Community Sponsorships
To encourage and support local community engagement, Ava Community Energy (Ava) awards local organizations with community sponsorships. Funding areas include, but are not necessarily limited to sports, art, music, and STEM.
The maximum award amount is $2,500 per organization per award round. Ava funds as many as 20 recipients per round. We award sponsorships in April, August, and December.
Eligibility criteria
- Project results must directly benefit communities within Ava’s service area.
- Organizations that have received funding in the past can apply again, but priority will be given to organizations that have not yet received funds.
- Certain funding areas are not eligible for Ava’s community sponsorships, including:
- School programs such as PTAs or direct donations to school districts
- Lobbying and/or political groups or activities
- Fundraisers
What makes a strong candidate?
- Inclusion of a specific and thoughtful itemized cost estimate for requested funding.
- Projects for which Ava’s sponsorship would meaningfully contribute to the completion or success of the project
- Clear explanation of how you will promote your Ava sponsorship to your constituents (examples include hanging a banner at your event, posting to your social media accounts about the sponsorship, including information about Ava in your newsletter, etc.).
Sponsorship recipients must:
- Submit a W9 form and invoice to receive payment.
- Attend a 30 minute kick-off meeting with Ava’s outreach coordinator to discuss collaboration.
- Share an announcement about the sponsorship with your community via social media, website, email, and/or newsletter. Ava will provide you with a social media toolkit.
- Display the Ava logo on your website for 4 months.
- Report back to Ava after project’s completion. Photos of the event or completed project are appreciated.
Community Sponsorship Schedule
| Applications Accepted | Awards Issued | Funds Used By |
|---|---|---|
| January – March | April | December |
| May – July | August | April the following year |
| September – November | December | August the following year |
Sponsorship Spotlights
Bill Credit Donation
Are you hosting a fundraising event that benefits people in Ava’s service area? We want to contribute by providing a $50 bill credit that can be used as a door prize or auction item. Contact Shuge at sluo@AvaEnergy.org for more information.
Past Community Sponsorship Recipients
2025 Recipients
2204 Rambots – California Crosspoint Academy, STEM, Hayward
A Safe Place, Basic Needs, Oakland
Alameda Health System Foundation, Healthcare, Oakland
ASCEND – Education for Change, Environment, Oakland
Bay Area Youth Climate Summit, Environment, Fremont
Biketopia, Bike, Berkeley
Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, Mental Health, Berkeley
Community Resources for Science, STEM, Berkeley
Down by the Bay Nursery, Environment, Hayward
EHS Girls4Sports, Sports, Dublin
Emerald Hills Chess, Arts, Dublin
Emerald HOSA, STEM, Dublin
Emergency Food Bank, Basic Needs, Stockton
Emeryville Celebration of the Arts, Arts, Emeryville
FTC SciRavens, STEM, Fremont
Harmony Project Bay Area, Music, Oakland
Improve Your Tomorrow, Education, Stockton
Induction Cooktop Teaching Project, Education, Oakland
Invent The Future, Education, Fremont
Kids Bike Lane, Bike, Livermore
Lake Merritt Institute, Environment, Oakland
Livermore Fusion Soccer Club, Sports, Livermore
Melrose 27X Neighborhood Council, Arts, Oakland
New Haven Schools Foundation, STEM, Union City
Oakland Triathlon Club, Sports, Oakland
Oaktown Jazz Workshops, Music, Oakland
Open Heart Kitchen, Basic Needs, Livermore
Rainbow Community Neighborhood Council, 27y, Arts, Oakland
Regional Parks Foundation, Environment, Alameda County
Shark Stewards, Environment, Berkeley
Sidewalk Trees & Gardens, Environment, Oakland
Tracy Community Connections Center, Arts, Tracy
Tracy Earth Project, Bike, Tracy
Tri-Valley Haven, Basic Needs, Livermore
Waterside Workshops, Basic Needs, Berkeley
Young STEAMers, STEM, Fremont
