With district cuts closing in, Berkeley High’s volunteer-run development group is making an urgent Giving Tuesday plea, warning that donations are now key to keeping tutoring, college access, and wellness services intact. The group says district budget squeezes and shaky federal support are creating gaps that students are already feeling on campus.
According to the Berkeley High School Development Group's 2024–25 annual report, the nonprofit awarded $363,814 in grants last year, supported by $451,472 in general fund donations. The report notes that BHSDG-funded after-school tutoring reached approximately 1,782 students and logged more than 5,000 sessions, a scale the group says would be challenging to maintain if community giving were to slow.
The Giving Tuesday push was highlighted by Berkeleyside, which reported that the group is asking neighbors to chip in to buffer the impact of recent and potential state and federal funding cuts. Group leaders are pitching the campaign as a way to stabilize crucial supports that could the cut if the district has to make further cuts.
What the Development Group Funds
BHSDG’s annual report details a long list of targeted supports, from College & Career Center grants and First Step Awards for seniors to stipends for teacher-run tutorials and field trips that many students would otherwise be unable to afford. Last year, the group funded 55 First Step Awards for college-bound seniors, covering student travel, club grants, and mental health resources.
“Their steadfast support and generous funding have made it possible to bring meaningful, inclusive, and enriching opportunities to life across our entire BHS community,” Principal Juan Raygoza wrote in the group's report, according to the Berkeley High School Development Group.
Why Time Is Tight
The district is already operating under a tighter budget. State and district leaders prepared a roughly $229 million spending plan for 2025–26 while staring down a $7.6 million shortfall, and officials have warned that mid-year cuts could still be on the table. A broader federal pause on education grants also put about $400,000 that BUSD had expected out of reach this summer, a hit that compounded local gaps and helped trigger the Development Group’s urgent Giving Tuesday appeal, as Berkeleyside reported.
How To Pitch In
BHSDG states that donors can give online through the development group’s donation page or mail checks, and that even modest gifts are quickly directed to tutorials, college-fee support, and crisis grants. Recent nonprofit filings list the group's most recent revenue at roughly $529,000, according to CauseIQ, a reminder that small donations can add up to a sizable safety net when pooled.
Board president Elizabeth Stuart and volunteers say those modest contributions help keep teacher tutorials staffed, offset college application and testing fee,s and support the school’s wellness center while the district works through difficult budget choices. With Giving Tuesday underway, BHSDG leaders argue that community donations could be the deciding factor between programs that expand opportunities and those that quietly shrink.
