LCE Grant Directory

Project

This storytelling project highlights the impact of the Intend to Attend (I2A) program by sharing the experiences of program leaders, student ambassadors, and former participants through a series of videos. The project aims to increase awareness of I2A and encourage more students and communities to engage with its college access resources.

Goal

The goal is to expand educational access by increasing awareness of the I2A program and inspiring more students to pursue postsecondary education through the stories of those who have benefited from it.

Project

This project is a hands-on educational initiative at the U-M’s Mcity mobility research facility designed for middle school students, a group that currently lacks dedicated U-M-based injury prevention and STEAM outreach. It is created in partnership with the U-M Concussion Center, Michigan Medicine, and the College of Engineering, to engage students from underserved Michigan communities in interactive stations focused on brain health, concussion prevention, helmet safety, autonomous mobility safety simulation, and creative design.

Goal

This project serves as a scalable Safety→STEAM Lab curriculum that extends learning beyond Mcity and supports sustained impact in participating school districts.

Project

This project documents the history and impacts of land dispossession experienced by the Maasai people of East Africa through archival research, participatory mapping, legal analysis, and community perspectives. It aims to increase understanding of Indigenous land loss and its lasting historical, legal, and social consequences.

Goal

To deepen understanding of the history and impacts of Indigenous land dispossession while creating resources that inform public dialogue, scholarship, and future efforts to address land justice.

Project

This project will convene practitioners, educators, policymakers, and community partners for an interactive workshop focused on improving coordinated responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) and substance use (SU), two issues that frequently occur together but are often addressed separately. Drawing on more than two decades of research, the event will feature evidence-informed learning modules, practitioner stories, collaborative discussions, and practical tools that help participants develop integrated approaches within their own organizations. Participants' experiences and feedback will directly inform the refinement of an openly accessible toolkit.

Goal

The project aims to strengthen collaboration across service sectors by translating research into practical strategies that improve support for individuals and families affected by IPV and substance use. By creating publicly available educational resources, recordings, and consultation opportunities, the initiative will extend learning beyond the event and support organizations in adopting more effective, research-informed practices.

Project

This project demonstrates how expanding access to academic books through open-access publishing promotes life-changing education across the state. The University of Michigan Press will transform usage data into compelling visualizations of Michigan readership and inform further promotional efforts to amplify non-academic use across the state.

Goal

By expanding opportunities for learning, growth, and discovery through University of Michigan Press publications, this project highlights how access to high-quality knowledge can transform the daily experiences of thousands of Michiganders.

Project

This project brings together undergraduate students from all three U-M campuses for a multi-day Visionary Organizing training focused on leadership, collaboration, and community change. Participants will develop practical skills for addressing social and organizational challenges while building a network of student leaders committed to sustainable social impact.

Goal

The goal is to equip students with the tools and relationships needed to create positive change within their communities while strengthening leadership and collaboration across the University of Michigan.

Project

This project brings together K–12 educators, university faculty, students, and community partners to co-design school-community partnerships that advance sustainability education. Participants will collaboratively develop a publicly available toolkit and professional development resources to support place-based, community-engaged learning.

Goal

The goal is to strengthen collaboration between schools, universities, and community organizations while expanding access to sustainability education through practical, shareable resources and partnerships.

Project

This project examines how Global e-Community-Engaged Learning impacts community organizations and clients in Kenya through surveys, interviews, and digital storytelling. By documenting partner experiences, the research seeks to better understand the benefits of community-engaged learning beyond student outcomes and highlight its value for community organizations.

Goal

The goal of this project is to generate evidence that informs best practices for global community-engaged learning while creating resources that can strengthen future university-community partnerships and support broader public understanding of their impact.

Project

This project is in collaboration with the University of Michigan Joint Program in English and Education, the Marygrove Community Association, and education journalist and professor Benjamin Herold. "In Perpetuity" is a multimedia project celebrating Black educators in Detroit's Fitzgerald–Marygrove neighborhood, highlighting Sister Theresa Maxis, a co-founder of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose foundational work is integral to the Marygrove Learning Community's mission.

Goal

This project celebrates and preserves the legacy of Black educators by illuminating their fundamental contributions that have shaped the community within the Marygrove Conservancy Campus.

