Equity Innovation Grant

Overview

Equity Innovation Grant

Equity Innovation Grants: Round 2

We’re excited to announce the launch of Round 2 of LBCC’s Equity Innovation Grants, designed to empower faculty and staff to develop creative, bold, and student-centered ideas that advance equity and engagement across our college. 

Key Info 

  • Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 30, 2025 
  • Funding Available: Up to $25,000 or $100,000 annually, available starting in FY2026-27.  Projects may be funded annually for up to 3 years, contingent on successful outcomes.
  • Eligibility: All faculty, staff, and cross-functional teams are encouraged to apply 

How to Apply 

Submit your completed application to EIG Round 2 Application by Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. 

Info Sessions

Not sure where to start, or do you have questions?   Please sign up at EIG Info Session to join an info session: 

  • LAC: Thurs., 5/8/25, 2:00 p.m. in T-1300 
  • TTC: Tues., 5/13/25, 4:00 p.m. in AA-101D (Admin Office) 
  • Virtual: Fri., 5/16/25, via Zoom (link will be e-mailed to those who sign-up) 

What We’re Looking For 

For Equity Innovation Grants, Round 2 the district is seeking proposals that specifically, and intentionally, address one or more of the following four areas: 

Adult Learners

Are you passionate about improving the way we serve adult learners at LBCC?  Now is your chance to turn bold ideas into action!  We invite faculty, staff, and cross-functional teams to propose creative, impactful projects that enhance the success, engagement, and retention of adult learners—students often juggling college with work, family, or career transitions.  We are looking for innovative solutions that meet the unique needs of these learners and align with our mission of equity, access, and student-centered education. 

What We’re Looking For: 

We welcome proposals of all sizes and scopes—whether you’re designing a new course component, launching a support program, leveraging technology, or testing a new outreach strategy. 

Your project might: 

  • Support flexible or accelerated learning 
  • Address barriers like time, childcare, or digital access 
  • Reimagine advising or career pathways 
  • Create community or belonging for older or returning students 
  • Pilot new technology or instructional methods 
  • Offer culturally responsive or multilingual resources 
  • Develop partnerships with other organizations or businesses to expand how we serve adult learners 

If it supports adult learners, while addressing the specific barriers they face at LBCC, we want to hear about it! 

AI Innovation 

How can we use artificial intelligence (AI) to transform learning, support our students, and reimagine the way we work at LBCC?  We invite faculty and staff to propose innovative, experimental, and practical uses of ethical AI that can enhance the student experience, improve teaching and learning, streamline operations, while supporting equity and access across our college community. 

Possible Areas of Exploration (but not limited to): 

  • Teaching & Learning 
    • Can AI-powered tools personalize learning or feedback? 
    • How might generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) support creative assignments or interdisciplinary thinking? 
    • Could we develop ethical AI literacy modules for students? 
  • Student Support 
    • Can AI help identify and reach out to at-risk students earlier? 
    • Could AI streamline operations in counseling, financial aid, or admissions and records? 
  • Operations & Administration 
    • Are there tasks or workflows that could be made more efficient or data-informed using AI? 
    • Could AI help us better analyze equity gaps or improve scheduling? 
  • Creative & Inclusive Practices 
    • How can AI be used responsibly and equitably to benefit our most underserved students? 
    • How might AI amplify student voice, storytelling, or artistic expression? 

What We’re Looking For: 

  • Creativity: Is this a fresh, bold, or unexpected use of AI? 
  • Feasibility: Can this idea be tested or piloted within the grant timeframe using the available funds? 
  • Impact: Could this enhance student success, equity, or institutional effectiveness? 
  • Collaboration: Does this proposal bring together different departments, disciplines, or perspectives? 

Student Mental Health 

How can we support the well-being of our students in new, meaningful, and lasting ways?  We are seeking proposals to support creative, equity-driven projects that advance the mental health, emotional wellness, and overall resilience of our diverse student population.  We invite faculty, staff, and cross-campus teams to apply for funding to pilot or expand programs that address student mental health in thoughtful, student-centered ways. 

Why Now? 

Student mental health needs are rising. From stress and burnout to anxiety, trauma, and isolation—students are navigating complex challenges that affect their academic success and personal growth.  We need bold ideas and caring interventions that meet them where they are.  This grant will support innovative, scalable, and culturally responsive initiatives that foster belonging, reduce stigma, and promote mental wellness across campus. 

What We’re Looking For: 

We encourage proposals that are: 

  • Creative and student-centered 
  • Focused on prevention, connection, or early intervention 
  • Culturally relevant and equity-minded 
  • Adaptable across programs or departments 

Examples might include: 

  • Peer-led wellness programs or support groups 
  • Innovative ways to expand faculty/staff training in trauma-informed practices 
  • Virtual or hybrid mental health tools or chat support 
  • Creative arts, storytelling, or mindfulness projects 
  • Embedded wellness components in courses or services 
  • Campaigns to normalize help-seeking behavior 

Virtual Reality/Immersive Classroom 

Ready to take your students on a learning adventure like never before?  LBCC invites faculty and staff to envision new opportunities to creatively integrate immersive virtual reality experiences into teaching, learning, student support, or even college business practices or activities.  This grant will support bold, engaging, and equity-minded projects that make use of Dreamscape Learn VR to deepen learning, build skills, and transform how students experience education. 

