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EDUCATION PHILANTHROPY DIVISION OF ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP

Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison

Our philanthropy addresses barriers facing currently incarcerated adults who don’t have equitable access to high-quality postsecondary education.

A formerly incarcerated person operating a forklift.

How We See the Problem

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the prison population in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent decades, with one in a hundred adults — about 2.3 million — currently incarcerated. Nearly all of those individuals will return to their communities at some point, and research has demonstrated that postsecondary education dramatically improves the odds of successful reentry into the community and the labor force.

However, access to programs and cost of programs are obstacles, and often the programming is disconnected from career opportunities.

The majority of incarcerated individuals — 64% — have a high school credential. They’re academically eligible for a postsecondary education program; but for most, it’s out of reach. Unfortunately, 93% of colleges don’t provide postsecondary education in prison. Of those that do provide programs, many have limited capacity to serve all interested individuals.

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Graph showing: 64% of the people in prison are academically eligible to enroll in a postsecondary education program. Graph showing: Of the approximately 4500 degree-granting colleges and universities, less than 7% provide in-prison higher education

Ready for Pell

This two-year initiative is designed to support and strengthen postsecondary education in prison programs in advance of the full restoration of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated learners, coming in the 2023-24 academic year.

Learn More about Ready for Pell

Our Three Investment Priorities

Implement new practices and scale proven high-quality postsecondary education in prison models.

  • Identify and amplify promising approaches to delivering postsecondary education in prison.
  • Encourage decision makers to advance the replication and responsible scaling of quality postsecondary education in prison programs.
  • Identify promising technology innovations to address barriers to success, optimize program design, support further pedagogical innovation and increase equitable student choice.

Develop a better understanding of incarcerated learners through data and research.

  • Support systems, institutions and program providers in developing ethical data collection methodologies and building data infrastructure.
  • Support research to evaluate program design, delivery and impact.
  • Build a body of evidence so that decision makers within postsecondary education and corrections agencies are equipped with critical information on reforming policies and practices that increase program quality, impact and learner outcomes. 

Support strategic partnerships between postsecondary education, corrections systems, employers and community-based organizations.

  • Strengthen postsecondary education in prison systems by seeding and nurturing alliances and coalitions among organizations that have shared missions to support incarcerated learners' success.
  • Support states and intermediary organizations to create stronger systems of postsecondary education in prison delivery, which may include developing data collection standards, data infrastructures and supports, providing direct technical assistance and facilitating well-structured peer learning opportunities.

Grants to Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison

To learn about our approach to grantmaking (Exploration, Validation, Scaling), visit our How We Fund page.

Oregon Statewide PEP Degree Program

Exploration
Portland State University Foundation|$2,314,924|8/2023 - 6/2028
This grant supports Portland State University Foundation in developing transfer pathways for incarcerated learners in Oregon in partnership with two community colleges. In addition to offering a clear path to a bachelor’s degree, Portland State University and its partners will provide learners with wrap-around supports during incarceration and post-release.

EnGAge: Building and Mobilizing a Community of Practice for Higher Education in Prison in Georgia

Exploration
Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison|$1,019,166|11/2023 - 11/2026
This grant supports the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison in convening stakeholders in Georgia to streamline and strengthen prison education across the state. In addition to increased state-wide cooperation, the project will result in the successful launch of two new postsecondary education in prison programs in facilities with high need and few current postsecondary offerings.

Unlocking Pathways to Upward Mobility: Building Bridges from Prison to Employment with Unlocked Labs

Exploration
Unlocked Labs|$1,720,000|11/2023 - 10/2026
This grant supports Unlocked Labs in continuing to develop innovative new tech-focused educational content and pathways to employment for justice-impacted individuals, as well as exploring funding models that can effectively sustain its programming.

Building a Statewide Data Dashboard for Postsecondary Education in Prison

Exploration
Coleridge Initiative Inc|$630,530|9/2023 - 8/2026
This grant supports the Coleridge Initiative in strengthening Arkansas’s data infrastructure to develop a data dashboard and conduct policy-relevant research on postsecondary education in prison. This project will serve as a model for other states on how to develop and use data to understand and improve postsecondary education in prison.

