[Updated 10/28/2017, 6:49pm]

On this page, we focus on fundraising efforts related to science, education, the environment, and agriculture in Puerto Rico.

If you would like to donate to relief and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, please see this blog for a comprehensive list of vetted organizations. We recommend working with Puerto Rico-based organizations that have the resources and knowhow to help vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico. 

RESEARCH INITIATIVES OR FACILITIES 

Ciencia Puerto Rico – We accept and appreciate donations to support our efforts in response to Hurricane Maria. CienciaPR was one of the first professional organizations to respond:

• We launched a registry to collect offers and requests for help for students and scientists affected by the hurricane, which has received more than 200 offers;
• We are working with the Science Trust and with academic leaders to coordinate and advocate for science assistance in Puerto Rico; 
• We are serving as a central point of information related to the hurricane and community of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health. 

The sciences and education will be central to any reconstruction project in Puerto Rico. We have a long history of advancing education and careers in Puerto Rico. Join our community or contribute to our efforts to help us in the long-term reconstruction of Puerto Rico through education and science. Please contact us if you have any questions.

AAAS Caribbean Division - The American Association for the Advancement of Science has made a $10,000 donation to the AAAS Caribbean Division and is reaching out to its membership to summon additional financial contributions to help Puerto Rico restore its scientific infrastructure. The online donation campaign for the AAAS Caribbean Division allows individuals, companies, and organizations to make tax-deductible contributions. https://www.supportaaas.org/PuertoRico 

Cayo Santiago Primate Research Center - This island off the shore of Puerto Rico is one of the most important wild primate research centers. Its facilities are used by the international scientific community to understand primate behavior, cognition and ecology. The monkey population survived  but help is needed to rebuild the infrastructure that sustains the scientific research carried out here. There are  two crowdfunding campaigns taking place: 

For more information about the center and the effects of the storm on it, please visit the following links.

The Puerto Rico Manatee Conservation Center has created a crowdfunding campaign in order to 1)  buy and install a power generator for the rehab tanks filters, 2) by a walk-in refrigerating half trailer for storing manatee food, 3) rebuild and make functional the manatee veterinary clinic and labs, and 4) repair and re-install the quarantine pool. The Conservation Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization lead by the Caribbean Stranding Network and the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. To make your donation you can visit the following link: Manatee Center Hurricane Recovery

Arecibo Observatory Staff Aid - The Universities Space Research Association (USRA), a 501c3 nonprofit, has established a fund to provide eligible staff at Arecibo Observatory with qualified disaster relief payments for emergency needs, medical care, home repairs, etc., resulting from Hurricane Maria and other qualified disasters that may strike Puerto Rico in the future. USRA will oversee the independent distribution of donations.  All funds received by USRA will be provided entirely to affected staff and their families.

The Society for Developmental Biology has organized a relief grant program to help continue research programs in labs that were affected by the hurricane. The SDB has set up a relief grant program and invites the public to match or surpass the $20K of seed funds they have committed so the relief can reach more researchers and locations affected. The funds may be used among other things for replacement of organisms, reagents, supplies, travel to host labs, and others. To make a donation you can visit the following link:  https://www.sdbonline.org/donations

ENVIRONMENTAL OR AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS

Proyecto ENLACE - This organization works to leverage efforts from the community, private sector, and the government to improve the quality of life of 27,000 people that live around Caño Martin Peña, one of the poorest and most contaminated communities in Puerto Rico. You can make a tax exempted donationhere: https://www.gofundme.com/cano-martin-pena-relief-fund

#RegrowPuertoRico - Following Hurricane Maria, approximately 80% of the crop value in Puerto Rico was lost. Students from the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems have created a crowdfunding campaign to donate funds to efforts directly supporting sustainable agriculture in Puerto Rico: Fondo Resiliencia de Puerto Rico, Huerto Semilla UPR-RP, and Desde mi huerto. This page provides information of funds distribution and information on how to make a donation: Regrow Puerto Rico 

Para la Naturaleza is a non-profit organization integrating society into the conservation of Puerto Rico’s natural ecosystems. After Hurricane María, the organization is focusing on communities around their natural reserves that have suffered serious damage, particularly in the towns of Ponce, Barranquitas, and Manatí. The Para la Naturaleza Community Fund will help rebuild and revitalize these communities. Para la Naturaleza is a 501(c)(3) organization.

