{"id":924,"date":"2018-04-11T06:54:34","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T06:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/blog\/?p=924"},"modified":"2022-12-02T01:30:57","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T06:30:57","slug":"grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/","title":{"rendered":"Grants to Lower Recidivism – Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls"},"content":{"rendered":"

He sent letters \u2013 hundreds of them \u2013 to churches, to charities, to businesses, asking each to help. The few that did respond declined. Dirk Van Velzen, who was serving time in prison for stealing, learned a hard lesson that crime would not pay for his college tuition.<\/p>\n

Now, the convict who once landed on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Most Wanted\u201d is applying that knowledge to help other inmates who are out of options like he was. While he was still in prison, Van Velzen started a nonprofit, which continues to assist inmates like he was get an education.<\/p>\n

Van Velzen realizes he was fortunate. While in prison, he was able to receive a bachelor\u2019s degree in organizational science after his father agreed to pay for him to enroll in a distance learning program offered through Penn State University.<\/p>\n

The idea for a startup came next. And Van Velzen started writing again. This time, the money poured in — $60,000 in grants between 2000 and 2009. His Seattle startup, which he dubbed the Prison Scholar Fund, has since helped 110 inmates in 22 states pay for college, vocational and technical courses.<\/p>\n

In 2006, the Prison Scholar Fund received IRS 501(c) 3 status. Van Velzen was released in 2015. He believes tearing down walls that lead to educational programs for inmates can keep them from returning to crime or prison and supply Puget Sound-area businesses with a skilled workforce.<\/p>\n

Libby Hikind, founder and CEO of GrantWatch.com<\/a>, said nonprofits across the nation are devising strategies to reduce the number of prisoners who commit crimes again after they are released. From Tennessee<\/a> to Texas<\/a>, grants that cater to reducing recidivism, particularly for at-risk youth, can be identified on GrantWatch<\/a>, a search engine that lists funding opportunities for nonprofits, entrepreneurs and small businesses.<\/p>\n

Advocates for inmates believe lowering recidivism is in the public interest. The Rand Corp. found that 43 percent of inmates who participate in educational programs while in prison are less likely to return within three years. Van Velzen said that just two of the 74 Prison Scholar Fund recipients have been arrested again following their release. That’s about 3 percent, compared to the 68 percent national recidivism rate.<\/p>\n

Despite the merits of educational programs like the Prison Scholar Fund to reduce recidivism, lawmakers are still hesitant to allocate public dollars to increase education for inmates. In 1994, Congress passed legislation that made inmates ineligible to receive federal Pell grants, making the need-based option for low-income students out of the reach of Van Velzen when he first began his search for tuition assistance almost two decades ago.<\/p>\n

Van Velzen is now a partner at Seattle-based Social Venture Partners and a Stanford University executive program graduate. He works with MOD Pizza and other Puget Sound-area companies to help inmates find work once they\u2019re released. Meanwhile, the Prison Scholar Fund is collaborating with the University of Washington to increase access for prisoners to the school\u2019s online social sciences degree program.<\/p>\n

In December 2017, Van Velzen received a grant from Grammy-award winner John Legend, one of eight presented to entrepreneurs across the nation who have founded mission-driven nonprofits or for-profits focused on criminal justice reform.<\/p>\n

