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Grant Money for Jobs for Ex-Prisoners

About 650,000 people are released from prison each year. Many of these ex-prisoners -- often referred to as ex-offenders -- will have a difficult time finding employment. As a result, approximately two-thirds of prisoners released will find themselves back in the prison system within three years. Programs administered at the federal, state and local levels, through public and private enterprises, are designed to help ex-offenders transition successfully to their new life outside of prison.

Federal Government
- Through the Second Chance Act signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2008, the federal government contributes grant money to help ex-prisoners find employment through the funding of programs conducted by faith-based and local community organizations in traditionally high-poverty and high-crime-rate communities. The dispersing of funds to these organizations are typically administered through various federal departments such as the Department of Labor and Department of Justice.
Applying for Federal Grants
- Individuals are generally not able to apply for grants directly from the federal government. Organizations that wish to apply for grants must meet certain requirements and apply for the grants from the federal government. Faith-based groups and community organizations that would like more information on applying for federal funds should visit the Department of Labor's website at Dolata.gov and Grants.gov.
State Programs
- States do not generally provide grant money directly to ex-offenders. Instead, states have created their own programs and/or fund programs through private agencies to provide services for ex-prisoners and soon-to-be ex-prisoners. Information for these programs can often be found through a state's corrections agency, social-services department, human services department or state employment agency.
Finding Organizations That Can Help
- Some of the larger and well-known regional or national organizations that help ex-prisoners find employment are America Works (americaworks.com), Strive (strivenational.org) and Prison Fellowship (prisonfellowship.org). There are also many local and state organizations that are dedicated to helping improve employment opportunities for ex-prisoners. The Council of State Governments Justice Center provides a list of prisoner reentry programs in each state at nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/states. You may also want to contact the applicable state or local agency in your area. It may be able to direct you to a local organization that can assist you.

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