The Solar and Connection 4 Puerto Rico project is organized by co-founders of the Bifrösta scientific documentary project based in San Juan. They created a Go Fund Me page to buy supplies and ship items towards providing clean water, solar power, and connectivity to communities in Puerto Rico. They have sent their first shipment of supplies going to Culebra, Puerto Rico and are in need of more donations.  

Ridge to Reefs (RTR), an environmental organization working with communities in environmental restoration, and the Institute for Socio-Ecological Research which engages with government institutions, academia, civil society, and community organizations to improve relationships between humans and natural systems have started a Go Fund Me to support shelters and rural communities in the south, west, and central regions of Puerto Rico. The donations are intended to provide water purification systems and power systems to such communities. They have arranged for a private flight to Puerto Rico and are coordinating efforts with connections in Puerto Rico. 

Clean Water for Kids is a campaign working with local groups such as the Institute for Socio-Ecological Research, Brigada Solidaria del Oeste, and Puerto Rico Rises - Forever Preciosa to deliver water filters and clean water for communities in need. Donations can provide from water purification systems for a family, a small rural community, or provide support for local groups working in these efforts. 

In a segment from NPR Here & Now they talk about the urgent need of drinkable water three weeks after hurricane María hit Puerto Rico.  

HIGHER-EDUCATION

University of Puerto Rico’s Se Levanta Fund - The UPR is the main public university system of Puerto Rico and has approximately 58,000 students and 5,300 faculty members.Three of its institutions are the top 3 producers of Hispanic bachelors that go on to attain PhDs, many of them in the STEM fields. To make a donation to the UPR SE LEVANTA fund (UPR RISES), which will help students, professors and staff who are in need after Hurricane Maria, use your bank’s ACH or transfer mechanism to deposit to Banco Popular, PO Box 362708, San Juan, PR 00936, routing #: 021502011, account #: 030083338.

UC Davis for Puerto Rico was organized by a group of professors at the University of California Davis to raise funds for recovery efforts in the island. The funds will be donated to Unidos (with the support of the Hispanic Federation, civic members, and elected officials) and to Casa Pueblo, a community-based organization in Adjuntas, PR which after Hurricane María has been providing solar-powered light to where is most needed. 

MATERIALS DONATIONS

Below is a list of organizations that are collecting materials and supplies to relief the victims of Hurricane Maria.

1. Casa Pueblo, an environmental organization, is running a campaign to acquire solar powered lighting for the town of Adjuntas in Puerto Rico with plans to expand to other towns. They have created an online Amazon registry for residents of the mainland US to buy solar lamps and then resend via regular mail to: Marian Cabanillas/Casa Pueblo at 2105 Sheridan St. Houston TX 77030; or to Casa Pueblo, Apartado 704; or Calle Rodulfo González # 30, Adjuntas PR , 00601. Alternatively, they are urging those living in the United States to buy the solar lamp prototypes directly from local stores and then send to the above addresses. Donated lamps will be distributed door by door in the town of Adjuntas.

2. EcoKit Puerto Rico has created an online Amazon registry as a guide and starting point for organizations, communities, families and individuals who want to mitigate the ecological hazards of the many relief donations that will end up as garbage. Donations can also be sent to relief workers in the town of Mayaguez on the west side of the Island who will assess the needs of nearby communities and distribute the resources as needed.  

3. The Pediatric Hospital of UPR Medical Center is collecting personal, baby and basic supplies such as: diapers, baby wipes, baby formula and food, hand sanitizer, soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and toothbrush, non-prescription medicines, etc. For more information please contact (787)599-3978, (787)454-9984, (787)397-0003, (787)753-6390 and (787)242-4649.

4. Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) has provided a list of essential supplies and construction materials needed in Puerto Rico. Interested individuals and organizations can host supply drives in their areas to collect these materials and then contact PRFAA here to coordinate the transportation and logistics for distribution of the materials. Here is a crowd-sourced spreadsheet and map with collection drives and centers.

5. The UCSF Asthma Collaboratory (UCSF) is raising funds to purchase water filters benefitting Puerto Rico’s post-hurricane water crisis. Data from statusPR, a government-run progress tracker, shows that 30.5% of the population does not have running water and 87.7% of the island still lacks electricity (statusPR, October 20). Your donation will go directly toward purchasing filters that will go directly to those in need.