Knowlton awards $1 million to prison education program

The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation announced its continued commitment to the Augustana Prison Education Program (APEP) with a $1 million grant and a 10-year commitment to the initiative.

The sustaining grant will provide APEP $100,000 annually, allowing the program to serve more students with greater resources. It also will allow for a more comprehensive college and transitional experience. This includes access to better library and technological resources and more guided research and internship opportunities, as well as return-to-career-readiness programs. 

APEP classes are taught by Augustana faculty at the East Moline Correctional Center (EMCC). The curriculum mirrors the college’s liberal arts focus. Dr. Sharon Varallo, professor of communication studies, pioneered Augustana’s program based on the Bard Prison Initiative in New York, one of the country’s most effective prison education programs. 

“The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation is delighted to continue to partner with Augustana and Dr. Varallo’s team at APEP to provide long-term core funding support for this exceptional effort to bring Augie classes and degrees to Quad Cities residents whose lives can be dramatically transformed by access to education,” said Eric Lindberg, trustee and chief investment officer of the Knowlton Foundation and trustee of Augustana College. 

“The Knowlton Foundation is committed to being an innovative partner to colleges and universities, including enabling access to education in ways that empower justice while benefiting all of society,” Lindberg said. “We’re grateful to Augustana, the Illinois Department of Corrections and all parties who have united to positively change the lives of these men.”

APEP launched in the fall of 2021 with a $225,000 seed grant from the Knowlton Foundation. No Augustana institutional or tuition funds are used to finance the program. APEP is supported through the generosity of individual, foundation and corporate donors. 

Ten men incarcerated at EMCC attended APEP classes in 2021-2022, pursuing a bachelor’s in communication studies. Twenty-four students were admitted for the 2022-2023 school year. With the Knowlton funding, program planners hope to add American studies as a new major choice to APEP participants. 

APEP students are the first in Illinois to draw upon the new Second Chance Pell awards from the U.S. Department of Education. The program allows people in custody to participate in post-secondary education programs with Pell grants. This is the first program of its type in Illinois since formerly incarcerated people were banned access to Pell grants in 1994.

In addition to the Knowlton grants, the program has garnered broad philanthropic support. This includes a $50,900 award from the Bard Prison Initiative for the installation of a computer lab and a $20,000 grant from the Regional Development Authority in Davenport, Iowa, to fund the hiring of an administrative assistant position to serve as liaison between APEP and Augustana offices, the EMCC, the Illinois Department of Corrections, and community services.

Research shows that graduates of prison education programs like APEP are less likely to return to prison after their release. According to Dr. Varallo, for every dollar spent on college classes for incarcerated people, five dollars are saved in the cost to the community.

The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation was established to promote the ideals of higher education, support student success, and enable colleges and universities to create more rewarding and inspiring educational experiences.