Our 2026 Winter Campaign starts today. Two goals come first: $174,000 from individuals in our community by December 31, and $250,000 in sponsorship commitments from eight Alameda companies. Here’s why, and the four ways you can help.
On Wednesday nights at REAP, there’s a fire going and a community potluck, and some weeks live music or a movie. On Sundays the gates open for anyone who wants to pick up a tool. That’s how Sophia Strena found us: first as a volunteer, then as a California Climate Action Corps Fellow here, and now as part of our staff.
That’s REAP. A climate-job training center. A resilience hub. And a third space: a place that isn’t home and isn’t work, where Alameda comes together to build a thing, fix a thing, grow a thing, and do it together.
Six years ago, this half-mile strip of former railroad land was an illegal dump site. You helped turn it into this:
About 8,000 people have come through REAP.
More than 300 have earned workforce certifications. This year, 38 of the 40 people in our Regenerative Jobs Training Program graduated.
Nine accredited certificate programs, nine regenerative labs and about 30 partner organizations.
A campus built largely from found and upcycled materials: about 85% of it.
Field trips from every school on the island.
We built all of that at about 25% of the staffing and operating budget the work actually needs.
What’s at stake this winter
This isn’t just giving season, and this isn’t just another campaign. For REAP, this winter is the turning point.
Running at a quarter of what the work needs has worked because you kept showing up. But a team of eight can’t carry it much further. We’re proud of what we’ve built together. We’re also exhausted.
So here is the plain truth. Our 2026 Winter Campaign has four parts. The first two, community giving and local corporate sponsorship, are what keep REAP open right now. If we fall short on them, REAP won’t make it. We’ve watched community spaces around the Bay close their doors, some recently and close to home. We don’t want Alameda to lose this one.
The first two goals are clear and the time is short: $174,000 from individuals in our community by December 31, and $250,000 in sponsorship commitments from eight Alameda companies.
Why we know we can do this
You’re not being asked to rescue a fragile idea. You’re being asked to help a proven one reach solid ground.
We’ve already proven it. REAP has raised and earned more than $3 million over six years without a development officer, and we made this campus from scratch with the people who use it.
The model works. REAP is a trade school where the work helps pay for the education. Our plan combines certificate training, workforce services, corporate team experiences, events and campus programs, and online learning, and it funds training through partners such as the California Department of Rehabilitation and federally funded workforce programs, so students don’t have to pay their own way.
The plan is in motion. Our 2027–2031 business plan sets out the staff, campus, equipment and revenue the school needs. For 2027, it projects $2.57 million in operating revenue and support, including $672,000 in earned revenue, against $2.28 million in operating expenses. Growing from 8 staff to 17 in 2027, and to 26 by 2031. Those are planning targets, and the gifts and grants in them aren’t committed yet. That’s what this campaign is for. We have a path to solvency and financial stability, and we’re on it.
Four ways to keep REAP growing
People give in different ways, so this campaign has four paths. Each has its own purpose, so your gift does exactly what you intend. Choose the one that fits you.
1. Neighbors and friends: $174,000 by December 31
This is the heart of the campaign. Your gift closes a critical gap in REAP’s day-to-day operations through December: it keeps the gates open, the Wednesday fire lit and the training running. It’s separate from our longer-term land campaign. REAP generally raises about 10% of its yearly budget from community giving, so every gift counts.
2. Alameda companies: eight sponsorships, $250,000
REAP is community, and REAP means business. A healthy local workforce matters to every company on this island, and we train the people who will do the work Alameda needs next, including people facing barriers to employment. We know many companies set their fourth-quarter giving budgets back in August. If yours is already spoken for, we’d still like to talk now, about a commitment or about your 2027 budget. Every sponsorship comes with a hosted team day on campus for your people:
Lead Campus Sponsor, $100,000 (one sought): about 3,600 square feet of greenhouse space and better water security. A team day for up to 50 people.
Campus Builder, $50,000 (two sought): hands-on labs, our urban farming curriculum or a used tractor. A team day for up to 20 people.
Campus Partner, $10,000 (five sought): growing areas, labs, tools and solar on South Campus. A team day for up to 10 people.
Each sponsorship puts 30% toward operations and 70% toward building out South Campus.
Explore corporate sponsorship →
3. Foundations, family offices, DAF holders and major donors: $1.8 million for 2027
This path funds the people behind the work: the team REAP needs to train and serve more people safely and well. The $1.8 million target is 70% of our 2027 operating revenue and support, and it carries REAP beyond the first half of 2027 while earned revenue grows. If you’re considering a gift at this level, please talk with us directly rather than giving through the GoFundMe. Your donor-advised fund may list us as “REAP Climate Center” or “REAP Center,” EIN 86-1984990.
4. A permanent home: $4.7 million
We lease our 4.26-acre campus from Union Pacific Railroad. Our long-term goal is to buy it and build the essential infrastructure it needs, so this work has a permanent home. The preliminary goal is $4.7 million: $3.4 million in gifts plus $1.3 million in proposed loan financing. A gift, a loan or both are welcome. These are planning estimates; the final price and timing depend on negotiations and due diligence.
Learn about the capital campaign →
Visit, volunteer, share
Come see what you’re keeping open. REAP holds open houses on Sundays, 10 AM–3 PM, and Fireside Potluck dinners on Wednesdays, 5–8 PM (none on Wed Nov 25 or Sun Nov 29). Volunteer, join a guild, bring a friend.
And share this with the people in your life who’d care. Your friends, especially the nice ones.
You built this with us
Six years ago, this was an illegal dump site on former railroad land. You helped build a thing, fix a thing and grow a thing, and it became a place where Alameda learns, works and gathers. This winter, help keep it open and growing.
With gratitude,
Jonathan DeLong
- Executive Director & Co-Founder, REAP Climate Center
- Board member, Alameda Chamber & Economic Alliance
- Board member, Alameda County Workforce Development Board
- Board member, Navy/EPA Restoration Advisory Board, Alameda Point Naval Air Station
- Working group member, OAAC (Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Group)
- Working group member, Alameda Urban Forestry Plan
I’d welcome connecting with you on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanbdelong
PS - At the risk of sharing too much, here are some of the extensive documents that will give you a deep dive and likely answer all of your questions. TL;DR > We need more staff and equipment to serve more people, to do great things, and to secure our campus for the future.
Case for Support (25 pages)
Executive Summary (3 pages)
Strategic Business Plan Executive Summary (2 pages)