Our Programs
Donations to Organizations
Tell us about your mission. Maybe we can help!
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ERC offers donations to other organizations whose projects and activities are in line with ERC’s mission statement regarding the reduction and/or elimination of hazardous and toxic chemicals. Understand that any donations received must be used for activities/projects within the State of California and you must provide a report detailing how the funds were used.
Please provide ERC with the following information.
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Problem statement: What problems, needs, or issues does it address?
Briefly describe your organization's history and major accomplishments.
Describe your current programs and activities
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(If you are requesting general support, you may skip this bullet.) If other than general operating support, describe the program for which you seek funding, why you decided to pursue this project and whether it is a new or ongoing part of your organization.
What are the goals, objectives and activities/strategies involved in this request? What is your timeline?
If you are a grassroots group, describe your community. If you are a state, regional, or national organization, describe your work with local groups, if applicable, and how other regional and/or national organizations are involved.
Describe systemic or social change you are trying to achieve.
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Describe your plan for evaluating the success of the project or for your organization's work. Who will be involved in evaluating this work-staff, board, constituents, community, consultants? How will the evaluation results be used?
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Briefly describe how your organization works: What are the responsibilities of the board, staff, volunteers, and, if a membership organization, the members?
Who will be involved in carrying out the plans outlined in this request? Include a brief paragraph summarizing the qualifications of key individuals involved.
Provide a list of your board of directors with related community and employment affiliations.
Provide an organizational chart showing decision-making structure.
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Organization's current annual operating budget.
Current project budget, if other than general support.
List individually other funding sources for this request. Include amounts and whether received, committed, or projected/pending.
Most recent completed year's organizational financial statement (expenses, revenue and balance sheet), audited, if available.
A copy of your IRS 501(c)(3) letter if applicable.
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Letters of support/commitment (up to three).
Recent newsletter, articles, newspaper clippings, evaluations, or reviews (up to three).
Recent annual report.
Other.
Lead Testing
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Today's health-conscious society has witnessed a gradual increase in the production of consumable products that assist in achieving a healthier life. Unfortunately, testing the contents of these products sometimes reveals just the opposite. Some products in the marketplace today contain contaminated ingredients which, if consumed as directed, can cause harm to the person ingesting the product. Lead is one such chemical that is often found in these products.
ERC believes that the potential dangers lurking behind labels of so-called health enhancing products should be known prior to purchasing that product. ERC is dedicated to identifying products in the marketplace that contain potentially harmful amounts of lead and works hard to protect California consumers by locating the products, testing for contamination, and working with the companies directly to bring about change in the industry.
The old saying "You are what you eat" has never been more true than it is today. ERC seeks to help you know what you are eating before exposing yourself to products that might contain lead, a chemical known by the State of California to cause cancer or reproductive harm or birth defects. The purpose of the Got Lead? Program is to give consumers FREE access to test results of products that may be contaminated. To participate in the Got Lead? Program, simply fill out the form below and let us know the names of the products you are consuming. ERC will then confirm your online submission, analyze the products submitted, purchase and test the products if warranted, and provide you the results of our findings – All for FREE.
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ERC focuses testing on products purchased and ingested on a daily basis, with a particular emphasis on the products used by California consumers, as we are evaluating products based on Proposition 65 which is a California standard.
We test products in the form of capsules, tablets, and powders. We also test meal replacement products such as bars and shakes. We even test energy drinks and hydration products.
If you are unsure if your product inquiry fits into our focus, send us the information and we will evaluate it. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
Herbal products
Protein products
Diet/weight loss products
Energy products
Fitness/performance products
Superfood products
Colon cleanse/detox products
Health & wellness products
Meal replacement products
PFAS Testing
Wellness Products
If you want to test a wellness product (protein power, vitamins, supplements, etc.) Fill out our product submission form and we will see if it's something we can test.
If your product is eligible for testing, this process usually take around 60 days.
Water Contamination
If you are interested in finding out if your tap water is contaminated, you have several options including:
Free Consultation with a Water Filtration Company
We’ve linked one such company here though there are many others. Like this one, they will come out and test the water in your home or business.
This map gives a more general overview of the known PFAS contamination sites in your area.
This map gives you a summary of all the known contaminants and their levels in your location by county.
Textiles and Other Goods
Though we don’t test inedible goods ourselves, we have worked with Mamvation, a great organization that does just that. Here is a direct link to their product investigations: