Emergency Grants For Higher Education in Prison

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced recently the award of 15 emergency grants totaling $1.5 million for providers of higher education in prison.

According to the press release, the grants "will allow incarcerated students across the nation to continue learning while in-person instruction is paused as part of ongoing efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19." Prison education providers will use the grants to experiment with virtual classrooms, retain key staff, and plan for 2020–21 instruction, explains the announcement.

“Expanding access to higher education is an essential step in the creation of a more just and equitable society. Millions of our fellow human beings are incarcerated in US prisons, and these grants will help ensure that even during the COVID crisis, these students have meaningful educational support as they pursue new knowledge and ideas," said Elizabeth Alexander, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation president.

Read the announcement here.

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