“Research-to-practice” has been at the heart of our work at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy since the center’s establishment in 1992 at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Michigan. It reflects a university-wide commitment to “[enrich] society through excellent teaching, active scholarship, advancement of equity, and public service.” The value of connecting the intellectual and character-building activities of higher education to stronger, more dynamic communities presents a clear call to action.

Michigan’s nonprofit sector encompasses a great diversity of mission areas, unique geographies, and historic circumstances. Similarly, GVSU’s faculty scholars hold expertise on topics and skills as wide-ranging as public health, graphic design, elementary education, and political science.

We believe in the power of these academic disciplines — grounded in scholarship and driven by a desire to strengthen day-to-day practice in communities — to enrich civic life and culture.

In the fall of 2025, the Johnson Center named three inaugural awards from the Juan Olivarez Learning Equity Endowment (JOLEE) to support faculty-nonprofit partnerships. The endowment supports problem-solving, intellectual curiosity, and relationship-building between GVSU faculty members of any discipline and small Michigan-based nonprofits.

JOLEE was established at the Johnson Center in 2021. 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. Projects could focus on strengthening back-end capacity, expanding practical knowledge, or sparking intellectual inspiration, with the goal of creating 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.

We are delighted to share the stories and reflections of our three inaugural awardees. Their words uplift inspiring stories of partnership and impact.

Read the full article about faculty-nonprofit partnerships by Tory Martin and Emily Brenner at Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.