The Michelson 20MM Foundation is committed to promoting programs and policies that advance the proliferation and adoption of open educational resources to improve the affordability of instructional materials, efficacy of faculty instruction, and equitable access to educational opportunities. The foundation was launched over a decade ago when a simple news article of qualified community college students dropping out due to the cost of textbooks moved Dr. Gary K. Michelson to first provide immediate help, and then to move towards addressing the issue at scale. The subsequent $1.5 million grant to Openstax created the world's first commercial grade, openly licensed college textbooks available to students at zero cost—and set Michelson 20MM on its way.
Since then, we continue to make investments in this work through our Michelson Spark Grants program. The 2024 Open Educational Resources Spark Grants funding cycle opens on February 26th and closes on March 11th. During this cycle, Michelson 20MM seeks to fund projects that support systems-level strategies with potential to create positive impact at scale and inform public policy.
We will be awarding grants up to $25,000 to nonprofits and educational institutions looking for support of projects that hit one of the focus areas outlined above
We will not fund initiatives that primarily seek to develop OER content during this Michelson Spark Grant cycle. While we realize there is a tremendous desire from faculty for this type of support, we are leveraging our funding to effect broader systemic change at this time.
For this funding cycle, while most of our focus areas are dedicated to California, there are limited opportunities for projects with a more national focus.
We welcome proposals where Michelson Spark Grant funds are part of a larger overall project with multiple funding streams.
If you have any questions or need assistance while completing this form please reach out to ryan@20mm.org
The Open Educational Resources (OER) Spark Grants funding cycle is open for grant proposals!
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