Donate

Our Needs

EJP relies on your support. We have four sources of funds: the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, external grants, private donations, and proceeds from the sale of reentry guide, in those instances when agencies are willing and able to be invoiced for the guide.

We are deeply grateful to all EJP institutional funders. They include the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, Ascendium Philanthropy, and others. We are also grateful for the support of the Illinois campus. Even with the generous support of these entities, we must raise additional funds. That is because the money they provide does not cover all of EJP’s expenses. In particular, it does not cover all instructional materials for EJP courses at Danville Correctional Center, printing and distribution of reentry guides and deportation guides, academic scholarships for formerly incarcerated people and their families, emergency grants for individuals who are experiencing reentry in Illinois, and our everyday operating expenses. For this reason, we rely on individual donations from supporters like you.

We raised about $69,000 from individual donors in FY 2025. This was a record for us, and we are very grateful. We expect that many individuals are aware that universities are likely to lose some of their federal funding and this might be fueling their generosity. 

Even a modest donation to EJP goes a long way! Many of our donors are family members of our incarcerated students and provide $5 and $10 gifts. Some donors are program alumni, and some are current students, incarcerated at Danville Correctional Center. We truly appreciate the sacrifice that any donation from them represents.

Anything you can send will help. Larger donations of $500 or $1,000 will go even further in advancing our work.

To donate to EJP, you must go through the University of Illinois Foundation’s secure Online Giving site to enter your personal and credit card information. Alternatively, you can send a check or money order directly to the Foundation.

The Education Justice Project is a unit of the University of Illinois. A tax receipt will be mailed to you by the University of Illinois Foundation.

Please send your check or money order to:

University of Illinois Foundation
303 St. Mary’s Road
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 244-2706
CashDesk@uif.uillinois.edu
UIF Privacy Pledge

Please make out the check or money order to the University of Illinois Foundation and write “Education Justice Project” on the memo line.

EJP will receive 100% of the funds donated by check.

All contributions, from the smallest to the largest, make a difference. Thank you. We appreciate your confidence in EJP’s work at Danville Correctional Center and beyond. You can be assured that we will provide careful stewardship of your hard-earned dollars.

EJP subscribes to A Donor’s Bill of Rights, which you can view here.