Fundraising Consultant - Coastal Conservancy and U.C. Berkeley’s Hastings Natural History Preserve

Overview

California American Water in partnership with the California State Coastal Conservancy and U.C. Berkeley’s Hastings Natural History Preserve (Project Team) is seeking submissions from fundraising consultants to provide professional services for a $3.7 million capital campaign.

RFP Purpose

The Project Team seeks proposals from fundraising consultants interested in working with our team to develop and implement a capital campaign. The goal of the campaign is to raise the final $3.7 million needed to complete the $90 million San Clemente Dam Removal Project. The Project Team, including executive leadership from all three organization and the University of California Natural Reserve System, will actively collaborate with the selected consultant to ensure the campaign goals are met.

Target timeframe for this effort is approximately 18 months.

San Clemente Dam Removal Project

The San Clemente Dam Removal Project is a two-decades long effort to remove a 106-foot high dam on the Carmel River to restore access to 25 miles of critical steelhead habitat, restore aquatic, riparian and upland habitats, restore sediment supply to the Carmel Coast, and provide a unique research and education site to train the next generation on ecosystem restoration and resilience. This $90 million project has been carried out as a public-private partnership led by California American Water, the California State Coastal Conservancy, and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The dam was successfully removed in 2015 and since then the project team has been focused on restoration of the habitats on site.

Now, the team is turning to the last step of this highly successful river restoration – transferring 900 acres of the project area to the U.C. Hastings Natural History Reservation. Hastings is a center for collaboration among researchers, institutions, and our local community. It offers field-based learning opportunities for both K-12 groups and undergraduates. The Reserve also provides scientists with the opportunity to conduct long-term ecological studies, monitor biodiversity, and understand the patterns and processes that shape ecosystems. The Reserve’s education and public programs help students and community members foster a deeper understanding of ecology, conservation, and environmental science.  The San Clemente Dam project site provides an unique opportunity to learn from the river and landscape as the restoration project evolves over time.