Employability Skills for HEP Curriculum

Exploration
The QA Commons Inc|$227,900|8/2023 - 6/2026
This grant supports the QA Commons in integrating employability skills and college transitions supports into the Missouri Department of Corrections' Career and Technical Education programs for incarcerated learners.

Expanding Business Education and Employment Opportunity in Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs

Exploration
Resilience Education|$2,500,000|5/2023 - 5/2026
This grant supports Resilience Education in expanding a consortium of leading business and law schools delivering credit-bearing business and financial skills courses in prisons. Resilience will develop new curriculum, build partnerships with additional professional schools and corrections facilities and create new employer partnerships to increase the number of learners gaining professional skills and finding employment after release.

THEI Technical Assistance

Exploration
Tennessee Higher Education Initiative Inc|$1,105,000|11/2023 - 5/2026
This grant supports the Tennessee Higher Education Initiative in developing student facing resources, providing technical assistance to the Tennessee Department of Correction, and providing training and support to other prison education programs nationally.

Education Justice Tracker

Exploration
Cornell University|$1,350,000|10/2021 - 12/2025
This grant supports the Cornell Prison Education Program in evolving its incarcerated learner database into a sharable digital tool, while developing models for using this open-source software to improve learner outcomes.

Finish Line

Exploration
Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison Inc|$750,000|12/2023 - 11/2025
This grant supports Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison Inc in expanding its programming to more students transitioning from in-prison to free-world postsecondary education. It will also enable Hudson Link to engage in a formative evaluation to improve its services and share lessons learned with other program operators.

Jesuit Prison Education

Exploration
Loyola University New Orleans|$1,200,000|12/2022 - 11/2025
This grant supports the Jesuit Prison Education Network (JPEN), a nationwide coalition of Jesuit colleges, in developing best practices and sharing resources to strengthen postsecondary education in prison programs across the network. JPEN and its research center, the Jesuit Social Research Institute, will strengthen the capacity of member programs to evaluate their programs and build capacity for continuous improvement.
View All Ascendium Grants

Latest News

December 08, 2023

Answering Questions About Learners and Employment Starts with Good Data

Despite investments in postsecondary education and workforce training by state and federal government, and from the learners themselves, we don’t today have adequate data to answer simple questions about the return on those investments in terms of employment outcomes. The Coleridge Initiative’s efforts to link postsecondary education and workforce training data, boost state data analysis capacity, and ultimately address knowledge gaps, can inform evidence-based policies and practices that lead to upward mobility and successful outcomes for learners.

Read More about 'Answering Questions About Learners and Employment Starts with Good Data'...
November 27, 2023

Introducing our New Deputy Director of Education Grantmaking, Ascendium Acts on Grant Partner Feedback, and More

  • Introducing our New Deputy Director of Education Grantmaking, Dr. Janice Hicks
  • Ascendium Acts on Grant Partner Feedback to Refine Philanthropic Practices
  • New Resources Aim to Increase Understanding of CBE Program Designs
Read More about Introducing our New Deputy Director of Education Grantmaking, Ascendium Acts on Grant Partner Feedback, and More
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Resources

Normalizing Education Resource Center

The reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated learners is a positive step toward normalizing opportunity to pursue education and career goals. This digital field guide was created to ensure postsecondary education leaders and corrections professionals have open access to free resources necessary to create high-quality postsecondary education in prison programs that lead to quality jobs and successful reentry.

Visit Site about Normalizing Education Resource Center

Prison Education Program Web Center

Applying for and administering financial aid can be a minefield, especially for those in carceral settings. This web center provides both financial aid and prison education program administrators with up-to-date tools, training, and news related to the implementation of financial aid for incarcerated learners.

Visit Site about Prison Education Program Web Center
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Molly
Lasagna

Senior Program Officer,
Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison

Ashley
Parker

Associate Program Officer,
Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison

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