The Michelson Spark Grants program is an innovative, just-in-time grant-making process designed to fill the urgent needs of organizations that are well-aligned with the mission of Michelson 20MM Foundation. Launched in 2019, the program accelerates the traditional...
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Tackling the Student Basic Needs Crisis
COVID-19’s economic ramifications have brought the pre-existing student basic needs crisis to a tipping point. Pre-COVID, 50% of college students suffered from food or housing insecurity, and, each year, 3 million students drop out due to financial issues...
Philanthropy Post-COVID: Where Do We Go From Here?
Connecting California, Pt. 3, Philanthropy Post-COVID: Where Do We Go From Here? was recorded via a live broadcast on Thursday, November 19, 2020.
Free Textbooks: A Necessary and Possible Transformation in Higher Education
Higher Ed students can benefit from open educational resources. More than $3 billion worth of financial aid in the U.S. is spent on course materials. That doesn’t need to be the case. By leveraging open educational resources and free textbook degree...
It’s Time to be Anti-Racist: Restoring Affirmative Action to Counter Systemic Racism
"It is no longer sufficient to be non-racist; now it is time for everyone to be anti-racist.” - Dr. Gary Michelson “I now realize that expecting people to compete when deprived of an even playing field from the beginning is discriminatory. It is no longer...
UCI LIFTED, a Spark Grantee, Extending Bachelor’s Degrees to Incarcerated Students
The University of California, Irvine’s new Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees (LIFTED) program extends the opportunity to earn a UC bachelor’s degree to a new demographic of students: currently incarcerated individuals. Funded in...
2020 Michelson 20MM Foundation Smart Justice Spark Grantees
The Justice Spark awardees will address faculty turnover in prison-based higher education programs, make University of California bachelor's degrees available to incarcerated individuals, and further Fair Chance Hiring. In October 2020, the Michelson...
Stronger Together: The Role of Cross-Sector Partnerships in Digital Equity
Connecting California, Pt. 2, Stronger Together: The Role of Cross-Sector Partnerships in Digital Equity was recorded via a live broadcast on Thursday, September 17, 2020.
How a Request for Innovation Could Solve the Digital Divide
Crowdsourcing ideas and innovative solutions to provide high-speed internet access to all Californians. Dr. Gary K. Michelson is calling on the State of California to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to generate, via crowdsourcing, ideas and innovative...
Michelson 20MM Foundation Is Supporting Racial Equity Partners
The Michelson 20MM Foundation stands with protestors and affected communities as an ally in anti-racism efforts. While millions of Americans sheltered in their homes in 2020, many thousands poured into the streets to protest systemic racism and call for justice...
Encouraging Invention Among Students – Jaseem Bhatti
Jaseem Bhatti, Michelson IP 2020 Essay Winner Inspired by the Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, an initiative of the Michelson 20MM Foundation, college student Jaseem Bhatti says he invents to solve real-world problems. Bhatti is now devising a robot for...
Connecting California Bridges the Digital Divide
In summer 2020, Michelson 20MM Foundation launched Connecting California to help bridge these divides. Held virtually, the inaugural series assembled local and national leaders to discuss and devise solutions for enhancing digital equity. Introducing...