Michigan Student Power Alliance (MSPA)

Programs

The Michigan Student Power Alliance has organized student summits, created voter guides during election seasons, supported short-term initiatives like “guerrilla gardening,” and led statewide issue campaigns in partnership with coalitions of liberal groups focused on engaging students and youth. ¹

Financials

In 2022, the Tides Foundation, a prominent left-of-center grant maker and key funding conduit for various left-wing nonprofit organizations, reported a $245,000 grant to the Michigan Student Power Alliance for “healthy individuals and communities.” ² In 2023, the Tides Foundation gave an additional $215,000 grant. ³ The Tides Foundation also gave grants of $10,000 in 2018, $10,000 in 2019, $35,000 in 2020, and $215,000 in 2023. ^{4 5 6 3}

In 2023, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors reported a $160,000 grant to the Michigan Student Power Alliance, and $10,000 the previous year. ^{7 8}

People

Emily Jones was as the executive director of the Michigan Student Power Alliance as of June 2025, a position she has held since June 2023. Previously, Jones worked as an organizing director with MSPA, a trainer at Michigan Student Power, a field manager at Clean Water Action, a public relations intern at Mt Pleasant Area Community Foundation, and a political organizer at Food and Water Watch. ⁹

Eleanor Aro was the People of Color Caucus coordinator for the Michigan Student Power Alliance as of 2025. ¹⁰ At the time, Aro was a student at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. ¹¹

Maria Sobrino was serving as the director of communication at the Michigan Student Power Alliance as of 2025, a position he had held since August 2022. Sobrino previously worked as editor-in-chief at OJEADA, a quarterly literary and arts publication. She was also editor-in-chief of Latinidad Magazine and vice president of Proyecto Avance. ¹²