Project

This project expands the Immigrant Justice Lab’s public website into a centralized resource hub offering legal templates, guides, and country condition reports for attorneys, advocates, and immigrant communities. By partnering with community organizations and training student researchers, the project aims to improve access to reliable immigration resources.

Goal

The goal is to increase access to practical, trustworthy immigration resources while fostering collaboration among organizations to better support immigrant communities and reduce duplication of effort.

Project

This project leverages existing media assets, including a podcast studio, a publishing portal, and video and camera equipment, to share the stories of multilingual learners in their native languages. By offering a platform to students from diverse backgrounds to express themselves and share their experiences, this project fosters connections within the community while reaching a broader audience.

Goal

This project expands access to higher education by empowering multilingual learners to share their stories in their native languages, fostering community engagement, representation, and meaningful connections.

Project

This project investigates how AI-supported deliberate practice can strengthen students’ skills for productive disagreement, crisis communication, and behavioral risk dialogue. Senior nursing students will complete avatar-based simulations involving interprofessional conflict, psychological safety, and addiction disclosure, which will consist of pre-post rubric scores and reflective analysis to assess their growth.

Goal

The project will develop a Deliberate Practice Dialogue Toolkit to assist faculty across disciplines integrate AI-supported models relative to the development of intellectual courage and respectful engagement under pressure and within crisis communication.

Project

Marsal Community Learnings, Inquiries, and New Knowledges (LINK) is an ongoing professional learning community that brings together faculty and staff to explore issues related to social justice, educational equity, and inclusive practice. Through shared readings, facilitated dialogue, and sustained engagement, participants examine new perspectives, reflect on their own experiences, and build stronger connections across programs and departments. During the 2026–2027 academic year, LINK will focus on disability justice, bodily autonomy and agency, and radical self-love while offering both in-person and virtual participation to support accessibility.

Goal

The project aims to cultivate a campus culture of open inquiry, collaboration, and continuous learning by creating spaces where faculty and staff can engage across differences with curiosity, humility, and respect. In addition to supporting participants' professional growth, LINK will extend its impact by sharing reflections, hosting community events, and developing resources that invite the broader Marsal community to participate in ongoing dialogue and apply new learning to their work.

Project

This project expands educational accessibility by providing a structured, transparent educational framework for third- and fourth-year dental students interested in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. By enhancing the Selective Program, the OMFS Roadmap Project prepares students academically, clinically, and professionally for the demands of OMFS residency, increases transparency of requirements for competitive applications, and expands visibility of the specialty among underrepresented groups within professional dental education to ensure all interested, qualified students have the best chance for success.

Goal

This project prepares students interested in pursuing Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency by expanding access to resources and mentorship, especially for underrepresented groups within dental education.

Project

Career Conversations with CASE is a public storytelling podcast series that explores how a liberal arts education prepares students for meaningful and diverse careers. Through conversations with College of Arts, Sciences & Education alumni and local employer partners, the series highlights how transferable skills—including communication, critical thinking, adaptability, and problem-solving—support success across industries. The project will produce ten podcast episodes accompanied by accessible transcripts and a digital career resource hub for students, faculty, advisors, and the broader community.

Goal

The project aims to expand access to career knowledge by making alumni experiences and employer perspectives more visible and accessible, particularly for students navigating nontraditional or nonlinear career paths. By creating an openly available collection of stories and career resources, the initiative will strengthen career readiness, build students' confidence in the value of their education, and provide a sustainable resource for advising, teaching, and career development programming.

Project

The Michigan Plan and Act for Transgender Health (PATH) Study examines how current state and federal policies affect the health and well-being of transgender adults across Michigan. Building on survey data from 300 participants, this project will convene transgender community members, advocates, healthcare providers, and policy experts in a participatory design Charrette to collaboratively interpret findings and co-create recommendations for policy and practice. The process emphasizes reciprocal learning by integrating academic research with community expertise to identify practical, community-informed solutions.

Goal

The project aims to make research more accessible and actionable by producing a publicly available policy and practice report, along with an open-access facilitation toolkit that supports future community-academic partnerships. By centering the knowledge and lived experiences of transgender communities, the initiative seeks to strengthen collaboration, inform decision-making, and create resources that can be adapted by organizations and researchers across Michigan and beyond.

