New England Board of Higher Education launches second round of prison education grants
New England Council member New England Board of Higher Education has released a request for proposals for the second round of Accelerator Grants through its New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC), making $400,000 available to higher education institutions across the region. Four grants of $100,000 each will be awarded to eligible postsecondary institutions in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont to support credit mobility for currently and formerly incarcerated learners.
Grant recipients will work to improve the transferability of credits earned in Prison Education Programs both within their home states and across the New England region. Eligible activities include creating or reconstructing transfer pathways, establishing reverse transfer agreements, developing multi-state credit transfer agreements, training staff to assess transcripts from returning citizens, and implementing credit for prior learning processes. The initiative is supported by Ascendium Education Group and builds on the recommendations of the 2023 New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison. The application deadline is May 29, 2026, with an informational webinar scheduled for May 6.
“Since NEBHE first convened the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison back in October 2022, stakeholders across the region have stressed the need for robust credit transfer pathways for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners,” said Sarah Kuczynski, Director of the New England Prison Education Collaborative and Transfer Initiatives at NEBHE. “Our goal with this round of Accelerator Grants is to help institutions fund creative solutions to this common barrier.”
The New England Council congratulates NEBHE on this continued commitment to expanding postsecondary access and opportunity across New England.
Read more on the NEBHE website.