Michelson Spark Grants

Baseline Grant Criteria

• We will be awarding grants up to $25,000 to United States-based nonprofits and educational institutions whose projects hit one of the focus areas outlined below.
• We are particularly interested in innovative efforts that catalyze systemic solutions in support of the basic needs of college students. This could include, but is not limited to, housing, food insecurity, physical/mental health, and childcare.
• During this funding cycle, we will not pursue initiatives that result in direct assistance to students, such as emergency student aid, laptops and hotspots for remote learning, or food and housing vouchers. While we realize there is a tremendous need among students for direct support, at this time we are leveraging our funding to effect broader systemic change.
• For this funding cycle, we will focus on organizations that are doing work in California—organizations whose work does not impact California will be ineligible. 
• Proposals where Michelson Spark Grant funds are part of a larger overall project with multiple funding streams are welcomed.
• Please note your project must address at least one of the focus areas to be considered.

Student Basic Needs Funding Cycle Focus Areas

• Systemic approaches and actionable strategies for higher education systems to implement state and/or federal policies addressing student housing and food insecurity. This could include: 
  • Implementing and integrating policies, such as AB 2033 (electronic benefit transfer on Campus), AB 132 (Basic Needs Coordinators on Campus), and AB 396 (CalFresh Educational programs)
  • Addressing the gap in CalFresh enrollment among students who meet eligibility requirements 
  • Fulfilling state mandates by strengthening campus capacities and providing Basic Needs Coordinators with technical assistance training. 

• Best practices to support students who are ineligible for public benefits, state aid, and federal aid. Students ineligible for state or federal aid can include but are not limited to, undocumented students, DACAmented/Dreamers, and/or international students. Efforts may include: 
  • Researching projects that examine the effects of current policies on ineligible students’ access to basic needs and education. 
  • Implementing ally training programs for academic and financial advisors, faculty, and staff to understand the specific limitations and opportunities for ineligible students. Equipping them to advocate on behalf of students within institutional systems and to guide students in accessing basic needs resources. 
  • Forming committees or task forces to review and recommend changes to institutional policies that hinder ineligible students’ access to resources. These efforts would focus on areas such as tuition equity, scholarship eligibility, and access to campus facilities.
  • Providing training to students on policy advocacy, leadership skills, and community organizing as a way to promote student power and voice

• Innovative approaches and promising practices to promote positive academic outcomes for students receiving direct financial assistance aimed at mitigating student basic needs concerns. This could include research, evaluation, or efforts that scale the impact of public benefits assistance, tax credits for eligible students, universal basic income, guaranteed income programs, and approaches to liquidating institutional Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) dollars. Efforts may include:
  • Impacting the outcomes of guaranteed income programs for specific student populations
  • Using Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) dollars and academic outcomes for student parents 
  • Providing financial literacy workshops to educate students about tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the California Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit that can help them maximize their financial resources.