Pathways to STEM

Words in [brackets] are blanks you fill in with your own details when you adopt this sample in Supreme Plan AI.

Executive Summary

Pathways to STEM is a nonprofit in Illinois that delivers hands-on STEM education, digital literacy training and career pathway planning to adults incarcerated at a medium-security state correctional facility in suburban Chicago. Participants earn industry-recognized credentials in computer basics, coding foundations and data literacy that are recognized by Illinois employers and that remain valid upon release. The program is delivered inside the facility by trained instructors four days a week.

Adults in prison are largely excluded from the digital economy. Most have never written a line of code, most lack basic spreadsheet skills and most are returning to a labor market that requires digital competence for jobs above minimum wage. A STEM education program inside a correctional facility addresses the skills gap before release, when building those skills is far harder. With this grant we will pay a portion of our instructor salaries and the certification fees that participants cannot pay themselves. We do not promise employment or a particular sentence outcome. The IDOC governs all program access and scheduling.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $248,000. We are asking for $63,000 from a workforce development foundation for instructor salaries and certification fees. The rest comes from other grants and corporate partners listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate.

Company Description

Pathways to STEM is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes a technology company HR director, a community college dean and two formerly incarcerated technology professionals. The board meets monthly, approves the budget and oversees the executive director. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. A person's past does not determine whether they can learn Python, read a spreadsheet or understand a database. The skills that open doors in the digital economy belong to everyone.

What we do:
- Classroom instruction inside the facility. Four days per week, 90-minute sessions, in a computer lab provided by the facility.
- Three-track curriculum: (1) Digital Foundations - computer basics, email, file management, Internet navigation, Google Workspace; (2) Coding Basics - HTML/CSS and introductory Python through a browser-based platform that does not require external Internet; (3) Data Literacy - spreadsheet skills, basic data analysis and reading data visualizations.
- Industry-recognized certification. Participants who complete a track and pass the exam earn a Google IT Support Certificate, a CompTIA IT Fundamentals badge or a Microsoft Office Specialist certification. Certification fees are paid by the program.
- Reentry planning. In the final four weeks of each cohort, an instructor facilitates a career planning workshop covering resume writing for people with records, employer-paid training programs and community college pathways.
- Post-release connection. We maintain a contact list of graduates and connect them, with their consent, to employer partners and community college advisors within 30 days of release.

What we do not do. We do not provide legal advice or case advocacy. We do not share participant information with the IDOC beyond what is required by our facility agreement. We do not promise employment.

Who we serve. Adults of any age incarcerated at the partner correctional facility who are within three years of release and who volunteer for the program.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Adults leaving incarceration enter a labor market they are not prepared for.

1. Digital skills gap. Most adults who have been incarcerated for more than two years have not had consistent access to computers or the Internet. The devices, software and job platforms in use when they were sentenced have changed significantly.
2. Employment discrimination. Illinois is a second-chance employer state with some legal protections, but practical hiring discrimination against people with records remains common. A recognized industry credential shifts the conversation.
3. Workforce programs do not go inside. Most workforce development programs operate outside correctional facilities and require a fixed address and legal work authorization. They are not accessible to people who are still incarcerated.
4. Digital exclusion compounds poverty. The Bureau of Labor Statistics documents that jobs requiring digital skills pay significantly more than jobs that do not. People who leave prison without digital skills are concentrated in the lowest-wage jobs.

Why it matters now. Illinois releases approximately 20,000 people from state correctional facilities per year. Research by the RAND Corporation found that incarcerated people who participate in educational programs are 43% less likely to return to prison. Vocational and technical programs show an even stronger effect for employment outcomes.

How we know the need is real. We interviewed the workforce development coordinator at the partner facility, reviewed IDOC education data showing that only a small share of incarcerated adults are enrolled in any education or training program, and talked with three Chicago-area reentry employment programs about the skills gaps they see in their clients. In a 25-person pilot, 80% earned at least one industry-recognized credential. The detail is in the appendix.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will pay a portion of instructor salaries and all certification exam fees for a full year.