2024 Recipients
Bay Philharmonic, Performing Arts, Fremont
Berkeley Food Network, Food Security, Berkeley
BORP Adaptive Sports and Recreation, Recreation, Berkeley
Castro Valley High School FIRST Robotics Club, Robotics, Castro Valley
Common Humanity Collective, Public Health, Oakland
Community Education Partnerships (CEP), Education, Oakland
East Bay Agency for Children, Basic Needs, Oakland
Emeryville Children & Nature, Nature, Emeryville
Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL), STEM, Hayward
Fremont Cultural Arts Council, Art, Fremont
Friends of Five Creeks, Environment, Berkeley
FTC 13356 Roboforce, Robotics, Fremont
Girls Incorporated of Alameda County, Education, Oakland
IGNITE™ Pathways, Robotics, Dublin
Keep Oakland Beautiful, Environment, Oakland
Livermore Youth Climate Summit group, Art, Livermore
Loved Twice, Community, Oakland
Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus, Performing Arts, Oakland
Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation (OPRF), Environment, Oakland
Oakland Soccer Club (OSC), Sports, Oakland
Ohlone Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Environment, Newark
Open Heart Kitchen, Social Services, Livermore
Partners for Change Tri-Valley, Basic Needs, Tri-Valley
The Peace Haven, Basic Needs, Hayward
Pioneers in Engineering, Robotics, Berkeley
Prospera Community Development, Community, Oakland
Roots of Success (Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship Program), Basic Needs, Berkeley
Running For A Better Oakland, Sports, Oakland
Teen Advocacy Going Strong (TAGS), Education, San Leandro
Tri-City Band Corps, Performing Arts, Fremont
Tri-Valley Conservancy, Nature, Tri-Valley
Urban Mentors Network, Education, Oakland
2023 Recipients
Acta Non Verba, Environmental, Oakland
Albany Community Foundation, Sports, Albany
BoomBots, STEM, Fremont
Community Education Partnerships, Social Services, Oakland
Destiny Arts Center, Performing Arts, Oakland
Driveway Follies, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Dublin Little League, Sports, Dublin
EBAC, Social Services, Oakland
Friends of Courtland Creek Park, Performing Arts, Oakland
Girls Inc. of Alameda County, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Go Green Initiative, Environmental, Pleasanton
HOPE Collaborative, A Project of Tides Center, Social Services, Oakland
Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont (LEAF), Environmental, Fremont
Love Never Fails, Social Services, Dublin
Melrose 27X Neighborhood Council, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Music for Minors II, Music, Fremont
Niles-Centerville Little League, Sports, Fremont
Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Performing Arts, Oakland
Oakland Triathlon Club, Sports, Oakland
Robot Garden, STEM, Livermore
Saba Grocers Initiative, Food, Oakland
Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments, Social Services, Fremont
Scientific Adventures for Girls, STEM, Berkeley
Shepherd’s Gate, Social Services, Livermore
Spiders Community Web, Sports, Oakland
System Overload Robotics, STEM, Livermore
Team Skywalkers, STEM, Fremont
TogetherWell Inc, Social Services, Oakland
Tracy Earth Project, Environmental, Tracy
Young Professionals in Energy, Environmental, Bay Area
2022 Recipients
Berkeley Food Network, Food, Berkeley
Berkeley Food Pantry, Social Services, Berkeley
Bloc Love Foundation, Social Services, Oakland
Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, Miscellaneous, Pleasanton
Chavez Park Conservancy, Miscellaneous, Berkeley
Collective Resilience, Resilience, Berkeley
Davis Street Community Center, Miscellaneous, San Leandro
Dublin United Soccer League, Sports, Dublin
Dykes With Drills/Social Good Fund, Miscellaneous, Oakland
East Bay United – Bay Oaks Soccer Club, Sports, Oakland
Fremont Football and Cheer League, Sports, Fremont
Friends of Lincoln Square Park, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Goodness Village, Miscellaneous, Livermore
Oakland Genesis, Sports, Oakland
Oakland Soccer Club, Sports, Oakland
