With a Spark Grant, City Heights CDC will tackle the digital divide in San Diego’s underserved City Heights neighborhood. This initiative will boost internet access, enhance digital skills through multilingual workshops, and strengthen community connections, paving the way for greater digital equity and opportunity.
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CHIRLA’s Internet Service Project, supported by the Michelson Spark Grant, will enhance digital connectivity in Los Angeles’ Pico-Union neighborhood by providing high-speed internet and digital literacy training. This initiative addresses the critical lack of reliable internet, empowering residents and setting a precedent for broader digital equity efforts.
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GENup is launching a campaign across the University of California system to promote the adoption of open educational resources (OER) and address the high costs of textbooks. Supported by a Michelson Spark Grant, the initiative aims to enhance accessibility and equity in education through grassroots advocacy and system-wide policy changes.
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Benny Ng, a Pierce College professor, developed two unique chatbots during the Creative Commons Bootcamp to assist with CC licensing queries and education. His participation and innovative project highlight the growing importance of open educational resources in California community colleges’ Zero Textbook Cost initiatives.
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Destination Crenshaw has received a Michelson Spark Grant to enhance digital equity in South Los Angeles, deploying high-speed public WiFi and building a fiber-to-the-home network. This community-led initiative aims to address historical digital disparities and create a replicable model for other underserved areas.
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The prison system in the Central Valley deeply impacts local communities and the economy while also reflecting a history of systemic racism and inequity. The Michelson 20MM Foundation’s recent event highlighted the crucial need for in-prison education programs, such as UCSB’s Foundations in the Humanities Prison Correspondence Program, to address these issues and transform lives.
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Michelson 20MM proudly announces the 2024 Spark Grant recipients: City Heights CDC, CHIRLA, and Destination Crenshaw. These groundbreaking projects are set to transform digital equity in California by expanding broadband access and empowering underserved communities with vital internet resources.
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Meet the Spark Grant Community Advisors who are integral to shaping the 2024 funding cycle. Their expertise ensures initiatives tackling digital equity across underserved communities in California are impactful and scalable, addressing systemic disparities in digital access.
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Student-parents, often people of color, women, and first-generation college students, face significant barriers to degree completion, including isolation and feeling unwelcome on campuses. AB 2881 offers hope by granting priority registration and centralized resources, aiming to alleviate these challenges and support academic success for parenting students statewide. Student parents shared how implementation has progressed.
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In July 2023, the U.S. Department of Education reinstated Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students, a decision poised to reshape higher education’s impact on reentry and societal integration. A year later, this policy shift is proving transformative, fostering educational opportunities that promise brighter futures and reduced recidivism rates nationwide.
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