Deadline: 23-Jun-21
Applications are now open for the Michelson Spark Grants Program to tackle a broken textbook publishing model controlled by “The Big 5” (the nickname for the major trade book publishing companies in the United States).
Focus Areas
Open Educational Resources (OER) Funding Cycle Focus Areas:
- Incorporating OER into the tenure and promotion process within higher education systems;
- Raising awareness to policymakers and higher education leaders around the issue of automatic textbook billing with a focus on how these programs impact students and faculty;
- Using OER to provide an actively antiracist and more culturally responsive learning environment for students;
- Research that demonstrates how open educational resources and zero textbook cost degree programs impact student success within California;
- Providing opportunities for faculty statewide to engage in professional development around OER with a particular focus on sharing resources that have already been developed and breaking down silos in the space;
- Improving efforts around data collection in California to understand the current metrics around OER adoption by higher education faculty.
Funding Information
- Grant ask is up to $25,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- They welcome proposals where Michelson Spark Grant funds are part of a larger overall project with multiple funding streams.
- They will not be funding initiatives that primarily seek to develop Open Educational Resources (OER) content during this Michelson Spark Grant cycle. While they realize there is a tremendous desire from faculty for this type of support, they are leveraging their funding to effect broader systemic change at this time.
- For this cycle of funding they have decided to focus their impact on organizations that are doing work in California. Organizations whose work does not impact California will be ineligible for this opportunity.
- Preference will be given to grants that cover a specific self-contained milestone focus including inflection points, things that may open up a new foothold with a partner (i.e. enabling a new partnership with a market leader), or a new proof of concept.
- For this funding cycle they will not be funding general operating expenses such as rent, utilities, server costs, etc.
For more information, visit https://20mm.org/spark-grants/