At the Michelson 20MM Foundation, 2025 was a year of meaningful expansion and deep collaboration across all pillars of our work. The team strengthened impact in open educational resources, smart justice, student basic needs, intellectual property education, digital equity, and student leadership. Across California and beyond, the organization, our partners, and student fellows have advanced solutions that make higher education more accessible and equitable for every learner. Please join us in celebrating this year’s progress.

Digital Equity: Leading the Charge for Fair, Competitive Internet Access

In 2025, Michelson 20MM focused on maintaining California’s progress in expanding reliable and affordable internet access amid growing uncertainty in federal broadband programs. The team continued our work through the California Alliance for Digital Equity and supported partners such as CHIRLA and OaklandUndivided as they worked to ensure all Californians can access stable, affordable service. Our 2025 Spark Grants highlighted the importance of community-owned broadband models and regional broadband consortiums, underscoring the value of organizations that have built long-term trust and deliver solutions that reflect local needs.

This year brought significant challenges for many Angelenos, who faced the LA fires, ICE raids, reduced funding sources, and threats to key federal digital equity and digital discrimination policies. Michelson 20MM helped raise awareness of how limited connectivity impacts communities during these crises through commentary in LAist and NPR’s All Things Considered. As we move into 2026, Michelson 20MM will continue to advocate for internet affordability, strong digital equity protections, and community-informed strategies to advance broadband for all.

Open Educational Resources (OER): Strengthening Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Pathways and Reimagining Textbook Affordability

Michelson 20MM continued to advance textbook affordability throughout the California Community Colleges (CCC). The CCC Board of Governors approved Title 5 revisions to the California Code that incorporate burden-free access to instructional materials as a policy standard. The Office of the Chancellor also affirmed that burden-free includes cost as a barrier to access. Colleges shall now build systems that expand true burden-free, OER-centered materials, furthering California as an OER pioneer. New ZTC initiatives also grew, with Irvine Valley College studying ZTC course discovery and Chabot College launching a dashboard that tracks ZTC adoption and student success under the Spark Grants program.

In parallel, the MCPP expanded OER legislative work beyond California by supporting an Oregon funding push through media engagement and advocacy training. The effort strengthened educator and student voices as the fight continues. Michelson 20MM also elevated attention to the unfair textbook market, where dominant publishers and automatic billing limit student choice. These issues were echoed by Lever News, who reported on shrinking bookstore diversity featuring expert context by OER Senior Program Manager Cailyn Nagle.

Smart Justice: A Landmark Year for Justice Reform and Incarcerated Firefighter Advocacy

This year marked major progress in justice reform and support for incarcerated firefighters. Five bills were signed into law under the Firefighting to Freedom package, advancing wages, safety, reentry options, certification access, and death benefits. Michelson 20MM also became the home of the Higher Education in Prison Funders Collaborative, strengthening coordinated philanthropy that expands high-quality education for incarcerated students.

Philanthropic advocacy was further elevated when Michelson 20MM co-hosted a statewide advocacy day with key grantmaking partners. The event allowed foundations to brief policymakers on critical issues and demonstrate how philanthropy can partner with the government. Michelson 20MM also sponsored fellows, who helped shape planning for the 2025 Prison to University Conference and advised multicampus justice-education initiatives, including the Pathways From Prison to College strategy. These efforts, combined with the team’s expanded national engagement, positioned the organization as a leading voice in justice-centered workforce and education pathways in 2025.

Student Basic Needs: Expanding Supports for Parenting Students and Advancing Equitable Systems

This year, Michelson 20MM advanced more equitable systems across California. The organization sponsored the biannual Student Parent Summit, now hosted by the California Alliance for Student Parent Success, which drew nearly 300 attendees. Through the Student Parent Pooled Fund, Michelson 20MM partnered with leading funders to strengthen campus supports and expand access to resources for student parents.

The team also elevated solutions to student housing insecurity as affordability challenges grew. With the Center for Equitable Higher Education, Michelson 20MM co-hosted a webinar on the three-year evaluation of the College Focused Rapid Rehousing strategy. At the same time, Michelson 20MM partnered with the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges to highlight co-housing models between two- and four-year institutions. These efforts helped lay policy foundations for future reforms and reinforced the commitment to evidence-based strategies and cross-sector collaboration.

Student Fellows Leading Change on Campus and Beyond

The 2025 Michelson 20MM Student Fellowship Cohort drove significant statewide policy and research efforts. Fellows elevated student perspectives in OER and ZTC work at the CCC ZTC Summit and advanced local consumer protection by challenging inequitable course-material fees. Across these efforts, fellows strengthened their influence in campus and statewide policymaking, while the Student Engagement team trained more than 30 emerging leaders at the CCC General Assembly.

Fellows are also producing research that will inform California’s future policy landscape. Their work will include a Transparency Report Card to track AB 607 compliance across CCC and CSU campuses; a public opinion poll on wages and labor conditions for incarcerated firefighters; a 2025 snapshot of digital access in Los Angeles County; and the development of a student-led definition of emergency aid, using campus survey data to shape California State University-wide recommendations. Together, these projects aim to advance evidence-based strategies and amplify student voices in statewide reform.

Michelson Intellectual Property Institute (Michelson IP): Expanding Access, Strengthening Pathways

Michelson IP expanded equitable access to the innovation economy. The team grew the HBCU IP Futures Collaborative by adding five new campuses and released a publication analyzing IP ecosystems across HBCUs, led by the inaugural IP Legal Fellow. Michelson IP advanced a major K–12 invention education effort with the California Invention Convention and national partners, and introduced the Michelson Young Inventors Award at two statewide science events.

The team also broadened national reach and strengthened educator support. Adoption of The Intangible Advantage through the partnership with OpenStax increased by 50%, signaling an increased interest in IP literacy in higher education. The team continued partnering with the Pro Bono Advisory Council to connect independent inventors with expert IP practitioners. At the same time, a Slack community for Educators in Residence was launched, the Learning Exchange was updated for easier access to free IP resources, and collaboration on new teaching tools was expanded. These efforts deepened Michelson IP’s impact and helped build a more inclusive innovation landscape.

Looking to 2026

As the team looks toward 2026, Michelson 20MM remains committed to advancing bold, equitable solutions that center students and strengthen educational opportunity. This year’s progress shows what is possible when philanthropy, research, and lived experience move in unison. We are grateful to our partners and community of advocates who make this progress possible, and we look forward to building on the momentum in the year ahead.

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About Michelson 20MM

Michelson 20MM is a private, nonprofit foundation working toward equity for underserved and historically underrepresented communities by expanding access to educational and employment opportunities, increasing affordability of educational programs, and ensuring the necessary supports are in place for individuals to thrive. To do so, we work in the following verticals: Digital Equity, Intellectual Property, Smart Justice, Student Basic Needs, and Open Educational Resources (OER). Co-chaired and funded by Alya and Gary Michelson, Michelson 20MM is part of the Michelson Philanthropies network of foundations.

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