The California Education Learning Lab (Learning Lab), a state program administered by FoundationCCC that was established in 2018 by Assembly Bill 1809, serves as California’s primary vehicle for improving learning outcomes and closing equity gaps across the state’s public higher education segments—UC, CSU, and the CCCs—particularly in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines. Despite its vital role, the program remains under threat of elimination due to California State Budget constraints.

The Learning Lab recently secured $5.3 million in modified funding for fiscal year 2025-26, but will be forced to phase-out their operations due to budget cuts next year.

The precarious funding situation comes at a critical time when education leaders statewide are warning that proposed budget cuts could severely undermine California’s ability to prepare students for an AI-driven economy. The many important STEM initiatives supported by the Learning Lab—including, but not limited to, the state’s only source of funding to support faculty research and innovation in artificial intelligence education—now operate under uncertainty, with advocates scrambling to justify its existence year after year. 

The final California State Budget represents a compromise from Governor Newsom’s May Revision proposal, offering what advocates describe as a final opportunity to demonstrate the program’s value. However, the reduced funding and planned phase out signals that the Learning Lab must now fight harder than ever to secure its survival beyond 2026.

“Without the California Education Learning Lab, we risk deepening the digital divide. We saw an appalling amount of learning loss during the COVID pandemic, but the looming AI divide could make that look like a drop in the bucket.” — Marit J. MacArthur, The Sacramento Bee

The budget recommendations highlight concerns about California’s commitment to educational technology advancement. Higher education institutions throughout the state are trying to figure out how to integrate AI tools and literacy into their curricula and prepare students for a rapidly changing workforce landscape while facing their own funding constraints. The Learning Lab has emerged as a vital resource for educators seeking evidence-based approaches to AI implementation, yet its future remains uncertain.

An initiative of the California Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (formerly the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research), administered in partnership with FoundationCCC, the Learning Lab is a statewide grantmaking program that supports innovation, creative development of learning technologies, and educational research on behalf of students at California’s public colleges and universities. These grants allow faculty and administrators to drive change and innovation within California’s higher education system.

Learn more about the Learning Lab >

The urgency of this work is highlighted in recent discussions about AI’s impact on education, including the Learning Lab’s new podcast series “My Robot Teacher,” where co-hosts Sarah Senk and Taiyo Inoue explore how quickly we adapt to disruptive technologies and what that means for teaching, thinking, and higher ed. 

Gov. Newsom’s proposed budget threatens AI adaptation in California schools | Opinion | Sacramento Bee

Don’t eliminate a powerful force in California’s higher ed landscape | Opinion | Capitol Weekly