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Welcome
The Benefits of Education 
A National Disgrace 
Press Room 
Please Help 
2007 Annual Report 
Staff Bios 
Contact Information 
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Our choice is not whether change will come, but whether we can guide that change in the service of our ideals and toward a social order shaped to the needs of all our people. - Robert F. Kennedy |
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Our mission: The Prison Scholar Fund advocates for correctional reform and invests in incarcerated students, empowering them to realize their post-secondary educational aspirations. This is a year of change at The Prison Scholar Fund.
Change is always hard, and always has costs as well as benefits. It turns out that the cost of change, when it comes to providing funding for incarcerated students, is paid through public support and considerable amounts of hard work from a very small grassroots organization. Fortunately, with a handful of volunteers spanning the globe and through the generous contributions from individuals and foundations, the Fund has the wherewithal to begin to enact that change. Begun as a grandiose mission with a slim chance of success, The Prison Scholar Fund has not only shown promising results but has been growing at an exponential rate. In 2005, the Fund awarded it’s first scholarship to an inmate in California; in 2006, the Fund presented eight scholarships; and in 2007, the Fund awarded over thirty scholarships to incarcerated students who are motivated about changing their lives through education. Today’s recidivism rate is unprecedented in all of human history. Nationally, as two-thirds of those released find themselves back in prison, a more intelligent solution to correcting offenders than punish-ment must be implemented. Many studies have correlated correctional education to lower recid-ivism rates. Some have argued that education is the only anti-crime program that is 100 percent effective. Moreover, studies suggest that every dollar invested in prisoner education returns between $2.00 to $3.52 to the public in lower policing costs and reduced costs of incarceration. What remains is to act on the research, to act on the findings, to act with common sense, and to act with compassion. Education has been strongly linked to lower rates of incarceration, therefore it only makes sense to invest more dollars in educational programs designed to equip individuals returning from prison with the tools needed to function productively in society. What is more, as returning ex-offenders looking for work are also marked with a criminal record, it is even more critical to offset this handicap with the human capital valued in a competitive labor market. This is our goal.
We thank those who have believed in us and in our impossible dream. We thank those who have had the courage to “suspend disbelief.” It is because of these forward thinking individuals that we can drive change from the frontlines of the battle against punishment by educational deprivation. The Prison Scholars The list below illustrates those who won scholarship funding to begin to achieve their educational goals. Some plan on pursuing college degrees, some plan on earning business certificates, some plan on increasing their knowledge and marketable human capital. |
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While the Prison Scholars may have vastly different goals, and funda-mentally different motivations for pursuing college credit, they are similarly dissatisfied about where they are in life. And the Prison Scholars have come to understand that education is key to challenging the tyrannical status quo. The Prison Scholars yearn to grow and change. The Prison Scholar Fund empowers them in this endeavor.
Thanks to The Prison Scholar Fund’s generous supporters, our Prison Scholars are now united in the opportunity to do something constructive about their desire to change. They are provided an oppor-tunity to earn an additional “second chance” where they can move forward from the mistakes of the past. Our Fears Without funding, we are limited to what we can do for the Prison Scholars. One thing we do not look forward to is telling the current Prison Scholars that they must put their education on hold, once again, due to funding constraints. 2008 In 2008, The Prisoner Scholar Fund will continue to level the playing field for those serious about furthering their education. The Fund will also be developing a Web presence to contribute to an informed discourse about prisoner education. One overarching goal is aimed at bolstering grassroots pressure to amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, to once again allow incarcerated students Pell Grant eligibility. Volunteer Support The Prison Scholar Fund is an extremely small 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operated by a handful of volunteers. There are many functions that are simply beyond the capacity of the current volunteers. If you are interested in donating your valuable time and effort toward making The Prison Scholar Fund a more effective national organization, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You will be making a difference, not only in your local community but across the nation as well. There are many ways you can help. Financial Support While we are always on the lookout for talented volunteer support, it is through generous contributions that The Prison Scholar Fund has been able to pay the tuition and book expenses for incarcerated students. Further, additional support will provide the financial ability to bolster a grass-roots movement to amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to once again allow incarcerated students Pell Grant eligibility. Public support fuels the engine of social change, whether that support is in time or money.
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Statement of Activities |
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2007 |
2006 |
2005 |
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Net revenues: |
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Contributions, foundations |
$ 6,250.00 |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
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Contributions, individuals |
2,250.00 |
1,175.00 |
0 |
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Contributions, internal |
13.94 |
349.81 |
316.51 |
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Total net revenues |
$ 8,513.94 |
$1,524.81 |
$ 316.51 |
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Expenses: |
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Scholarships awarded |
$ 7,207.55 |
$ 1,013.80 |
$ 250.00 |
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Advocacy |
26.36 |
0 |
0 |
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Administrative expenses |
654.43 |
511.01 |
66.51 |
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Total expenses |
$ 7,888.34 |
$ 1,524.81 |
$ 316.51 |
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Increase in unrestricted net assets |
$ 625.60 |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
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Unrestricted net assets, beginning of year |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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Unrestricted net assets, end of year |
$ 625.60 |
$ 0 |
$ 0 |
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Charitable commitment: |
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Percentage of total expenses that went to nonprofit mission |
91.70% |
66.49% |
78.99% |
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| More complete financial information can be found by downloading the attached Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, ar_books.xls |
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This Web site was largely adapted from Microsoft property: |
