Capacity Building for Higher Education in Prison Programs’ Reentry Services: Request for Proposals (RFP) 

Summary
Led by Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, this initiative aims to enhance reentry support for currently and formerly incarcerated people pursuing higher education. With recent federal changes restoring Pell grants for incarcerated students, institutions now face the challenge of providing effective reentry services without additional funding. Hudson Link seeks to bridge this gap by selecting five programs nationwide to receive tailored technical assistance, capacity-building consulting, and direct financial support. The ultimate goal is to empower these programs to deliver comprehensive reentry services, thereby facilitating successful transitions and increasing post-release student success.

(Before applying, we strongly encourage you to read our full Request for Proposals at the bottom of this post, which further details the application process, qualifications/eligibility, and what to expect if selected )

Project Introduction and Overview

In the Fall of 2023, new federal legislation restored Pell grant funding to incarcerated people pursuing undergraduate degrees through approved Prison Education Providers (PEPs). The legislation requires institutions of higher education looking to offer Pell-funded college programs to lay out a plan not just for delivering credit-bearing college coursework, but also for providing reentry services and support to participating students once they are released. The reality is that this legislation requires institutions of higher education to provide post-release student support, which they don’t necessarily have the experience to provide– without providing additional funding to develop that capacity. Third-party stakeholders that may be highly capable of offering these services are not being provided additional federal funding to meet the need this expanded access will create.

As we have watched this unfold, Hudson Link has wondered how these institutions will meet the
challenge of providing reentry support, at the same time knowing that without reentry support, many students funded by aid will not reach the benchmarks required – degree completion, stable housing, employment with a living wage – to call this Pell experiment a success. This is especially relevant given potential changes at the federal level and within the HEP technical assistance landscape, both of which could disproportionately impact programs that are just getting off the ground.

To meet this need, we saw growing in the field, Hudson Link sought and received grants to provide technical assistance and build national capacity in reentry support for reentering citizens participating in higher education in prison programs. As part of this initiative, Hudson Link will select five programs from across the country and match each with senior staff, experienced alumni, and/or community members whose expertise aligns with their capacity-building needs. In addition to consulting hours over the course of a year on a co-constructed capacity-building project, these five programs will receive direct cash support to bring services to life. The exact topic and scope that Hudson Link and grantee organizations work on together will be determined during the initial phase of the project. Programs will be selected based on how well their goals and challenges align with the strengths of our team, and where we believe our support can have the greatest impact.

For more information on Hudson Link’s past work providing technical assistance to other programs across the country, check out this video on our YouTube channel. More about Hudson Link’s history and current services can be found on our website.

Opportunity Details

Five selected programs will receive the following as part of their participation in this initiative.

• A series of discovery calls to help Hudson Link understand program operations, capacity gaps, and areas of greatest need that can be addressed during the grant period;
• Matching with a lead consultant from Hudson Link’s staff, alumni, or broader community who is best suited to help meet the needs;
• At least three in-person visits from lead Hudson Link consultant to work together on the ground;
• Bi-monthly check-in calls during the grant year to talk through and troubleshoot challenges;
• A grant of $50,000, delivered in two installments, to fund capacity-building expenses and help address gaps in reentry services;
• Introduction to any funders in Hudson Link’s existing portfolio who could be a good fit for the selected applicant; and
• At least two calls during the grant year between selected applicants and the Hudson Link
  development team to strategize on fundraising and provide support.

The $50,000 grant that comes with participation in this initiative can be used for a wide range of
expenses, including but not limited to wages/stipends, supplies, event costs, establishment of physical program space, computer equipment and/or software, tuition or other direct cash support for returning students, and other items not listed here. If proposing to support wages/stipends with the grant money, applicants should indicate whether and how they plan to maintain those costs once the grant period ends. The amount of the payment installments can be structured to meet the needs of each grantee.

Eligibility Criteria

Higher education in prison program applicants, or programs with which the applicant is affiliated:

• Must be, or be fiscally sponsored by, a 501(c)3 organization;
• Must be a college, university, or third-party organization;
• Must be serving students in the United States and/or its territories;
• Must use 100% of subgrant for program-related expenses (i.e. no portion of this grant may go
  toward indirect costs);
• Must currently deliver accredited courses to incarcerated students at the post-secondary level;
• Must be in, or preparing to be in, the process of applying for federally approved PEP status
  (either the applicant organization or its college partner, in the case of a third-party organization);
• Must be currently providing reentry services or planning to provide reentry services in the
  future;
• Must have regular and meaningful in-person interaction with students, even if some of the
  program’s academic content is delivered via a virtual or digital format; and
• Strong preference will be given to programs with directly impacted leadership, staff, and/or that have been designed by directly impacted people.

Ineligibility Criteria

Anyone meeting any of the following criteria is ineligible for consideration for this project:

• Any program screening students based on their crime, length of sentence, or time to release;
• Any program that excludes students based on immigration status, if not restricted by federal or state funding requirements; and
• Any program that is not gender-affirming in its work with students.

Criteria for Currently Incarcerated Applicants

Incarcerated individuals or groups are eligible and encouraged to apply for this initiative. For incarcerated individuals to apply, they should be current or former members of a higher education in prison program, and must be willing to partner with that program or another local organization on the ground who can provide administrative and logistical support to the project. This partnership does not have to be in place prior to application. To account for the time and access challenges presented by incarceration, Hudson Link will assess applications from incarcerated persons or groups without requiring an existing partnership, and will use the interview period to explore local partnerships that could facilitate project participation. Hard copy proposals from incarcerated applicants can be mailed to Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, Attn: Lila McDowell, P.O. Box 862, Ossining NY 10562, and must be postmarked no later than September 1, 2025.