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Four States Join National Effort to Expand Education and Workforce Pathways for Justice-Impacted Individuals

On Jan. 14, 2026, Jobs for the Future announced the inaugural Fair Chance to Advance State Action Networks, selecting Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, and Oregon to receive up to $2.1M in funding.
Born out of FC2A's 2024 launch, the networks aim to expand education-to-employment pathways while addressing systemic barriers, building on Jobs for the Future's mission and support from Ascendium Education Group.
Kansas will formalize cross-agency collaboration, strengthen reentry metrics, and expand employer engagement amid growth, Oregon will unify data systems and expand WorkSource Oregon Reentry Centers, while North Carolina and Maine will expand apprenticeships and employer-connected pathways.
States will gain access to a secure data-sharing platform and national learning network, with Mathematica as third-party evaluator and JFF and the Coleridge Initiative providing $1.8M in technical assistance.
The networks will engage people with histories of incarceration as advisors, seeking to expand opportunities for more than 70 million people with records, with Ascendium and JFF highlighting strong momentum.

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Four States Join National Effort to Expand Education and Workforce Pathways for Justice-Impacted Individuals

Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, and Oregon will receive up to $2.1M in funding through Jobs for the Future initiative to increase access to education and training in correctional facilities

6 days ago

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