Our Guiding Documents

A man places sticky notes with handwritten notes on a white board with large writing visible "Culture of Punishment" "Why does this challenge matter?"

Co-created and Community-centered

The following guiding documents help tell the story of how the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison was formed and where we are headed. We hope they can also serve as templates for other organizations and higher education in prison programs seeking support with strategic planning, fundraising and communications and community building.

Prospectus

The Alliance Prospectus is a result of a yearlong stakeholder engagement process (2016) that involved more than 300 people working in and/or engaging with the emerging field of higher education in prison. Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison and the Saint Louis University Prison Education Program spearheaded the process that included research and interviews with other national organizations, stakeholder feedback collected via surveys (online and paper) and focus groups and strategic planning workshops. The Prospectus is a summary of that work, and the purpose, vision and mission that eventually formed the foundation of the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison.

Strategic Plan

The Alliance’s three-year strategic plan enables us to focus the network’s efforts and maximize our work to advance the field of higher education in prison. Our strategic plan outlines in detail our priority areas and goals. The strategies and tactics laid out in the strategic plan help the Alliance fulfill its mission to support the expansion of quality higher education in prison, empower students while in prison and after release, and shape public discussion about education and incarceration and uphold its values.

Fundraising Plan

The Alliance receives generous support from individuals and private foundations committed to increasing educational opportunities for currently and formerly incarcerated students and who see the need for a collaborative network to support quality programming. Our three-year fundraising plan outlines our fundraising commitments, goals and activities. As a network, we are committed to implementing fundraising strategies that result in sustainability for the Alliance and the emerging field of higher education in prison, as long as they are needed. We are also working to create opportunities for funders to engage in co-learning opportunities and have been collaborating with a group of funders to support their networking and resource sharing efforts.

Communication Plan

Our communication plan is intended to help the Alliance (its Advisory Board and staff) deliver timely, relevant and engaging information to its members and the public. By delivering consistent and engaging communication, the Alliance hopes to inspire more people to join its collaborative and inclusive work. The Alliance’s communication plan is a living document that will change over time as the organization grows.

Learn more about our policies and operations here.