Mississippi Delta Community College (MDCC) has been awarded a $499,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to expand its Prison Education Program (PEP) over the next three years. The grant, active from November 1, 2025, through October 31, 2028, will provide foundational support to enhance educational services for incarcerated students across all five of the program’s locations.
The bulk of the funding will establish a full-time Prison Education Program Coordinator position and provide an academic advising stipend, alongside training support for faculty and peer tutors. This investment will enhance existing programming at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, Delta Correctional Facility, Issaquena County Correctional Facility, Washington County Correctional Facility, and Bolivar County Correctional Facility and ensure that students who are incarcerated have expanded access to pursuing an Associate of Arts degree.
“We are beyond grateful to build on the previous funding from the Mellon Foundation via the Mississippi Humanities Council that has supported the growth of our Prison Education Program,” says Dr. Ben Cloyd, Vice President of Enrollment Management. “This new grant provided directly from Mellon to MDCC expands our partnership and will allow the college to create positions that directly support student achievement at our 5 PEP locations and will ensure that opportunities for students who are incarcerated will continue to grow.”
“This $499,000 grant will allow Mississippi Delta Community College to expand access to quality higher education for incarcerated students, transforming lives and strengthening our communities in the process,” says MDCC President, Dr. Steven Jones.