Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison | Ascendium Education Group, Inc. Skip to main content

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.

Download The PDF
Prison092 shorter2x

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Leveraging NCAN Members to Increase Success for Incarcerated Learners

Exploration
National College Attainment Network|$600,000|10/2023 - 9/2025
This grant supports the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) in developing technical assistance for its members tailored to postsecondary education in prison. With its support, more NCAN members will partner with postsecondary education in prison programs to deliver supportive services to incarcerated learners.

Formerly Incarcerated Leaders Fellowship

Other
Rockwood Leadership Institute|$938,239|8/2023 - 8/2025
This grant supports Rockwood Leadership Institute in developing and piloting a professional learning cohort for formerly incarcerated leaders working within the field of postsecondary education in prison.

Implementing an Evaluability Assessment

Exploration
Reentry Campus Program|$250,000|12/2022 - 8/2025
This grant supports Reentry Campus Program in continuing to strengthen its core programming aimed at helping incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners identify a career path, gain college credit and complete degrees and certificates. The grant also supports their capacity to work with an external evaluator to define their unique program model and lay the groundwork for future evaluation.

State Policy Barriers for Students Impacted by the Justice System

Exploration
Education Commission of the States|$398,101|8/2023 - 4/2025
This grant supports Education Commission of the States in addressing state-level policy gaps and opportunities to strengthen postsecondary education in prison. Its convenings, reports and policy monitoring will inform and encourage state action supportive of incarcerated learners.
View All Ascendium Grants

Latest News

September 27, 2023

Keith Witham Reflects on His First Six Months as Vice President of Education Philanthropy

Halfway through his first year as Vice President of Education Philanthropy, Keith Witham provides an overview of the past six months of Ascendium’s grantmaking. He also looks ahead, reaffirming Ascendium’s commitment to transforming the lives of learners from low-income backgrounds through postsecondary education and workforce training.

Read More
August 24, 2023

Q&A with UIA’s Bridget Burns, Improving Learner Outcomes with Updated CUNY Transfer Explorer, and More

  • Q&A: UIA’s Bridget Burns on Helping Struggling Students Get Back on Track (Part 1)
  • Updated Tool Saves Time and Money to Improve Learner Outcomes
  • Helping Learners See a Clearer Path: Awareness Continues to Build Around Guided Pathways Framework
Read More
View All News for this Focus Area

Resources

Second Chance Pell: Six Years of Expanding Higher Education Programs in Prisons

Since 2016, the Vera Institute of Justice has provided technical assistance to colleges and corrections departments participating in the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative, which provides need-based Pell Grants to people in state and federal prisons. This report describes the first six years of the initiative, with special focus on the 2021–22 financial aid year.

Visit Site

Report of the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison

The New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison was formed with the goal of working to ensure that every incarcerated person in New England has access to high-quality, workforce-aligned equitable postsecondary opportunities with a wide range of educational pathways. With the restoration of Pell Grants for incarcerated learners occurring July 1, this report speaks to how such aims can be achieved.

Visit Site
View All Resources for this Focus Area

Molly
Lasagna

Senior Program Officer,
Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison

Ashley
Parker

Associate Program Officer,
Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison

Subscribe and Stay Connected

Get Ascendium news right to your inbox, from grant announcements and project spotlights to where you can find our program staff in the field.

Newsletter Sign Up