Life-Changing Education, the 2025-26 Look to Michigan theme year, is introducing a new grant program to encourage university-wide involvement in underscoring how learning shapes lives, work and communities.

The interdisciplinary effort will spend the next year showing how quality education can improve society and the quality of life for people in Michigan and beyond. Life-Changing Education represents U-M’s aim to redefine what education can look like.

“Education has always been Michigan’s greatest contribution to public life,” said theme year co-chair Angela Dillard, vice provost for undergraduate education. “Life-Changing Education continues that tradition by showing how curiosity and collaboration keep learning relevant through programs and partnerships that make its impact visible in everyday life.”

The committee has named “Four Ways Forward” that will shape the year ahead:

• Fostering Open Inquiry and Productive Disagreements.
• Expanding Pathways and Access Across Michigan.
• Marking the Past & Co-Creating the Campus and Education of the Future.
• Sharing Scholarship, Shaping Solutions.

To help fund those efforts, Life-Changing Education will offer grant programs in two tracks that will show — not just tell — how education changes lives. Grants will range from $2,000 to $20,000.

“Faculty and staff alike can use these funds to study, design, test, plan or share stories of how learning works and why it matters — in classrooms, labs, clinics, studios or communities,” said co-chair Michael Solomon, dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

Grant track 1: Program, Planning & Research

Support for research, events or projects that move one of the “Four Ways Forward” goals. Examples include:

• Studying mentoring in clinical training.
• Hosting a cross-campus workshop on inclusive teaching or design.
• Developing a readiness plan to expand access for transfer or rural students.
• Creating a prototype or pilot that improves learning or collaboration.

What you’ll produce: A short, public-facing resource — a guide, brief, recorded talk, or other simple product.

Grant track 2: Storytelling

Funding for projects that share authentic stories of life-changing education through video, podcasts, exhibits or digital media. 

Strong proposals will:

• Elevate real experiences of students, faculty, alumni or community partners.
• Use accessible formats for broad audiences.
• Show what changed because of the work.
• Deliver a tangible story product (video, audio, photo essay, etc.) 

The grants are open to U-M faculty, staff and student organizations, and community partners may co-lead with a U-M unit. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; decisions are expected to happen within three weeks of submission.

“These grants make the public value of education visible and lasting across Michigan. Every project connects to at least one of the ‘Four Ways’ and leaves behind a resource others can use,” said co-chair Elizabeth Moje, dean of the Marsal Family School of Education.

The theme year committee will soon announce public talks, events and other opportunities for the campus community to engage in Life-Changing Education programs.

“We’re bringing Michigan communities into the conversation and into education research focused on the future of learning — together crafting learning that is community-engaged, evidence-based, and meaningful for all,” Moje said.