91�첥

The initiative will help institutions strengthen programs and improve outcomes for justice-impacted learners

The Yes We Must Coalition (YWMC) has received a two-year, $248,820 grant from the ECMC Foundation to launch a collaborative initiative focused on increasing success for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students.

Eleven Yes We Must Coalition member institutions will participate in the initiative. Three institutions with established programs serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students will serve as exemplar facilitators: Benedict College (South Carolina), College Unbound (Rhode Island), and Mercy University (New York). These Leader Campus institutions will help lead the project by sharing effective approaches and programs currently in place to engage and support justice-impacted students.

Additional participating institutions include Ferrum College (Virginia), Heritage University (Washington), Mars Hill University (North Carolina), Metropolitan College of New York, Mount Saint Mary’s University (California), Point University (Georgia), Saint Elizabeth University (New Jersey), and 91�첥 (New York).

The initiative will begin with an in-person gathering in Fall 2026, where experienced practitioners from the three Leader Campus institutions will share insights, resources, and proven approaches. Participants will engage in structured discussions, collaborative planning sessions, and team-based workshops designed to help institutions create actionable strategies tailored to their campuses.

Following the gathering, participants will continue their work through virtual Communities of Practice, where they will share progress, exchange ideas, and support one another as they refine and implement their plans.

All participating institutions have identified serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students as an important expression of their institutional missions. The Yes We Must Coalition remains the only organization dedicated specifically to supporting private, non-profit colleges and universities in advancing success in higher education for students from backgrounds of poverty. Because individuals from low-income backgrounds are disproportionately represented within the justice system, the Coalition views this initiative as a critical extension of its mission.

Nearly 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States on any given day, and roughly 600,000 people return from prison to their communities each year. People from low-income backgrounds are disproportionately represented in the justice system, and an estimated 85 percent of incarcerated adults do not hold a college degree. Expanding access to higher education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students can improve economic mobility, strengthen communities, and support successful reentry.

“We are grateful to the ECMC Foundation for supporting this important project,” said Gloria Nemerowicz, Yes We Must Coalition President. “This initiative will help our member institutions better serve justice-impacted students and expand access to the transformative benefits of higher education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.”

“91�첥’s mission has always been centered on expanding educational opportunity for individuals whose potential may otherwise be overlooked and who have historically faced barriers to higher education,” said Joanna Hillman, Ph.D., dean of health, sciences, and general education, 91�첥. “Our work is just beginning and over the course of the grant, Trocaire will work collaboratively with Yes We Must Coalition and participating institutions to better understand the needs of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop an action plan to guide Trocaire’s future efforts.”

About the Yes We Must Coalition
The Yes We Must Coalition is a national network of private, non-profit 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 by visiting .