Individual Donations

For THEI students and alumni, every gift matters. THEI provides higher education in prison programming to more than100 students, with robust services for our more than 90 alums. 

Each course that THEI offers for students costs $5,000. Each student commits to paying $75 in tuition per academic year, despite this amounting to about one-third of the annual income incarcerated people in Tennessee are paid for their labor. THEI is able to cover the remaining cost of tuition through fundraising and because of supporters like you. 

Funds also support our student success and reentry services efforts, and our ongoing advocacy efforts to address the weight of mass incarceration on society and press for more educational opportunities to transform lives and communities. 
MAKE A DONATION
A monthly, recurring donation of

$50

helps us provide a school supplies bundle which includes notepads, folders, and pens.
Your gift of

$500

helps THEI provide returning alums with a laptop and a case to ensure they are prepared for starting work, or continuing school.
Your gift of

$1000

helps us provide much needed financial assistance to THEI alumni through our newly formed rapid response fund that supports our alumni as they and their families navigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amazon supplies:

THEI provides school supplies to students at the beginning of each semester. However, school supplies are much needed items for students as they work to complete their degrees. If you would like to support our students by sending them school supplies, please visit our Amazon Wishlist.

Corporate/Foundations

Working with the Tennessee Department of Correction and a number of partner colleges and universities, the mission of THEI is to disrupt systems of harm and create opportunities for autonomy and success by providing college access to people inside Tennessee prisons, preparing students for skillful re-entry, and reducing barriers to continued education and achievement.

With the rise in public interest in prison education and reform, we hope to raise awareness and funding to continue the important work THEI does. But we need your help to sustain and grow this program.
Please consider supporting the work of THEI as a corporate sponsor. There has never been a better time to get involved. Every dollar that is donated to the cause goes directly to THEI’s educational programming. Your company’s sponsorship will provide exposure to a large and mobilized group of social justice advocates not just in Nashville, but around the United States.
To learn more about THEI Corporate sponsorship levels and benefits, please email Cara Albert, Development & Communication Manager, at
cara@thei.org