UCLA to Launch New Social Justice Program Thanks to Mellon Foundation $5 Million Grant

There’s been an ongoing national conversation on social justice. And, this includes increasing diversity across many areas. Many corporations, tech companies, universities and even government agencies have pledged to do better. So, the national conversation continues on how to improve the lives of people from under-represented communities. Now, UCLA has received a $5 million grant for a new social justice curriculum. This grant will help UCLA to launch an educational program and initiatives focused on social justice.

New Social Justice Program Will Help UCLA Increase Diversity

So, here’s how this grant funding will work: This five-and-and-half year grant will go towards several projects. These include program initiatives, new degree programs, and community-engaged research. Further, this grant’s funding will allow UCLA to hire more faculty and staff from under-represented communities. Here, the idea is that the research, service, and teaching will increase the amount of diversity and equal opportunity. In addition, scholars whose expertise lies in the experimental humanities will receive priority, especially in areas of digital, urban, environmental, and health.

David Schaberg, senior Dean of the College and Dean of Humanities, spoke on this grant award: “We are deeply grateful to the Mellon Foundation for enabling us to create new opportunities for our students to grow intellectually while obtaining the skills required to succeed in a host of professional careers. The social justice curriculum will empower our students to put their humanistic vision to work in the service of social change.”

This new program will focus on several key areas. And, these are the four areas that lie at the heart of social justice: racial and spatial justice, data justice, environmental and economic justice, and health justice.

More Details on This New UCLA Initiative

Here’s what this social justice program will consist of. UCLA will partner with UCLA Center for Community Engagement on all parts of the program. Some of these joint initiatives will include workshops, rigorous academic courses, and more. First, this will start with an introductory course, called “Data, Society, and Social Justice,” taught by faculty from many disciplines.

This course will be taught by scholars by expertise on the environment, cities, health and racial imbalances in Los Angeles. The idea is to find humanity-focused ethical solutions. Then, students will learn critical thinkings based on ethical-based thinking.

GrantWatch Understands the Need for More Social Justice Grant Funding

Figuring out ethical solutions to local and national problems is important. And, finding ways to help close the gap on racial and socio-economic issues is critical. Therefore, we at GrantWatch are proud to list an entire grant category for Social-Justice grants. And, we also have a new grant category for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)-related grants. Grants in both categories will fund critical programming, initiatives and other projects aimed at improving the lives of these communities.

If you have any questions about these grant categories or any of the others listed on our website, feel free to reach out to our amazing customer support team! You can reach our team members by calling 561-249-4129.