Oaktown Jazz Workshops, Music, Oakland
Ohlone Humane Society Wildlife Rehab Center, Miscellaneous, Newark
Open Heart Kitchen Social Services, Livermore
Quest Science Center, STEM, Livermore
San Leandro 2050, Environmental, San Leandro
San Leandro Boys & Girls Club, Miscellaneous, San Leandro
San Leandro Church of Christ/Lewis Avenue Resilience Hub, Resilience, San Leandro
Spurs FC, Sports, Berkeley
System Overload Robotics, STEM, Livermore
Tracy Community Concert Band & Jazz Ensemble, Music, Tracy
Tracy Interfaith Ministries, Social Services, Tracy
Waterside Workshops, Miscellaneous, Berkeley
2021 Recipients
Berkeley Food Pantry, Food, Berkeley
CVISL (Castro Valley Independent Sports League), Athletics, Castro Valley
Community Kitchens, Food, Oakland
Ecology Center, Environment, Berkeley
El Timpano, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Fertile GroundWorks, Environment, Livermore
Goodness Village, Miscellaneous, Livermore
Grateful Gatherings, Housing, Oakland
Hayward Chamber of Commerce, Miscellaneous, Hayward
Hively, Miscellaneous, Pleasanton
Housing Consortium of the East Bay, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Kids Bike Lane, Miscellaneous, Livermore
Local Ecology and Agriculture Fremont (LEAF), Food, Fremont
Olive Hyde Art Guild (OHAG), Art, Fremont
Open Heart Kitchen, Food, Livermore
Roots of Success Environmental Literacy and Work Readiness Program, Education, Berkeley
Running for a Better Oakland, Athletics, Oakland
Sunflower Hill, Education, Pleasanton
Together Well, Health, Oakland
Valley Humane Society, Miscellaneous, Pleasanton
We Love Pi, STEM, Fremont
West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, Environment, Oakland
2020 Recipients
Albany School Care, STEM, Albany
Altamont Crew Baseball Club, Athletics, Livermore
Berkeley Symphony, Music, Berkeley
Children’s Health Guild, Miscellaneous, Lafayette
Community Resources for Science, STEM, Berkeley
Dublin Partners in Education, STEM, Dublin
Food Shift, Food, Oakland
Friends of Sausal Creek, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Girls on the Run, Athletics, San Francisco
Hayward Education Foundation, STEM, Hayward
Irvington Loop, Miscellaneous, Fremont
Livermore Area Recreation and Park District Foundation, Miscellaneous, Livermore
Livermore Valley Education Foundation, STEM, Livermore
My Yute Soccer, Athletics, Oakland
Oakland Jazz Workshop, Music, Oakland
Oakland Public Education Fund, STEM, Oakland
Oakland Strokes Rowing Club, Athletics, Oakland
The Peoples Conservatory, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Piedmont Makers, STEM, Piedmont
Quest Science Center, STEM, Livermore
Valley Humane Society, Miscellaneous, Livermore
Waterside Workshops, Miscellaneous, Berkeley
We Love Pi, STEM, Fremont
2019 Recipients
Adult Bocce League, Athletics, Dublin
Albany Athletics, Athletics, Albany
Albany Berkeley Girls Softball, Athletics, Albany
Albany-Berkeley Soccer Club, Athletics, Albany & Berkeley
Albany Little League, Athletics, Albany
Allendale Elementary School Creation Station, STEM, Oakland
Ashland Little League, Athletics, Ashland
Berkeley Symphony’s Music in the Schools, Music, Berkeley
Camp Common Ground, Inc, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Dublin Partners in Education, STEM, Dublin
East Bay Oaks Girls Baseball, Athletics, Oakland
Ecology Center, Miscellaneous, Berkeley
Fremont Newark Little League Girls Softball, Athletics, Fremont & Newark
Friends of Sausal Creek, Miscellaneous, Oakland
Girls Garage, STEM, Berkeley
Hayward Municipal Band, Music, Hayward
Hip Hop for Change Inc, Music, Oakland
Leadership East Bay, Miscellaneous, Berkeley
Livermore Little League, Athletics, Livermore
Mt. Eden Little League, Athletics, Hayward
Oakland Civic Orchestra, Music, Oakland
Oakland Midnight Basketball League, Athletics, Oakland
San Leandro Girls Softball, Athletics, Oakland
Solar Spring Break at UC Berkeley, STEM, Berkeley
Tri-City Health Center (now operating as Bay Area Community Health), Miscellaneous, Fremont
Valley Children’s Museum, STEM, Dublin