of scientific innovators.
• K-12 STEM Education Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 students reached through STEM programs since 2020, with nearly 900 in intensive multi-day programs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): Large biomedical and life-sciences research organization and funder. Comparable as a major science-focused philanthropy operating alongside national labs and universities to support cutting-edge research.
• Kavli Foundation: Foundation supporting basic scientific research across astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and theoretical physics. Comparable as a science grantmaker with shared interests in fundamental discovery research at institutions like Berkeley Lab.
• Simons Foundation: Major private foundation funding scientific research in math, physics, and life sciences. Comparable as a science-philanthropy incumbent with significantly larger endowment and broader research grantmaking scope.

Direct peers

• Brookhaven Science Associates (Brookhaven National Laboratory): Manages Brookhaven National Laboratory for DOE; comparable as another large DOE national lab with philanthropic and institutional funding channels akin to LBNL.
• Fermi Research Alliance Foundation: Philanthropic vehicle supporting Fermilab, another DOE national laboratory. Operates with the same model of channeling private donations to a major particle physics / national-lab research agenda, mirroring Berkeley Lab Foundation's role for LBNL.
• Argonne National Laboratory (UChicago Argonne LLC / Argonne Foundation): DOE national laboratory with associated philanthropic support mechanisms for scientific research, paralleling Berkeley Lab Foundation's structure and mission.
• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Stanford / SLAC Foundation): DOE-funded national accelerator lab at Stanford. Comparable peer as another premier national-lab with a foundation structure attracting philanthropic capital for scientific research.
• UC Berkeley Chancellor's Fund / UC Berkeley Foundation: University of California's primary philanthropic vehicle for UC Berkeley. Comparable as a sibling 501(c)(3) under the same UC system that channels private donations into research and education, sharing donors and back-office infrastructure.
• Research Corporation for Science Advancement: Foundation dedicated to supporting early-stage academic scientific research, particularly in physics, chemistry, and astronomy. Comparable as a peer in seed-funding discovery science with similar donor and grantee profiles.

Emerging players

• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: Major science and environmental philanthropy. Comparable as a funder/peer that both competes for and partners with Berkeley Lab Foundation on climate, energy, and basic-science grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about BERKELEY LAB FOUNDATION