Sunshine Lady Foundation

About Sunshine Lady Foundation

A single $867,565 grant to Morehead City Grants in 2023 stands out in The Sunshine Lady Foundation Inc’s recent record, alongside a steady stream of six-figure awards to prison education and higher-education-in-prison programs. The foundation backs university-led instruction inside correctional settings, reentry-linked student support, and prison arts initiatives that connect incarcerated people to coursework and creative education. Recent awards include $118,750 to Portland State Prison Education Program, $110,300 to University of Utah, and $109,000 to Prison Neighborhood Artseducation. Other recurring grantees include University of West Georgia, Miami Dade College Foundation, Offender Alumni Association, Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, and Life University, showing an emphasis on institutional programs rather than individual awards. Its giving also includes project-specific support for named programs such as Project Rebound and the Chillon Project, suggesting a mix of annual program funding and targeted grants tied to particular prison education efforts. The pattern points to a funder centered on postsecondary access for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students, with arts and reentry services appearing as adjacent priorities.

What Sunshine Lady Foundation Funds

Higher education in prison is the clearest theme in the grant record. In 2025, The Sunshine Lady Foundation Inc gave $118,750 to Portland State Prison Education Program for prison education, $110,300 to University of Utah for prison education, and $107,000 to University of West Georgia for prison education. The foundation also backed prison-based work at Ohio State University, University of Scranton, and Washington University in St Louis. Arts-based programming appears as a separate but related line of support: Prison Neighborhood Artseducation received $109,000 in 2025 for higher education in prison and $40,000 in 2024 for the same area. Reentry-focused support shows up through California State University of Fullerton’s Project Rebound grant of $50,000 in 2024, connecting postsecondary study with campus transition services. Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison and Freedom Education Project Puget Sound also reflect support for organizations working with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students.

How Sunshine Lady Foundation Gives