Established in 1908 through the vision and endowment initiated by Annie Alexander, the MVZ has become a leader in research and education on vertebrate diversity and the steward of one of the premier collections in the United States. To sustain our leadership in discovery and understanding of vertebrate diversity, and to protect the collection for future generations, we depend on donations. Any gifts, large or small, make a difference.

 

  • To develop and protect the collections
  • To continue developing informatics tools both to enhance our research and to share the knowledge derived from our research
  • To develop our capacity to apply new tools from genomics to long-standing questions about the evolution and dynamics of vertebrate diversity
  • To support student education, including access to our collections and facilities by researchers from developing countries

 

Donations in David Wake’s memory can be made to the David and Marvalee Wake Fund for student research in vertebrate evolutionary biology.

 

 

The Hastings Natural History Reservation is a >2500 acre research station that has supported long-term research on ecological dynamics of coastal oak woodland communities since the late 1930s. Gifts to the Friends of Hastings Reserve Fund will:  

  • Support core operations, thereby minimizing user fees and increasing accessibility for students to the field station
  • Enable upgrades to facilities, increasing the scope and impact of research conducted at Hastings
  • Support outreach to the regional community, including programs with middle schools

 

AmphibiaWeb is the pre-eminent online resource for amphibian diversity and conservation. Founded in 2000 by David Wake, gifts to the Friends of AmphibiaWeb Fund will help ensure that:  

  • We can continue to apprentice undergraduate students in amphibian biology, natural history, data sciences and GIS
  • This key information portal remains current as new species of amphibians are discovered, conservation status changes, and information on taxonomy and distributions are updated
  • We remain an authoritative resource to enable amphibian research and conservation worldwide.

 

Other Funds

Donations to other funds can be made by check payable to the named fund below and sent to the MVZ Director, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720. If a link is provided, credit card donations may be made directly to that fund.

 
The Grinnell Fund

The Grinnell Fund is an endowment that provides essential support to the MVZ collections and programs. 

  • Ensures the long-term viability of the collections and support their use by the global community
  • Directly supports MVZ staff positions that are central to maintaining the collections and supporting our program
  • Ensures equitable international collaboration in research and education programs of the MVZ
 
The Jim and Carol Patton Fund
The Jim and Carol Patton Fund is an endowment used to sustain and enhance the MVZ’s collections and the academic and research opportunities that stem from those unparalleled resources. The Fund is to provide broad support to the Museum’s programs and initiatives, including but not limited to faculty and/or student research as well as the direct curatorial needs of the collections.
 
 
Alden H. Miller Graduate Support Fund
The Alden H. Miller Graduate Support Fund supports graduate students in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.
 
 
The Ned Johnson Fund
The Ned Johnson Fund supports field and laboratory research in ornithology.
 

 

If you are considering a large-scale gift, please contact the Director, Dr. Michael Nachman, at mnachman@berkeley.edu