How a participant takes part:
1. Enrollment. Participants apply through the facility's education coordinator. Preference is given to people within three years of release. Cohort size is 15 to 18 participants.
2. Track selection. An instructor administers a brief digital skills assessment at the first session to match each participant to the right starting track.
3. 16-week instruction. Four days per week, 90-minute sessions in the facility computer lab. Learning management system operates on the facility's internal network without external Internet.
4. Certification exam. Participants who complete the curriculum take the proctored certification exam in the last week of the cohort. The program pays the exam fee.
5. Career planning workshop. The final four weeks include resume writing, employer panel conversations (via video if the facility permits) and community college information.
6. Post-release contact. Within 30 days of release, a coordinator contacts the graduate to connect them to employer partners and community college advisors.

What the grant pays for. This request covers a portion of instructor salaries and certification exam fees for all participants.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that any participant will pass the certification exam, be hired or avoid reincarceration. We track enrollment, cohort completion rate, certifications earned and post-release employment at six months, and we report honestly.

Safety and compliance. All program activities are governed by the IDOC facility agreement. Instructors are cleared to enter the facility under IDOC visitor and contractor policies. Personal data is not shared with the IDOC beyond what the facility agreement requires.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are adults incarcerated at the partner facility who volunteer for the program.

Who we serve. Adults of any age within three years of release who volunteer, with no prerequisites beyond willingness to learn.

How many we plan to serve. Three 16-week cohorts per year of 15 to 18 participants each, for about 50 participants total in Year 1. By Year 5 we plan to run four cohorts per year at two facilities for about 130 participants annually. We chose those numbers from the facility's computer lab capacity and instructor hours.

Where we serve. One medium-security state correctional facility in suburban Chicago in Year 1.

Who else benefits. Families of participants who return with marketable skills. Employers who access a pipeline of credential-bearing candidates. The state, which benefits from lower reincarceration rates and lower long-term public assistance costs.

We choose cohort size from the computer lab's seat count and the instructor's realistic teaching load, not from the size of the need.

Competitive Landscape

Other education programs in Illinois correctional facilities.

1. GED programs. Facility-run GED instruction is the most common in-facility education program. We complement, not replace, GED instruction; many of our participants are also in GED classes.
2. College in Prison programs. Illinois has several college-in-prison programs, primarily at larger facilities. We are the only STEM-specific program at our partner facility.
3. Post-release workforce programs. Operate outside the facility after release. We connect graduates to them but operate earlier in the timeline, inside.

What makes us different. We are the only program inside this facility delivering industry-recognized technology certifications. We operate before release rather than after, when schedules are chaotic and stability is low.

How we avoid duplication. We coordinate with the facility's education coordinator and GED program to avoid schedule conflicts and share participant information within our data sharing agreement.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach participants and partners once the project is funded.

Participants. The facility's education coordinator announces the program to eligible residents and manages the application process. Participant outreach is handled entirely within the facility.

Employer partners. We cultivate relationships with Chicago-area technology employers who have committed to interviewing credential-holding candidates regardless of record: three technology staffing firms, a regional IT services company and two large corporate employers with second-chance hiring programs.

Community college partners. Two suburban Chicago community colleges have agreed to accept our credential graduates as having met introductory technology course prerequisites.

Funding cultivation. Second Chance Act workforce grants, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding, the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, the Motorola Solutions Foundation and Illinois state reentry and workforce development grants are our primary funding prospects.

Corporate partnerships. Technology companies whose foundations support digital equity and workforce development are a growing funding channel. Three companies have already committed small grants in exchange for being listed as employer partners.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1. Month 1: renew facility agreement, confirm lab schedule, prepare learning management system content on facility internal network. Month 2: enroll first cohort. Month 6: enroll second cohort. Month 10: enroll third cohort.

Space. The facility's existing computer lab, approximately 20 workstations. Access is governed by the IDOC facility agreement, which requires annual renewal and background clearance for all instructors.

Partners. The IDOC facility education coordinator, two Chicago community college transfer advisors, three employer partners and a learning management system vendor with a facility-internal deployment option. Each has a written agreement.

Money controls. Certification exam fees are paid directly to the certification provider, not to participants. Instructor salaries are paid by payroll. Two people approve every expenditure.

Records and reporting. We track cohort enrollment, attendance, certification pass rates and post-release employment at six months (with participant consent). We report to funders twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director manages the organization, the facility relationship and employer partners. Instructors deliver all classroom instruction. A post-release coordinator tracks graduates.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5. A number with a half, such as 2.5, means a hire phased in during the year or one part-time person.
- Executive Director: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $68,000 a year.
- STEM Instructor: 2, 2, 2, 3, 3 (Years 1 to 5), about $52,000 a year each.
- Post-Release Coordinator (part-time): 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $18,000 a year.
- Program Associate (added as the budget grows): 0, 1, 1.5, 1.5, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $46,000 a year each, hired as new grant money arrives.