Project

This project supports the planning and development of the Korean Adoptee Community Education Program (KADCEP), a collaborative initiative between the Nam Center and Korean adoptee scholars, leaders, and community members from across the United States. Through a planning retreat, participants will engage in listening circles, cross-identity dialogue, curriculum design, resource mapping, and strategic planning to co-create an educational program grounded in the experiences and expertise of the Korean adoptee community. The resulting implementation plan will guide the launch of KADCEP in 2027.

Goal

The project aims to build an inclusive educational framework that positions Korean adoptees as partners and contributors to Korean Studies while fostering cultural understanding, reconciliation, and community engagement. By strengthening collaboration between academic experts and lived experience, the initiative seeks to expand opportunities for learning, deepen connections within the Korean diaspora, and establish a sustainable model for future programming.

Project

This storytelling initiative celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC) by documenting the experiences of K–12 students, educators, and campus and community members through digital storytelling. Participants will create short multimedia stories that explore their personal relationships with the EIC, the natural environment, and the ways nature fosters connection across generations and cultures. Building on the EIC’s Inclusive History Project, the initiative highlights diverse perspectives, including Indigenous and multilingual voices, while making learning visible through creative expression.

Goal

The project aims to foster intellectual empathy, reflection, and a deeper sense of belonging by amplifying community voices and creating inclusive opportunities for learning. The completed digital stories will be shared through the EIC, the Office of Holistic Excellence, and public campus displays, creating a lasting digital archive that honors the EIC’s past, celebrates its present, and inspires future engagement with nature and community.

Project

This planning initiative will establish a statewide partnership network between the Stamps School of Art & Design and community-based arts organizations that serve talented teen artists throughout Michigan. Working with partners such as Crooked Tree Arts Center, Neutral Zone, the Muskegon Museum of Art, and other regional organizations, the project will develop scholarship pathways that connect youth art exhibitions with Stamps Pre-College residential programs. These partnerships will create new opportunities for students to experience college-level art and design education while strengthening relationships between the University of Michigan and communities across the state.

Goal

The project aims to expand equitable access to higher education by reducing financial barriers for emerging artists and creating sustainable pathways into the Stamps School of Art & Design. Beyond launching new scholarship opportunities, the initiative will establish a long-term framework for community partnerships, philanthropic support, and statewide outreach that broadens participation in arts education and strengthens Michigan's creative communities.

Project

This research initiative investigates how emerging wearable technologies, including smart glasses and smart rings, can enhance teaching and learning in higher education. Over two semesters, instructors will integrate these tools into educational technology courses to explore how they can support classroom management, instructional pacing, student engagement, and real-time decision-making. The project also includes the development and testing of customized applications designed to address instructors' evolving needs and improve learning experiences.

Goal

The project aims to advance understanding of how wearable technologies can support innovative teaching practices while informing the design of future educational tools. Findings will be shared through open-access publications, conferences, online courses, and public-facing resources, helping educators and researchers explore new approaches to technology-enhanced learning.

Project

This project investigates the experience of U-M undergraduates with artificial intelligence (AI) tools, by conducting a serial focus group study to analyze the skills and feedback provided by AI and how it affects the students’ learning process.

Goal

This project will develop a mixed-method study that seeks to understand how students are using AI in and out of the classroom, how they experience using AI, what they think and feel about their use of it, and the kinds of trade-offs that go into their decisions about whether to use AI.

Project

A digital storytelling initiative that captures the experiences of first-generation college students through short video reflections. The project will create a public digital archive highlighting the moments, challenges, and successes that shaped students' educational journeys.

Goal

The goal is to amplify first-generation student voices, foster a sense of belonging, and inspire future students by showcasing how higher education can be life-changing.

Project

This project, Digital IDEAS 2026: AFTER, is a week-long research incubator hosted by the DSI at U-M, that gathers graduate students, early-career scholars, and alt-ac practitioners working at the intersection of critical digital studies and social justice. It challenges scholars to envision new intellectual and public intellectual futures by engaging in workshops, project development, and module-facilitated dialogue through a co-creation, peer learning, innovative methods sharing, and mentorship lens.

