Starting at the Collectors level, generous donors who make gifts of $10,000 or more play a leadership role for the Academy and enjoy many unique opportunities and privileges as members of our Platinum Circle. If you would like to learn more about how you can have a transformative impact on the future of the Academy, please contact Doria Leong, Director of Leadership Gifts, at (415) 379-5407 or .

“The Academy provides a world-class stage for scientific education, inspiration, and discovery. Your gift to the Academy’s annual fund will provide unrestricted operating support to ensure that its exhibits, educational programs, and research are among the best in class.”

Dr. Gregory C. Farrington
Executive Director and
William R. and Gretchen B. Kimball Chair
California Academy of Sciences

Our dedicated team of educators delivers a wide variety of formal education programs, including the Teacher Institute on Science and Sustainability, the Careers in Science intern program, the BioForum continuing education series, and a number of other teacher and student services. From programs with California school kids to thought-provoking lectures, the Academy promotes science awareness and lifelong learning for children of all ages.

Your gift ensures that Academy scientists around the world can continue to seek out new species and pioneer new perspectives beyond the planet. Research at the California Academy of Sciences aims to discover new knowledge about life’s diversity. There is a new urgency to gaining knowledge of the natural world, as awareness grows that organisms and species are key components of the ecosystems which provide our food, water, shelter and energy. The generosity of our donors brings our mission to life – for that, the Academy is deeply grateful.

From the giant turtles, venomous snakes, and our albino alligator named Claude, all the animals at the Academy require special care. The aquatic biologists of the Steinhart Aquarium are responsible for the health, feeding, reproduction, safety, and comfort of more than 38,000 live animals.

The Eastwood Associates are a community of philanthropists whose planned gifts will endow the Academy and sustain its important mission in the future. Membership is a lifetime privilege and Eastwood Associates are honored at special gatherings each year. This distinguished group was named after Alice Eastwood, the Academy’s celebrated curator of botany from 1894 to 1949. When she died in 1953, at the age of 94, she left the Academy her extensive collection of botanical publications, which scientists and students continue to use.

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Planned gifts play a key role in tomorrow's science — and in the future of our planet — by endowing the Academy with the resources to continue its mission. They fund chairs and fellowships that advance important biodiversity research around the globe. They support eye-opening exhibits and innovative educational programs that cultivate science literacy and train future scientists. Most important, planned gifts are a lasting tribute to their donors, honoring a lifelong commitment to science, discovery, and sharing the natural world with others.

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A planned gift enables you to have a profound impact on future generations and may help you make a larger gift than you thought possible. There are many ways to create your legacy—from making the Academy a beneficiary in your will or retirement plan to making gifts that provide you with lifetime income. We can help you customize a plan that meets your philanthropic and financial goals.

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Explore, explain, and protect the natural world: That’s what the Academy was designed to do. As a dynamic classroom, the Academy immerses visitors in a one-of-a-kind living museum. Behind the scenes and in biodiversity hotspots around the globe, Academy researchers are making discoveries that deepen our understanding of the natural world. Corporate Partners help make it possible and leverage our power to make a difference.

Since September 2008, the new Academy has welcomed more than five million guests from across the Bay Area and around the world, and thousands more visit every day. Each year, more than half a million children visit the Academy, often on school field trips that make a vital contribution to their science education and awareness. Professional development programs reach out to science teachers. Internship programs inspire tomorrow’s scientists. At the Academy, you have an educational partner with real impact.

Whatever your company profile, you’ll find an opportunity to advance the Academy’s mission – and enjoy the benefits of a closer connection. As a Corporate Partner, you can enjoy the unique privileges of Complimentary Family Plus Memberships and guest passes, special events, private tours, and company recognition. And the deeper your commitment, the closer you get.

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Corporate sponsorships are also available. Contact the Academy to see how we can assist your company with aligning the appropriate sponsorship to meet your goals.

With matching gifts it may be possible to double your gift, which means greater benefits for you and allows you to double your impact to the Academy.

To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, please check with your HR department, search for your employer’s name below, or view the full list of participants in the Academy’s Matching Gift Program.

Gifts of appreciated stock and mutual funds are not subject to the federal capital gains tax, and such gifts may be deductible at their full market value, less the value of benefits provided by your Academy membership. Please complete the Authorization to Transfer Assets form and return by mail, fax to (415) 379-5750, or email .

Attn: Development Department
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Dr.
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118