Nonprofits, public and private foundations, small businesses and entrepreneurs frustrated by the often-overwhelming process involved with searching for grants can identify recidivism grants and funding opportunities that are easy to read and simple to comprehend at GrantWatch.com. Sign-up<\/a> here to receive the weekly GrantWatch newsletter which features geographic-specific funding opportunities.<\/em><\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong>: Staff Writer for GrantWatch.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He sent letters \u2013 hundreds of them \u2013 to churches, to charities, to businesses, asking each to help. The few<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":23642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sb_is_suggestion_mode":false,"_sb_show_suggestion_boards":false,"_sb_suggestion_history":"","_sb_update_block_changes":"","_is_real_time_mode":false,"_realtime_collaborators":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[104,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archived-posts","category-news-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nGrants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GrantNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/GrantWatch\/162625900556850\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-11T06:54:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-02T06:30:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Libby Hikind\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@grantwatch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@grantwatch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Libby Hikind\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Libby Hikind\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/0c34e18456cd1bb01edfd4e65e2e0282\"},\"headline\":\"Grants to Lower Recidivism – Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-11T06:54:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-02T06:30:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/\"},\"wordCount\":597,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Archived Posts\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/\",\"name\":\"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-11T06:54:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-02T06:30:57+00:00\",\"description\":\"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":640,\"caption\":\"960x0\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/\",\"name\":\"GrantNews\",\"description\":\"Powered By GrantWatch\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization\",\"name\":\"GrantWatch\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GW.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GW.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":120,\"caption\":\"GrantWatch\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/GrantWatch\/162625900556850\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/grantwatch\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/grantswatch\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/grantwatch-com\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/applyforgrants\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC8YAavtZreMRWx67Zkt-Kkg\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/0c34e18456cd1bb01edfd4e65e2e0282\",\"name\":\"Libby Hikind\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3335488e486bdace4e6f00b56f315eabd313bb603c978111b6532b6f15a9350?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3335488e486bdace4e6f00b56f315eabd313bb603c978111b6532b6f15a9350?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Libby Hikind\"},\"description\":\"Libby Hikind is the founder and CEO of GrantWatch, a leading platform for discovering grant opportunities. She brings decades of experience in funding strategy and has helped organizations and individuals navigate the grant landscape. She hosts GrantTalk and is the author of the Queen of Grants series, along with several children\u2019s books. Learn more at www.libbyhikind.com.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/author\/libby\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls","description":"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls","og_description":"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls","og_url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/","og_site_name":"GrantNews","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/GrantWatch\/162625900556850","article_published_time":"2018-04-11T06:54:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-12-02T06:30:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Libby Hikind","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@grantwatch","twitter_site":"@grantwatch","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Libby Hikind","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/"},"author":{"name":"Libby Hikind","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/0c34e18456cd1bb01edfd4e65e2e0282"},"headline":"Grants to Lower Recidivism – Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls","datePublished":"2018-04-11T06:54:34+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-02T06:30:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/"},"wordCount":597,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg","articleSection":["Archived Posts","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/","name":"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-11T06:54:34+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-02T06:30:57+00:00","description":"Grants to Lower Recidivism - Inmate Started Nonprofit to Break Down Prison Walls","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants-to-lower-recidivism-inmate-started-nonprofit-to-break-down-prison-walls\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg","width":960,"height":640,"caption":"960x0"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/","name":"GrantNews","description":"Powered By GrantWatch","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization","name":"GrantWatch","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GW.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GW.jpg","width":400,"height":120,"caption":"GrantWatch"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/GrantWatch\/162625900556850","https:\/\/x.com\/grantwatch","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/grantswatch\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/grantwatch-com","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/applyforgrants","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC8YAavtZreMRWx67Zkt-Kkg"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/0c34e18456cd1bb01edfd4e65e2e0282","name":"Libby Hikind","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3335488e486bdace4e6f00b56f315eabd313bb603c978111b6532b6f15a9350?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3335488e486bdace4e6f00b56f315eabd313bb603c978111b6532b6f15a9350?