Goal

This project fosters interdisciplinary learning and experimentation with digital research methods while producing a field guide for designing values-driven, justice-centered, “unconference” gatherings.

Project

This project explores how to better share neuroscience research on child abuse and neglect with community partners and stakeholders. Working with a Community Action Board, the team will develop surveys to understand caregiver perspectives, identify barriers to participation, and improve community engagement in research.

Goal

The goal is to strengthen collaboration between researchers and community partners by making neuroscience research more accessible, relevant, and responsive to the needs of children, caregivers, and community organizations.

Project

This project investigates the postsecondary attainment gap within the state of Michigan, as reflected in its “Sixty by 30” goal. It expands the Victors Club model into a hybrid, workshop-based Speaker Series that increases Metro Detroit students’ exposure to postsecondary options and strengthens readiness to pursue college and other credentials beyond high school.

Goal

This project extends its impact by bringing students together across schools and creating shared, reusable resources that extend learning beyond the series.

Project

Wolverine Wellness is a research initiative that explores how an integrated life skills and self-efficacy curriculum can support first-year student-athletes during the transition from high school to collegiate athletics at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Using a mixed-methods approach, the project examines how resilience, time-management skills, and academic self-efficacy influence student success, well-being, and retention. Findings from the pilot will inform the development of a permanent one-credit course designed to support student-athletes throughout their academic journey.

Goal

The project seeks to strengthen academic achievement, persistence, and holistic well-being by equipping student-athletes with evidence-based tools for navigating the demands of college and athletics. In addition to creating a sustainable institutional support model, the project will share its findings and educational resources with the broader higher education community, enabling other institutions to adapt and build upon the Wolverine Wellness framework.

Project

Workshop with Detroit's Midwest-Tireman neighborhood community, U-M students, and community organizations (Equity Alliance, Neighborhood Art School, Sanctuary Farms).

Goal

Facilitate collaborative, interdisciplinary engagement to generate community-driven ideas for neighborhood development and philanthropy. Includes participatory exercises, roundtable discussion, and multilingual public resources.

Project

Development of a digital financial literacy platform, expanding U-M's financial education offerings.

Goal

Provide interactive modules, U-M-specific tools, and a prototype chatbot for on-demand, equitable financial guidance—empowering all students with lifelong budgeting and credit skills, and positioning U-M as a leader in financial well-being.

Project

Partnership between the Kelsey Museum and Michigan's Egyptian and Iraqi communities to co-create telling of their heritage through museum collections.

Goal

Increase accessibility and foster two-way dialogue by engaging MENA communities in educational material design and museum programming, with workshops, symposium, and professional deliverables produced in both English and Arabic.

Project

Detroit Environmental Justice Storytelling Initiative – capturing oral histories of local environmental justice activists, developing publicly accessible teaching and discussion guides, commissioning an original music performance integrating interview excerpts, hosting a community-facing public event, and creating a website to share and preserve all project materials.

Goal

Document and disseminate Detroit's environmental justice organizing history while expanding equitable access to community knowledge through arts-based scholarship and educational resources that engage Detroit residents and the U-M community in learning, dialogue, and action.

Project

TEDxUofM 2026 "Radiance," a daylong conference at the Power Center featuring eight TED-style talks from students, faculty, and community leaders, with low-cost tickets, livestream access, accessibility accommodations, and professionally recorded talks shared online as open educational resources.

Goal

Broaden equitable access to diverse ideas and perspectives by convening 1,400+ participants and producing free, widely distributed digital content that supports ongoing learning, dialogue, and global knowledge sharing.

Project

Storytelling initiative led by the University of Michigan Center for Innovation (UMCI) in partnership with the Michigan Engineering Zone (MEZ), featuring U-M student storytellers, UMCI learners and staff, and Detroit community partners.

Goal

Produce an authentic, student-led multimedia story series that makes "life-changing education" visible by documenting how expanded educational pathways in Detroit transform lives. Through short video profiles, thematic chapter videos, photo essays, audio vignettes, and a curated fall exhibit, the project will highlight real journeys of access, aspiration, and growth for broader public engagement.

