Michelson 20MM is thrilled to announce the 2025 Open Educational Resources (OER) Spark Grantees: California State University Dominguez Hills, Irvine Valley College, and Loyola Marymount University! Their innovative projects will advance the following focus areas:

• Improve the quality and reach of OER marketing materials, particularly for under-resourced programs.
• Mobilize students and faculty to pass OER policies at the University of California (UC), California Community Colleges (CCC), and California State University (CSU) systems.
• Support the implementation of California’s investment in zero-textbook-cost (ZTC) degree programs within the CCC system.

Meet the Grantees and Their Projects

California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) will launch a student fellowship program across five CSU campuses. Building on the Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Program, they will empower students to advocate for OER by promoting benefits including cost savings, flexibility, and student success. Students will collaborate, share strategies, and advocate for OER adoption and policy changes. Beginning at five campuses, the project has the potential to scale statewide, benefiting hundreds of thousands of students. 

Irvine Valley College (IVC)’s project will seek to improve the student-facing experience of ZTC degree pathways. Making ZTC degrees easy to navigate and accessible is not easy, relying on often disjointed data and limited resources. This project will focus on understanding the challenges students face through qualitative research, including surveys and focus groups. By collecting data from students and involving them as research partners, the initiative will study what it would take to create a practical, student-centered ZTC system that can be scaled across institutions. The project also aims to integrate findings into a clear, actionable plan for creating accessible, transparent, and sustainable ZTC pathways that can enhance student success and OER adoption statewide.

Loyola Marymount University’s (LMU’s) OER for Social Justice Marketing and Advocacy Toolkit will build and diffuse customizable marketing materials for promoting OER at under-resourced institutions. The project will produce two adaptable OER marketing kits: one designed to help faculty advocate for OER adoption and another aimed at educating both faculty and students about OER’s benefits. Students will actively co-create content, participate in focus groups, and contribute to education campaigns, using proven advocacy methods. By centering student voices and adaptable messaging, the toolkit will be relevant across different institutional types. 

Why OER Matters

OER allows for greater flexibility in teaching and learning, while empowering students to take control of their education. As Cailyn Nagle, Senior Program Manager for OER, shared, “OER not only lowers costs but also transforms the educational experience by providing students with more accessible, flexible, and relevant learning materials.” By promoting OER adoption and advocacy, these projects help bridge gaps in educational access and equity across California’s diverse institutions and beyond.

Learn More

We look forward to sharing more about the impact of these projects as they build on the future of affordable and accessible education for all students.

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About the Michelson 20MM Foundation

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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