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Libby Hikind"},"description":"Libby Hikind is the founder and CEO of GrantWatch, a leading platform for discovering grant opportunities. She brings decades of experience in funding strategy and has helped organizations and individuals navigate the grant landscape. She hosts GrantTalk and is the author of the Queen of Grants series, along with several children\u2019s books. Learn more at www.libbyhikind.com.","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/author\/libby\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/960x0.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pck2w8-eU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":549,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/literacy-grant-helps-nonprofit-break-down-prison-walls-to-little-readers-in-georgia\/","url_meta":{"origin":924,"position":0},"title":"Literacy Grant Helps Nonprofit Break Down Prison Walls to Little Readers in Georgia","author":"grantnews","date":"August 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Every three months, Ann Van Pelt sits down in front of a video camera to read a story to her 10-year-old daughter. Van Pelt is serving a drug-related sentence at the Probation Detention Center, in Zebulon, Ga., and the Little Readers program is one of the few ways she connects\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archived Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Archived Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/archived-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/prison-reading-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/prison-reading-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/prison-reading-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/prison-reading-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/prison-reading-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/prison-reading-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11853,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/hiring-former-inmates-reducing-recidivism\/","url_meta":{"origin":924,"position":1},"title":"Hiring former inmates, reducing recidivism","author":"Jake Tewel","date":"July 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"An article I wrote about hiring formerly incarcerated individuals was published on GrantNews, associated with GrantWatch, on August 7, 2019. It was the story of a bread manufacturer and the power of second chances. Dave's Killer Bread is an Oregon-based company that nationally distributes a full line of organic, kosher,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grants"","block_context":{"text":"Grants","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hiring Former Inmates","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Prison-Baker-Hope-Split-Image-AdobeStock_285433360.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Prison-Baker-Hope-Split-Image-AdobeStock_285433360.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Prison-Baker-Hope-Split-Image-AdobeStock_285433360.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Prison-Baker-Hope-Split-Image-AdobeStock_285433360.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3872,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/twitters-ceo-gives-10-million-to-coronavirus-prison-relief-effort\/","url_meta":{"origin":924,"position":2},"title":"Twitter’s CEO Gives $10 Million to Coronavirus Prison Relief Effort","author":"Staff Writer","date":"May 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"REFORM Alliance, a criminal justice reform group that is back by (among others) rappers Meek Mill and Jay-Z, will receive a $10 million contribution from Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter. The money will be used to purchase and deliver more than 10 million masks and other personal protective equipment to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest"","block_context":{"text":"Latest","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/latest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/wACz5KMCFCE\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1694,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/what-does-bread-second-chance-reentry-and-daves-killer-all-have-in-common\/","url_meta":{"origin":924,"position":3},"title":"What Does Bread, Second Chance, Reentry and Dave’s Killer All Have In Common?","author":"grantnews","date":"August 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m just a typical dad who loves dad jokes, and the cornier the better. I like to food shop for new and healthy products.\u00a0 On my last trip to the supermarket, I found a line of bread products that had a really catchy name. \u201cDAVE'S KILLER\u201d Bread.\u00a0 It is organic,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archived Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Archived Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/archived-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5397,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/essex-county-sherrifs-department-receives-grant-to-fund-re-entry-program\/","url_meta":{"origin":924,"position":4},"title":"Essex County Sherrif’s Department Receives Grant To Fund Re-Entry Program","author":"Lianne Hikind","date":"August 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the most important aspects of rehabilitation is ensuring that formerly-incarnated people can return to society afterward, and not become repeat offenders. That is why programs that focus on helping incarcerated people survive and thrive on the outside are critical, and cost-saving as well. Essex County Sheriff's Department has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"recidivism","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/recidivism-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/recidivism-scaled.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/recidivism-scaled.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/recidivism-scaled.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/recidivism-scaled.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/recidivism-scaled.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":69124,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grant-horror-stories-true-tales-that-still-haunt-funders\/","url_meta":{"origin":924,"position":5},"title":"Grant Horror Stories! True Tales That Still Haunt Funders","author":"Nikita","date":"October 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"At GrantWatch, we champion the incredible impact that grant funding can have, but we also recognize the importance of staying vigilant. While many people use grants to do great work, there are also stories where things went wrong - like scams or misuse of funds. These real-life examples remind both\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grants"","block_context":{"text":"Grants","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/108_img-950x650_4-1.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/108_img-950x650_4-1.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/108_img-950x650_4-1.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/108_img-950x650_4-1.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=924"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23890,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions\/23890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}