Cal State San Bernardino is included among the 11 California State University campuses that have been awarded $5,500 grants to launch innovative projects that strengthen belonging, expand access to resources and help student parents persist to graduation. 

Funded by the Michelson 20MM Foundation and administered through the CSU Basic Needs Initiative, these one-time Pregnant and Parenting Students Initiative (PPSI) microgrants recognize efforts across the CSU system to address the unique needs of student parents as they navigate higher education while balancing caregiving responsibilities, employment and financial challenges. 

"Having been a student parent myself, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to balance family, work, and education,” said Angela Gordon, director of CSUSB’s Basic Needs and Student Support. “This grant will help us expand support for student parents at CSUSB, and I'm excited about the impact it will have on students and their families."

Along with CSUSB, the campuses awarded the grants are: Cal State East Bay, Fresno State, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State Long Beach, CSUN, San Diego State, San José State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Sonoma State and Stanislaus State.

The microgrants support innovative, campus-designed strategies to support student parents. The range of projects that will be implemented during the 2026-27 academic year include family resource centers and welcome kits for student parents, family resource fairs and community celebrations, wellness and parent engagement programming, basic needs distributions for student families, family education workshops, student parent storytelling campaigns, expanded resource navigation, recurring parent scholar gatherings, and new family-friendly infrastructure, such as campus changing tables.

Together, these efforts advance the commitment across the CSU to:

  • Create more welcoming and family-friendly campus environments.
  • Increase equitable access to basic needs resources and support services.
  • Strengthen student parents' sense of belonging and connection to campus.
  • Build sustainable campus and community partnerships.
  • Inform future systemwide strategies through assessment, collaboration and shared learning.

“Supporting student parents is an investment with ripple effects,” said Carolyn O’Keefe, CSU’s systemwide director of student wellness and basic needs. “When pregnant and parenting students have the resources they need to succeed, they model resilience and pass down the value of higher education to their children. By investing in their success, we are fostering future college-going families and helping to strengthen communities and the state.” ​

The PPSI, along with these microgrants, represent the CSU’s continued commitment to addressing students’ holistic needs by ensuring pregnant and parenting students have access to the resources, accommodations and campus environments necessary to fully participate in college and achieve their educational goal.