California Lutheran University Receives Over $2.9 Million in Grant Funding

Hundreds of California Lutheran University students will receive additional support for achieving their educational goals, thanks to $2,937,168 in grant funding the university has received in 2025. The grants will increase access to targeted services for students facing financial challenges, provide opportunities for faculty advancement and facilitate building improvement.

“Cal Lutheran is more than a place of working and learning; it is life-giving,” said Cal Lutheran President John Nunes. “To that end, grant funding is an important way for us to strengthen our connection to our community and to provide life-giving academic tools for our students. These grants also enable our faculty to conduct cutting-edge research for the benefit of their field and teaching.”  

The TRIO Student Support Services grant has been renewed through 2030. The five-year grant of $1,540,875 will serve 206 students annually. It is funded through the U.S. Department of Education and assists undergraduates who are working to overcome challenges so they can flourish in college.

“We currently offer six TRIO programs, each tailored to focus on the needs and interests of students who do not typically thrive in college,” said Monica Madrigal, director of Student Support Services. “Cal Lutheran is honored to be one of 95 schools in the state of California to offer the Student Support Services grant, which is designed to support students who are low-income, first-generation or disabled. This up-and-coming version is designed specifically to reduce barriers for students who transfer from two-year colleges.”

Katherine Hoffmann, Ph.D., an associate professor in chemistry, and her colleagues secured a $500,000 endowment grant from the John Stauffer Charitable Trust. Hoffmann also secured a $417,066 grant for a three-year project called RUI: Atomic Level Mechanism of NIS Synthetases from the National Science Foundation’s Chemistry of Life Processes Program. The study, which will include undergraduate researchers, aims to uncover the mechanism of a previously unexamined class of enzymes that contribute to bacterial virulence. 

The G.A. Foster Legacy Foundation awarded $200,000 to Cal Lutheran for two important causes on campus: to help fund the Violet and Gold scholarship, which offers vital assistance to students facing financial challenges, and to facilitate repairs to the roof of Samuelson Chapel. The chapel is home to campus ministry programs and special events.

The Ahmanson Foundation awarded $90,000 to the Cal Lutheran Financial Aid Department for scholarships earmarked for students living in Los Angeles County.

Throughout the university, an additional $189,227 in grant funding has been secured for various programs to benefit students and the community. Grants also were funded by the Amgen Foundation, the City of Thousand Oaks and the California Department of Education. Cal Lutheran actively seeks grant funding on an ongoing basis to expand the university’s capacity for providing additional programs for students and staff, as well as for ongoing, deferred maintenance and capital projects. Grants for academic and co-curricular programs are especially beneficial for the 39% of Cal Lutheran students who are first-generation.