Q1 2026: Building the Machine

Jason Williams
Mar 4
2 min read

From the President

I didn't plan to work in education pipelines. I went to ten colleges. Ran out of my GI Bill. A research job kept me in school long enough to get into a PhD program. That one intervention changed my trajectory. Not a scholarship. Not a motivational speech. A paid position in a lab.

So instead of advocating for equity in general, I focused on one specific transition point. That mechanism became Elements of Equity.

The federal funding landscape is shifting. Organizations doing extraordinary work for our communities — building research pipelines for veterans, first-generation students, and underrepresented scientists — are facing headwinds. That is not a reason to slow down. It is a reason to build new revenue channels that don't depend on a single funding source.

This quarter, we built them.

The Three Conditions

01 — Paid Research Position
02 — R1 Lab Placement
03 — Compounding Network

Three conditions for institutional change. One mechanism.

Proposing BIaaS: Broader Impacts as a Service

Every deep-tech startup applying for an SBIR or STTR grant must demonstrate workforce development and community impact. NSF weights it at 50% of merit review. DOE requires a Community Benefits Plan. Most startups have no idea how to do this — and no network to execute it.

We believe we can be the first: Broader Impacts as a Service. Still Labs (registered Small Disabled Veteran-Owned Business) contracts with the startup. Elements of Equity recruits, trains, and places fellows to execute the programming. The client gets audit-ready documentation. The fellows get paid, real-world research experience.

Target Federal Agencies

NSF — Broader Impacts, 50% of merit review score
DOE — Community Benefits Plan, 20% of merit review, Justice40 compliant
DoD — Defense Workforce Readiness, veteran pipeline
NIH — Diversity Supplements for underrepresented trainees

UCLA CDLS: The Talent Partner

We have submitted a formal partnership proposal to UCLA's Center for Diverse Leadership in Science, led by Professor Aradhna Tripati. Since 2018, CDLS has supported over 500 fellows — from high school students to postdocs — across environmental science, atmospheric science, earth science, and public health.

Their programs — Veterans in STEM, Environmental Justice and First Nations, Queer and Trans in STEM, and the Environmentalists of Color Collective — represent exactly the talent pipeline we need to power BIaaS engagements across the country.

Board: Omnibus Electronic Consent

Three resolutions are open for board vote:

Res. 2026-05: Appointment of Carol Hong to the Board of Directors
Res. 2026-06: Authorization of the Still Labs / EoE Master Services Agreement (20/80 revenue split)
Res. 2026-07: Authorization of Ethan Waworuntu's internship at $21.50/hr

Q2 2026 Milestones

Board vote on 3 open resolutions
BIaaS pilot discussions with UCLA CDLS
Ethan onboards — research server + reporting system
Outreach to UCLA Magnify & YC cohorts
First BIaaS pilot engagements