Fair Chances to Opportunities Request for Proposals

The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) is launching a pilot program to help states improve the pathways from pre-release postsecondary education through post-release employment opportunities.

A range of stakeholders for each of the selected states, including correctional partners, colleges, non-profit organizations, and individuals with lived experience, will be engaged through collaborative learning and goal-setting to effect longstanding change. 

The goal of this hybrid (virtual and in-person) program is to increase access to in-demand jobs and meaningful careers for justice-impacted people postrelease, which will be achieved by working with corrections and community stakeholders to:

• Assess the local and statewide landscape of reentry education and employment support from the point of postsecondary education in prisons through high-quality employment obtainment post-release.
• Bridge the connection and facilitate a working relationship between stakeholders.
• Establish collaborative solutions that result in stronger connections between employers and job training and education programs so more people are being hired into meaningful jobs post-release, and so employers have connections to more talent.

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