Community Sponsorships
Ava awards local community organizations a portion of our excess revenue in the form of 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, and Ava typically funds approximately 12 recipients per round. Applicants are reviewed three times a year, per the schedule below.
Eligibility criteria
- Project results must directly benefit communities in the Ava service territory.
- School programs such as PTAs or direct donations to school districts are not eligible for this sponsorship.
- Organizations that have received funding in the past are welcome to apply, but priority will be given to organizations that have not yet received funds.
- This community sponsorship does not support lobbying and/or political groups or activities.
What is required from sponsorship recipients
- Submission of W9 form and invoice to receive payment.
- 30-minute kick-off meeting with an Ava outreach coordinator to discuss collaboration.
- Sharing 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.
- Placement of the Ava logo on your website for 4 months.
- After the project is completed, report back to Ava about the project’s completion. Photos of the event or completed project are appreciated.
What makes a strong candidate
- Including a specific and thoughtful description of how the funds will be used and an itemized cost estimate for requested funding.
- We prefer to fund projects for which our award would make a meaningful contribution to completing the project.
- Opportunity to 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.).
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
2024 Recipients
Bay Philharmonic, Performing Arts, Fremont
Berkeley Food Network, Food Security, Berkeley
Common Humanity Collective, Public Health, Oakland
Community Education Partnerships (CEP), Education, Oakland
Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL), STEM, Hayward
Fremont Cultural Arts Council, Art, Fremont
FTC 13356 Roboforce, Robotics, Fremont
Girls Incorporated of Alameda County, Education, Oakland
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
Prospera Community Development, Community, Oakland
Running For A Better Oakland, Sports, Oakland
Teen Advocacy Going Strong (TAGS), Education, San Leandro
Tri-City Band Corps, Performing Arts, Fremont
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