More than 70 million Americans carry records of arrest or incarceration—a population that routinely faces locked doors when it comes to education, employment, and career advancement. Jobs for the Future (JFF) wants to change that.
Backed by a $19.5 million grant from Ascendium Education Group, the national nonprofit is rolling out the first major expansion of its Fair Chance to Advance initiative—a four-year push to reform how states support formerly incarcerated people through education, training, and reentry into the workforce.
At the heart of the effort: breaking down the silos between corrections, higher education, workforce development, and employers. The goal? A unified system that doesn’t just rehabilitate—but equips people for meaningful careers on the outside.
Turning Barriers into Pathways
Launched in 2024 by JFF’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement, Fair Chance to Advance tackles the structural gaps that leave people with criminal records underemployed or jobless. That includes:
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Expanding postsecondary and vocational training in prisons
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Building better data systems to track post-release outcomes
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Strengthening wraparound supports (housing, mentorship, mental health)
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Connecting individuals to “fair chance” employers committed to equitable hiring
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Removing legal and policy barriers that block access to jobs or credentials
“This is about transforming the entire system—not just patching holes,” said Maria Flynn, JFF’s president and CEO. “We believe that every person, regardless of their past, deserves a shot at economic mobility and a meaningful career.”
A National Model for State-Level Reform
Four U.S. states will be selected to join the first Fair Chance to Advance State Action Network, receiving:
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Up to $2.1 million in direct funding
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$1.8 million in technical assistance from JFF and the Coleridge Initiative
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Access to a national peer learning network to share strategies and lessons
These state-level teams will be made up of cross-sector coalitions—including corrections departments, colleges, workforce boards, employers, and directly impacted individuals—tasked with developing scalable, sustainable models that could become national templates.
“The problem isn’t just lack of support—it’s lack of alignment,” said Lucretia Murphy, VP at JFF’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement. “Corrections, education, and workforce systems often operate in silos. Fair Chance to Advance is designed to force those systems into real collaboration.”
Rethinking the Prison-to-Workforce Pipeline
JFF’s announcement lands at a pivotal moment. With labor shortages across industries and bipartisan support growing for criminal justice reform, states are under pressure to turn reentry into a workforce asset rather than a social liability.
This initiative builds on Ascendium’s focus on postsecondary success for learners from low-income backgrounds, particularly those with justice system involvement. “We see education as the bridge to upward mobility—and for incarcerated individuals, it’s often the only bridge,” said Molly Lasagna, Senior Strategy Officer at Ascendium.
Rather than relying solely on reentry nonprofits or underfunded community college programs, JFF’s model pushes for system-wide coordination and data transparency—measuring what happens after release, not just during incarceration.
RFP Now Open for States
JFF has opened a Request for Proposals (RFP) for states interested in joining the inaugural cohort. Key dates include:
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Letter of Intent (nonbinding): Due August 26, 2025
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Full Proposal Deadline: October 14, 2025
States chosen will receive not just funding, but a rare opportunity to become national models for second-chance hiring, educational equity, and talent development.
At a time when talent pipelines are drying up and economic inequality continues to rise, initiatives like this are more than feel-good reform—they’re strategic investments. Incarceration shouldn’t be a lifelong economic sentence. If successful, Fair Chance to Advance could help shift that paradigm—one state at a time.
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