Minneapolis College receives Ready for Pell Grant

Minneapolis College has been selected as one of 22 nationwide grant partners for Ready for Pell, a two-year strategic initiative for institutions providing postsecondary education in prison (PEP), to help them navigate the upcoming changes to the Pell Grant program for student financial assistance.

Funding of up to $120,000 is provided by Jobs for the Future and (JFF) and Ascendium Education Group.

Since 1994, people who are incarcerated have been prohibited from receiving Pell Grants, resulting in a decrease in PEP programs and negatively impacting reentry outcomes.

With eligibility returning in 2023, the Ready for Pell initiative will help institutions enhance program quality and ensure eligible students are able to access and maximize the use of Pell funds as they pursue postsecondary education in prison and beyond.

“There are always more students than we have capacity for,” said Matthew Palombo, Program Coordinator for College-in-Prison Partnerships at Minneapolis College. “The funds will enable us to add support staff and coordination so that we can expand our program offerings and include more students at Lino Lakes and Stillwater Correctional Facilities.”
 
Minneapolis College offers their 60-credit associate of arts degree to men at the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Corrections and the Minneapolis College Foundation.

JFF and Ascendium will work with RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, as a third-party evaluator to document the experiences and impact of the grantees and their prison partners.