Scholarships and Grants

Among USCA assets are four endowed funds which generous USCA alumni have established over the years.  Three are endowed by action of the USCA board of directors and one is a donor-restricted fund.  The board-restricted endowed funds are the USCA Endowed Scholarship Fund established in 1996, the Pioneer Fund established in Fall 2002 and the Brooke-Harrington Memorial Scholarship Fund. The Bogie Bogart Bear Bucks-In-Aid Fund is donor-restricted. 

View the USCA's endowment policy.

Building Renovations

Co-op members voted to increase room and board rates in order to finalize major improvments to all the houses, allocating $112,000 annually from its operating budget towards seismic and accessibility improvements. Alumni and community support is necessary in order to complete these urgent projects for seismic safety and disabled accessibility.

Seismic Safety

Most USCA co-ops represent the challenge of aging structures built on hilly sites on a major earthquake fault. Some are also a significant part of Berkeley's rich architectural history. Most were also constructed under building codes that predate current seismic engineering standards. The USCA has committed to making all our buildings seismically safe, starting with Stebbins Hall, completed in 2003. Casa Zimbabwe (formerly Ridge Project), Cloyne Court, Lothlorien, Euclid and Kingman will follow.

Disabled Accessibility

The USCA is committed to providing equal access for all its members. We plan to make 11 out of our 20 co-ops accessible (the others cannot be made accessible due to geographical or other engineering issues).

Where it is Needed Most

The Where it is Needed Most Fund reflects the changing needs of the co-ops. For the next few years, for example, the stated priority of the USCA and the USCA-AA is to seismically retrofit the co-ops and the improve accessibility for students with disabilities. In the future, the funding priority may shift to scholarships or to yet another fund.

In addition to scholarship and grant programs, we have been working to raise funds for major renovations to make our buildings disabled accessible and for seismic safety. Adequate, affordable housing for students with disabilities - which is also seismically safe for everyone - is difficult to find, and we would love your support as we try to meet the needs of this underserviced population. Becoming a model for environmental sustainability is part of the USCA's strategic plan as well.

For more information please contact

Alumni Coordinator Jordan Pelot-Whitcomb

jordan@usca.org, 510 848-1936