Laughing Gull Foundation Announces $1.9 million in Grants to Organizations Advancing Higher Education in Prisons Programs
Durham, NC – The Laughing Gull Foundation (LGF) is pleased to announce the approval of $1,882,000 in grants awarded in 2023 to 34 organizations advancing higher education opportunities for system-involved people in the US South. LGF’s Higher Education in Prisons Program seeks to reverse the trend of mass incarceration and to affirm the humanity, capacity, and potential of currently incarcerated people.
“Investing in people who are incarcerated, by providing access to high-quality, accredited college courses is not just an investment in one’s education; it’s a catalyst for profound societal transformation. We proudly support our grantee partners as they demonstrate their commitment to breaking down barriers and fostering a more equitable and just future for everyone.
LGF envisions a future where the opportunity for higher education is expanded to all justice-involved people within prison walls. Further, that all Black and Brown communities disproportionately affected by mass incarceration, are liberated from intergenerational harm and oppression. Together with our dedicated grantee partners, we remain steadfast on our path towards educational equity and empowerment.”
– Dr. LaTonya Penny, LGF Chief Executive
Through its grantmaking, Laughing Gull Foundation works to improve access to accredited college courses for incarcerated students and reduce systemic inequities, prioritizing BIPOC communities that are most impacted by incarceration. As of 2023, people who are incarcerated have an easier time affording college, thanks to a coalition of organizations who advocated for the reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for people in prisons. However, access to education is not equal. The organization is grateful to its grantee partners for expanding educational opportunity and using an racial equity lens in their work to support incarcerated students, especially students of color who make up a disproportionate number of those in prisons.
LGF’s 2023 Higher Education in Prisons Fund grants were made to the following organizations:
Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project (Alabama)
Alliance for Higher Education in Prison (National)
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (Asheville, NC)
Claflin University Pathways from Prison Program (Orangeburg, SC)
College & Community Fellowship (National)
Columbia Center for Justice National Executive Council (New York, NY)
Common Good Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
The Education Trust (Washington, DC)
Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (National)
GA Coalition of Higher Education in Prison (Atlanta, GA)
GA State University Prison Education Project (Atlanta, GA)
Jamii Sisterhood (National)
Miami-Dade College – Institution for Educational Empowerment (Miami, FL)
NC Prison Education Collaborative (Asheville, NC)
*Offender Alumni Association (Birmingham, AL)
Operation Restoration (New Orleans, LA)
Piedmont VA Community College HEP Program (Charlottesville, VA)
Prison-to-College Pipeline Program at University of Mississippi (Oxford, MS)
Rappahannock Community College Correctional Ed. Program (Warsaw, VA)
REAL LIFE (Richmond, VA)
Resilience Education (Richmond, VA)
Shaw University Reducing Recidivism through Higher Education (Raleigh, NC)
Southern Higher Education in Prison Collective (Southern Regional)
Stetson University Community Education Project (Deland, FL)
Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (Nashville, TN)
Tennessee Prison College Coalition (Nashville, TN)
The Chillon Project at Life University (Marietta, GA)
UCF Florida Prison Education Project (Orlando, FL)
University of North Alabama-Limestone Prison Programming Initiative (Florence, AL)
UNC Asheville Prison Education Program (Asheville, NC)
VA Foundation for Community College Education (Richmond, VA)
Vera Institute of Justice (National)
Warren Wilson College Inside Out Program (Asheville, NC)
West Virginia University Higher Education in Prison Initiative (Morgantown, WV)
Additional grant to assist Southern HEP grantees to attend NCHEP in fall 2023.
* denotes new grantees
For more information on LGF’s Higher Education in Prisons Program strategies, approaches, priorities, and impact, please click below.