About Dreamscape Learn 

Dreamscape Learn is a pioneering VR learning platform that blends cinematic storytelling with immersive educational simulations.  Whether it’s biology, environmental science, art history, storytelling, or empathy-building, Dreamscape Learn allows students to become active participants in their learning—exploring virtual worlds, solving real-world problems, and practicing collaboration and decision-making in new ways.  For more information about Dreamscape Learn VR, visit https://www.dreamscapelearn.com/ and https://dreamscapelearn.asu.edu/. 

LBCC is bringing a Dreamscape Learn virtual reality lab to campus in Spring 2026.  We will offer three types of experiences: 

  • An immersive classroom with 31 seats, where an instructor or facilitator can interact in real time with a group in a virtual environment.   
  • Instructors or facilitators can also create VR stories and environments for students or colleagues to experience asynchronously in the immersive classroom without their in-person guidance. 
  • We also will have one “free-roam” pod where up to six people can move around and interact in a virtual environment.   

What We’re Looking For: 

We’re seeking proposals that explore creative uses of Dreamscape Learn VR. These could include: 

  • Embedding VR modules into an existing course or lesson plan 
  • Creating interdisciplinary experiences (e.g., science + storytelling, ethics + environment) 
  • Using VR to build empathy or real-world decision-making skills 
  • Researching the impact of immersive learning on engagement, confidence, or learning outcomes 
  • Supporting underserved students with experiential learning that levels the playing field 
  • Exploring how VR can support advising, orientation, or student services 
  • Developing VR experiences that improve college operations, such as onboarding new employees, professional development or team building, or emergency training 

We invite proposals that: 

  • Introduce innovative programs, practices, partnerships, or pedagogies 
  • Address equity gaps in learning, access, or support 
  • Improve LBCC operations in creative ways 
  • Are collaborative and sustainable, even at a small scale 

Proposals can be big or small, discipline-specific or cross-departmental, tech-savvy or people-focused.  We are especially interested in innovative ideas that align with LBCC’s mission and strategic priorities, and that show promise for scaling or replicating across the campus.  Successful proposals will not simply supplant existing funding or add support to current programs, but instead envision something new at LBCC. 

You don’t need to be an expert in technologies like AI or VR to apply—just curious, open-minded, and excited to experiment.  We’re creating space to try new things, learn together, and build a forward-thinking LBCC, that reimagines education and drives equitable outcomes. 

At Long Beach City College (LBCC), equity means providing fair and just treatment for all students, while also addressing systemic barriers and disparities that may hinder their success. LBCC’s definition emphasizes recognizing that students come from diverse backgrounds and may face different challenges, requiring adjustments to support and resources to level the playing field. Successful grant applications will utilize innovative practices and approaches to student learning, engagement and/or district processes and procedures in order to remove systemic barriers and disparities and empower equitable outcomes for students, faculty and staff.  

 

    What happens after I apply?

    • Pitch Day: Selected applicants will be invited to present their proposal in person.  Tentatively on Friday, January 30, 2026.  Notifications anticipated in early November to allow time to prepare.
    • Detailed Proposal: Following Pitch Day, selected applicants will be invited to complete a detailed proposal.  Tentative deadline: March 13, 2026.
    • Award Notifications: Anticipated in early April 2026 to allow time to plan FY2026-27 budgets. 

    The Office of Innovation will provide guidance and support during this process.

     

    About Equity Innovation Grants: Round 1

    In June 2021, Long Beach City College received a tremendously generous gift of $30 million from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The award was given in recognition of LBCC’s leadership and transformative work in responding to the College’s changing demographics, closing equity gaps, and work in racial justice. LBCC also intensified its race-conscious efforts and adopted the Long Beach Framework of Reconciliation in Support of the Black Community to address the College’s own institutional racism that may hinder students of color from success. These actions were in response to the protests that took place in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and others in the Black community in the summer of 2020.

    The unrestricted gift was prioritized for initiatives that:

    • Improve student academic outcomes by addressing racial equity gaps
    • Engage in race-conscious and equity-minded practices that promote an inclusive and affirming campus environment
    • Increase holistic support services for our most vulnerable students

    As a result, after consultations with community members, faculty, and staff it was decided that $3 million of the funding would be earmarked for Equity Innovation Grants aimed at addressing one or more of LBCC’s equity metrics. The first round of Equity Innovation Grants was awarded for AY2023-24 in coordination with the Student Equity Subcommittee.  Five projects were selected for up to three years of funding each.  LBCC’s Office of Innovation provides oversight for the Equity Innovation Grants.

    • Math and English 1st (ME 1st): an innovative collaboration between Math and English faculty to support students in completing essential courses in their first year.
    • MANA: support to establish a learning community dedicated to building cultural and educational experiences for Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi students, as well as for students interested in learning about these cultures.
    • Equity Congress: an innovative year-long leadership program that allows LBCC faculty (full-time & part-time) to delve deeper into what equity means and what it looks like.
    • Study Abroad: support for more students to access unique and life-changing study abroad opportunities.
    • Campus Engagement: a program to support campus engagement and academic success for undocumented students.

    The purpose of this grant is to advance innovation and large-scale change in alignment with equity-rooted institutional priorities. Priority was given to programs or initiatives that will significantly affect equity and inclusion on campus.