The Juan Olivarez Learning Equity Endowment (JOLEE) was established at the Johnson Center in 2021. The endowment supports problem-solving, intellectual curiosity, and relationship-building between GVSU faculty members of any discipline and small Michigan-based nonprofits.
The program invites GVSU faculty members, nonprofits, and intermediaries to propose small projects that leverage faculty expertise to support nonprofit leaders, staff, and organizations in ways that those nonprofits or their leaders would find immediately helpful. Faculty members and nonprofits in successful engagements will each be awarded an honorarium of $1,000 in appreciation of their participation.
The Juan Olivarez Learning Equity Endowment is designed to support nonprofits and their leaders in meaningful ways—whether by strengthening back-end capacity, expanding practical knowledge, or sparking intellectual inspiration—and to create more connections between the university and the communities where faculty, staff, and students live and work every day. Awards from the endowment recognize the extraordinary capacity of higher education and community nonprofits to work together to share expertise and experience in pursuit of the common good.
Faculty and Nonprofit Eligibility:
- All GVSU faculty members with a full-time faculty appointment.
- All nonprofits headquartered in Michigan with annual operating budgets under $200,000.
Examples of eligible engagements include:
- A faculty member in marketing reviews and provides feedback on a nonprofit’s annual advertising strategy.
- A faculty member in environmental science advises a nonprofit on developing climate resilience strategies for their program delivery.
- A faculty member fluent in Arabic translates informational materials for a nonprofit working to expand services to Arabic-speaking communities.
- A faculty member in the English department partners with a nonprofit to curate and launch their new mission-relevant book club series.
How It Works
- Eligible GVSU faculty members and nonprofits are invited to submit a brief application for support. (See Form Below.)
- Applications received on or before May 15, 2025, will hear back by June 16, 2025. Additional rounds of support will be announced in 2025, depending on the availability of funds.
- Successful applicants will be notified, and faculty and nonprofit participants will be asked to meet together briefly with a Johnson Center staff person to confirm the engagement and its timeline. Johnson Center staff will also share opportunities for lifting up the engagement and its impact to inspire more relationship-building across GVSU and Michigan communities.
- Faculty and nonprofits complete engagements.
- Johnson Center staff issue honoraria and facilitate storytelling about the engagement.
A New Dynamic for Universities and Communities
This program uniquely connects nonprofits with a broad network of university-based expertise, opening doors to new perspectives beyond their usual circles. Faculty members from diverse fields—political science, public health, history, art, and more—can offer fresh insights that help nonprofit leaders tackle challenges in new ways.
For this reason, the Johnson Center will also work with participating faculty and nonprofits to develop field-focused materials—such as blogs, case studies, webinars, or data visualizations—to share learnings from each engagement and amplify their impact across the nonprofit and academic sectors.
Through this initiative, nonprofits gain access to:
- Specialized knowledge and research tailored to their needs
- New perspectives from academic experts
- Actionable strategies and deliverables to support their mission
Participating faculty members benefit by engaging with community organizations and sharing in opportunities to:
- Apply their expertise in real-world nonprofit settings
- Develop meaningful partnerships with community organizations
- Contribute to strengthening Michigan’s nonprofit sector
GVSU faculty are invited to identify and propose nonprofits they already work with or know about that may have a specific need for expertise and support. If faculty members are looking for an eligible nonprofit to collaborate with, they can explore nonprofit organizations in Michigan by visiting Community Insight and selecting Michigan while adding the “Nonprofit” layer to the map. Nonprofits interested in finding a GVSU faculty member with relevant expertise can explore faculty members and their areas of specialization by visiting GVSU’s “Majors, Programs, Certificates, and Badges” directory. This resource provides information on faculty expertise across various disciplines, helping nonprofits identify potential collaborators who can support their specific needs and goals.
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