In 2020, Michelson 20MM awarded a Spark Grant to support the first bachelor’s degree-granting program in a California state prison, offered by UC Irvine’s Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees (UCI LIFTED) program. Four years later, Michelson 20MM recently announced supporting the expansion of the model to the University of California at Riverside through a $25,000 Spark Grant.

UCR LIFTED, a collaboration between the School of Education and the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, will build upon the success of UCI LIFTED by offering a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Society and Human Development at the Norco California Rehabilitation Center. The $25,000 grant helps streamline the application process through the production of animated videos that will be available online and in the education room at a California state prison. Future students can watch the informational videos to learn about the program and the application process.

Kenia Miranda Verdugo, from the Michelson 20MM Foundation, congratulated the UCR Lifted team on their effort, “This round was particularly competitive with 54 proposals, so this decision is a strong reflection of how impressive we found your work.” Co-Director Dr. Amos Lee, Associate Professor at the School of Education, and Co-Director Dr. Farah Godrej, Professor of Political Science at CHASS, confirmed plans to start the first cohort of 25 students this fall.