Education funders that accept rolling LOIs are uncommon. These two both do, but they fund very different slices of the sector: one backs college access inside correctional facilities, the other backs innovative school models.

What we know: Laughing Gull announced $2 million in higher ed in prison grants to 36 organizations in 2025, so the program is actively deploying capital. The foundation prioritizes BIPOC communities disproportionately impacted by incarceration and student-centered programming. Organizations introduce themselves through a contact form rather than a formal proposal cycle.

Realistic fit: Southern nonprofits or colleges already running accredited courses inside state prisons, with established correctional facility partnerships.

What we know: Applicants send a two-page introductory letter to the proposals email describing their model, team, and launch timeline. The foundation-wide median grant is $100,000, and recent awards skew toward operating support for established charter networks and school operators rather than early-stage pilots.

Realistic fit: proven K-12 school operators or edtech providers with a track record of student outcomes and a scalable model, not first-time founders.

Both programs use informal intake processes (contact form, two-page letter) rather than structured applications, which means the first impression carries outsize weight. Lead with your results data and team credentials, not your org's origin story.

If you work with someone running a prison education program in the South or launching an innovative school model, send this their way.