Governance and money controls. The board reviews financials monthly. An outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return. Every grant is in its own budget line.

Feedback and complaints. Participants can give feedback to instructors in writing at any session. All feedback is anonymous and reported to the board quarterly. No participant loses access for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts: renew facility agreement, confirm lab schedule and upload curriculum to the internal learning management system.
- Year 1: run three 16-week cohorts, enroll about 50 participants, achieve 80% certification rate. Budget about $248,000.
- Year 2: add a second facility and a fourth cohort. Budget about $308,000.
- Year 3: launch a pre-release employer panel series with four employer partners via video. Budget about $352,000.
- Year 4: hire a third instructor and expand to three cohorts per facility. Budget about $398,000.
- Year 5: serve about 130 participants annually at two facilities and publish a plain results report. Budget about $438,000.

How we will measure results: enrollment, cohort completion rate, certification pass rate, post-release employment at six months and reincarceration rate at one year (from IDOC data with participant consent). We report to funders twice a year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $63,000 from a workforce development foundation for instructor salaries and certification exam fees, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: STEM Instructor salaries (part), $48,000 (other funds cover the remaining $56,000 of the two instructors' combined salary).
- Other: Certification exam fees ($150 to $200 per participant for 50 participants), $9,000; learning management system facility license, $6,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 28% of Year 1 grant income. Other grants and corporate partners pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $248,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,500 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $224,000; Corporate Partner Contributions $24,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $68,000; stem instructor $104,000; post-release coordinator (part-time) $18,000; certification exam fees $9,000; learning management system $6,000; curriculum materials and supplies $8,000; employer partner and community college relationship costs $6,000; office and reporting $12,000; annual employer breakfast event $8,000; program supplies, participant support and contingency $1,800.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $13,200 are paid once from startup funds: $4,200 for instructor background clearance processing and facility compliance setup, $3,600 for a learning management system deployment and customization for the facility's internal network, $2,800 for curriculum development and instructor training, $1,600 for banners and a website, and $1,000 for opening curriculum materials and supplies.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($13,200), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $2,700) and a cash cushion of about $60,200, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $76,500. We start with $22,000 of our own savings and $55,000 from the Motorola Solutions Foundation startup grant and board contributions, $77,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $248,000 in Year 1 to about $438,000 in Year 5. Grant revenue is planned at $224,000, $220,000, $248,000, $278,000 and $272,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans to end each year with a surplus, about $6,500, $12,900, $25,300, $9,400 and $15,200 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings. Some years are larger because new grant money arrives before the added staff are hired. The lowest year-end cash in the plan is about $70,700.

After the grant. WIOA Title I funding and Second Chance Act grants become primary federal streams. Corporate employer partner contributions grow as the pipeline matures.

Risks:
- IDOC can change facility policies or suspend access at any time. We maintain a relationship with the facility superintendent and have a plan to pause operations and resume within 30 days of any policy change.
- Certification pass rates may be lower than projected. We provide tutoring in the week before the exam and track practice scores.
- A major grant may end. Corporate partner contributions and WIOA funding are grown each year to reduce dependence on any single source.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- IDOC facility agreement.
- Instructor background clearance documentation.
- Learning management system facility deployment agreement.
- Certification provider agreements (Google, CompTIA, Microsoft).
- Community college transfer pathway letters of support.
- Employer partner commitment letters.
- Pilot data: 25 participants, 80% earned at least one industry-recognized credential.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers:
- Grant Revenue: $224,000 in Year 1, planned to reach $272,000 in Year 5.
- Corporate Partner Contributions: $24,000 in Year 1, growing to $50,000 in Year 5.
- Certification exam fees: $150 to $200 per participant for 50 participants = approximately $9,000 per year.
- Instructors: 2 full-time at $52,000 each per year.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- IDOC: Illinois Department of Corrections.
- Industry-recognized credential: a certificate or badge issued by a national organization such as Google, CompTIA or Microsoft that employers recognize without knowing which institution provided the training.
- WIOA: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the primary federal workforce development funding law.
- Second Chance Act: a federal law funding reentry programs that reduce recidivism.
- LMS: Learning Management System, the software platform that delivers curriculum and tracks completion.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

Startup Costs