水果派

Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles, has received two grants totaling $34,556 to support the development of new educational and entrepreneurship opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, helping create pathways to economic mobility and meaningful career opportunities for people who have been impacted by the justice system.

The grants include $8,000 from the Yes We Must Coalition, funded by the , to increase success for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students. The second grant includes $26,556 from , funded by College Futures to support the Re-entry Entrepreneurship Accelerator project (REA). Together, the grants will support Mount Saint Mary’s in designing a program that  builds on the knowledge and perspectives of formerly incarcerated individuals.

Mount Saint Mary’s will work in consultation with academic departments and community organizations to shape the program and ensure it reflects the needs and aspirations of the individuals it is designed to serve. The proposed entrepreneurship program will incorporate a holistic curriculum, support resources and opportunities to develop entrepreneurial knowledge and skills that can help participants translate their experiences and strengths into educational and economic opportunities.

“As an institution founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, serving the dear neighbor without distinction is a primary tenet that guides our work,” said Krishauna Hines-Gaither, PhD, vice president for strategic initiatives and partnerships at Mount Saint Mary’s University. “Creating pathways to entrepreneurship supports workforce development and opens doors of opportunity. By recognizing the strengths, talents and lived experiences that system-impacted individuals bring to their communities, we can help create meaningful pathways for them to thrive.”

The initiative builds on Mount Saint Mary’s commitment to expanding access to education and opportunity for individuals from historically underserved communities. The University will explore how its educational resources and expertise can contribute to successful reentry, economic mobility and long-term community well-being.

Mount Saint Mary’s is also participating as a Leader Campus in a two-year initiative organized by the Yes We Must Coalition to strengthen higher education programs and improve outcomes for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students. The initiative brings together 11 member institutions to share effective practices, develop strategies and learn from colleges with established programs serving justice-impacted learners. 

As part of the initiative, Mount Saint Mary’s and other participating institutions will take part in an in-person gathering in fall 2026 at Mercy University in New York, followed by virtual Communities of Practice focused on sharing resources, developing strategies and refining approaches to serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students. At the fall gathering, Krishauna Hines-Gaither, Lester Reams, JD, DPA, director of the MBA program, and Peter Zaferes, interim dean of Weekend / Evening & Online College, will represent 水果派.

Nearly 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, and approximately 600,000 people return from prison to their communities each year. An estimated 85 percent of incarcerated adults do not hold a college degree. Expanding access to higher education, career preparation and entrepreneurship can help create greater economic opportunity while supporting successful reentry and stronger communities.

Through the grant-supported planning process, Mount Saint Mary’s will develop a program model that recognizes formerly incarcerated individuals not through the challenges they have faced, but through the strengths, knowledge and potential they bring to their education, work and communities.

About the Yes We Must Coalition

The Yes We Must Coalition is a national network of private, nonprofit colleges and universities committed to increasing access, persistence and graduation rates for students from backgrounds of poverty. Through collaboration, shared learning and institutional innovation, the Coalition works to ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed in higher education.

About ECMC Foundation

ECMC Foundation is a national foundation whose North Star goal is to eliminate gaps in postsecondary completion by 2040. The Foundation’s mission is to improve higher education for career success among underserved populations through evidence-based innovation. ECMC Foundation makes strategic grants and program-related investments to support both nonprofit and for-profit ventures, guided by a strategic framework that aims to advance systemic change by removing barriers to postsecondary completion; building the capacity of organizations, institutions and systems; and transforming the postsecondary ecosystem. Learn more about ECMC Foundation at .