Project

The Campus of the Future EdTech Design Jam, a four-hour interactive design thinking event in which U-M students collaborate with community experts to prototype solutions for helping high school students build skills and confidence for future college campuses. Top teams receive prizes and can apply for seed funding to refine ideas and enter larger design challenges.

Goal

Engage students in experiential learning, promote U-M's Life-Changing Education theme, foster interest in educational technology, and create a pipeline of innovative solutions for pre-college students.

Project

Latine Research Week (LRW), an interdisciplinary conference celebrating the scholarship of Latine students, researchers, and faculty at U-M. LRW features keynote presentations, oral and poster sessions, and opportunities for networking across departments, both in-person and online. Stipends are provided to presenters to support participation in national conferences, and collaborations with Latine student organizations expand reach and visibility.

Goal

Create an inclusive academic space that uplifts Latine scholarship, expands access to research and networking opportunities, and fosters a sense of belonging for historically underrepresented students and faculty.

Project

A short documentary highlighting how Michigan Tribal communities adapt the PC CARES model through community-led Learning Circles to prevent suicide and address at-risk substance use. Centering Tribal voices, the video documents cross-community learning and how research and local knowledge are applied in meaningful ways. It will be web-accessible and include interviews, footage, artwork, and visual notes.

Goal

Showcase collective learning, support capacity-building and future partnerships, and demonstrate scholarship as shared, actionable, and community-rooted.

Project

Random Variations, a system that uses structured variation, curated musical materials, and intentional constraints to support creative learning in music. The project makes expert creative strategies visible, repeatable, and accessible, providing students and educators with tools to reduce cognitive overload and explore musical ideas with confidence. Public-facing outputs include a functional prototype, an educator toolkit, and a video walkthrough, all freely accessible and fully captioned.

Goal

Lower barriers to creative learning, support music educators and students, and expand access to structured, practical strategies for creative practice.

Project

U-M Coaches Collaborative: Summer Summit, a cross-campus gathering for university coaching professionals to connect, share practices, and co-create resources.

Goal

Foster collaboration and produce accessible tools that strengthen coaching and support student and staff success.

Project

Voices & Visions: The Arts, Democracy, and Race, a multi-campus event using performing arts and dialogue to explore antiracism and democracy.

Goal

Foster open inquiry and shared learning through performance and facilitated community dialogue.

Project

A research and development initiative examining how students can effectively seek academic help from large language models, alongside the creation of a customized AI agent that promotes learning-oriented use.

Goal

Identify mastery-oriented help-seeking behaviors and design tools that guide students to use AI in ways that deepen understanding rather than foster dependence.

Project

The CSP Storytellers Project, a digital initiative capturing the long-term impact of CSP and the Summer Bridge Scholars Program through alumni voices across five decades.

Goal

Center alumni as knowledge holders to make visible how access, belonging, and support shape life outcomes through an interactive multimedia exhibit and digital map.

Project

A 5-7 minute documentary exploring the U-M Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) through the story of Charles Brookes, a formerly incarcerated poet, author, and motivational speaker whose creative practice developed during his 20 years in prison.

Goal

Highlight how access to creative expression, education, and storytelling can promote healing, leadership, and connection for individuals impacted by incarceration, while honoring PCAP's mission of artistic collaboration and mutual learning.

Project

A six-week paid summer research and science communication program that brings local high school students from underserved communities into a U-M chemical engineering lab to conduct research and share their work with public audiences.

Goal

Broaden access to authentic STEM experiences by combining research mentorship, formal science communication training with the U-M Museum of Natural History, and public engagement opportunities.

Project

A success-oriented engineering case study and classroom intervention that reframes iteration, redesign, constructive disagreement, and persistence as central to professional engineering practice.

Goal

Explore how shifting engineering case studies away from catastrophic failure and toward successful iterative problem solving can influence students' confidence, intellectual risk-taking, and willingness to engage complex challenges, while producing a faculty-ready toolkit for broader classroom use.

Project

A partnership with Pathways Academy, a Detroit charter school serving expectant and parenting youth, to design and pilot a research-based health course centered on youth participatory action research.

Goal

Expand access to relevant, credit-bearing health education by helping students investigate issues connected to their lived experiences, build research and leadership skills, and explore public health as a pathway for learning, advocacy, and future opportunity.