Michelson Philanthropies Student Fellow

Michelson Philanthropies (MP)
Michelson Philanthropies is a private operating foundation advancing scalable solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges. Through advocacy, grantmaking, impact investing, and direct programs, we serve underserved communities across California and beyond. With staff primarily based in Los Angeles, our initiatives—Michelson Medical Research, Found Animals, 20 Million Minds, and the Center for Public Policy and International Affairs—focus on medical research, animal welfare, education, intellectual property, and criminal justice reform.

Michelson 20MM Foundation (20MM)
Founded in 2010, the Michelson 20MM Foundation works to activate humanity’s full potential by supporting more equitable education and economic opportunities through advocacy, research, operating programs, direct investments, and collective philanthropic action in digital equity, open educational resources, smart justice, student basic needs, and intellectual property education.

Michelson Found Animals (MFA)
Michelson Found Animals drives transformative change in complex animal-related issues to improve how humans interact with all animals, especially their pets. We do this through novel programming, advocacy, investments, research, and strategic grantmaking.

Position Summary: Our Student Fellowship Program will place 1-2 fellows under each program area across Michelson Philanthropies: Student Basic Needs, Digital Equity, Smart Justice, Open Educational Resources, and the Pet Inclusive Housing Initiative. The fellow will lead a project at the campus, local, or statewide level while participating in structured advocacy and professional development. Fellows will develop and implement an advocacy or research based project designed to further the strategy of each program and will present their work in a final capstone. Fellows will participate in monthly meetings with their Program Manager, Monthly meetings with their cohort, and weekly check-ins with the Student Engagement Program Coordinator to receive guidance and report progress. The commitment averages about 5 hours per week (up to 20 hours per month) over the course of 10 months. Fellows will also have the opportunity to attend virtual and in-person conferences or events. Fellows will utilize their experience with advocacy to develop outreach strategies, meet with local decision makers, give testimonies, and collaborate with other fellows/organizations in the program area space. All fellows will participate in a Fellows Capstone near the end of their fellowship to present their work. Some of our past fellows spearheaded projects focused on research collection, organizing campus policy changes, conducting landscape analysis research reports, and developing media strategies for issue area experts.

Below is a summary of our program areas:

Student Basic Needs

A recent survey of two- and four-year institutions spanning five years found that 43% of college students faced food insecurity, 48% of students faced housing insecurity, and 16% of students faced homelessness. As students persist in college, the basic needs crisis becomes more severe; 1/2 of students with one or more years of college are food insecure, and 2/3 are housing insecure. The Michelson 20MM Student Basic Needs (SBN) Initiative seeks to increase persistence and graduation rates through systems change, research, and technological innovations that help students meet their basic needs.

Smart Justice

The Bureau of Justice Statistics claims that approximately 60% of formerly incarcerated individuals struggle with unemployment (Wang & Bertram, 2022), compared to the low unemployment rate of 3.7% for the general population (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). Educational attainment, even in a prison setting, has been shown to increase employability, wage-earning, and quality of life for people who are re-entering our community. Studies have shown that providing postsecondary education to individuals impacted by the justice system can yield enormous economic, fiscal, and social benefits for students, communities, and our society at large. The Michelson 20MM Smart Justice Initiative seeks innovative pathways to educational attainment, employment, and economic opportunity for system-impacted communities and people/students.

Digital Equity

Access to the internet is a requirement to engage in today's world. Work activities, school classes, job applications, and medical appointments all demand reliable high-speed internet. Every Californian deserves access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet and the opportunity to learn how to navigate the digital world effectively. We believe a fast connection without bandwidth or data limitations, coupled with technical support, is a civil right—not a luxury. The Michelson 20MM Digital Equity Initiative supports programs working on a broad spectrum of systems-based solutions to digital inequity—from device acquisition to broadband access to digital literacy.

Textbook Affordability & Open Educational Resources

Textbook and course material costs remain a significant barrier to student success; two-thirds of students report not buying a textbook due to cost. Students should not have to choose between their academic success or affording their basic needs. Yet, due to a near monopoly of the textbook industry and the vulnerable place students hold in the textbook market they are forced to make that choice. The Michelson 20MM Foundation seeks to advance affordable, equitable, culturally relevant, and high-quality learning experiences for college students through increasing the number of courses and faculty that use open educational resources and fighting for a fairer textbook marketplace. Open educational resources (OER) are openly licensed course materials that allow for no-cost access and have been linked to increased student success rates in the classroom. Across the country, educators have been able to bring down the barriers between students and the materials they need. Our goal is to expand and build on that movement.

Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative

Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative (PIHI) is a program of Michelson Philanthropies that works to expand access to truly pet-inclusive housing so people and pets can stay together. PIHI commissions and conducts original research to understand pet-related housing challenges and uses those insights to create practical resources, partnerships, and tools for housing stakeholders. Our purpose is to address one of the leading causes of pet–family separation: the lack of permanent pet-inclusive housing. We support housing providers, policymakers, pet owners, and animal welfare organizations by: Focusing on people and pets in housing Providing exclusive data and insights for policymakers Creating unique tools and resources for housing stakeholders.

Position Skills & Characteristics

Successful candidates for this role will have a mix of the below experience and education. This fellowship is designed for students who reflect the diverse makeup of California’s higher education systems. We are flexible in considering your background, but want to ensure that you are equipped with the tools to learn. Please review and make sure that your skill set aligns with:

• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
• Experience with policy advocacy & research or academic research is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Role requires someone who exhibits: compassion, resilience, relentlessness, creative thinking, and adaptability.
• A demonstrated commitment to advancing equity in higher education and animal welfare.
• Interested in advocacy on college affordability, criminal justice reform, digital equity, student basic needs, or animal welfare.
• Familiarity with college student government structures is preferred.
• A demonstrated ability to balance school, work, and fellowship schedules.
• Non-traditional students, students of color, first-generation, LGBTQ+, DACA-mented, working class, returning-to-college, and other historically underrepresented college students are highly encouraged to apply.

Fellowship Minimum Qualifications:

• Nearing undergraduate degree completion as a full-time student in the UC, CSU, or CCC system, at a California tribal college, or at a private university.
• Minimum of 1 year experience with higher education/animal welfare or on/off campus community advocacy/organizing.
• Effective verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills, suitable for diverse stakeholders.
• This position is currently hybrid with a geographical preference for the Southern California region. Candidates must reside in the United States during the duration of the program.

You’ll receive:

$20 hourly compensation for 10-11 months. Michelson Philanthropies will cover all costs associated with foundational work.