Fair Chance to Advance State Action Networks – Oct 14

Posted by Jobs for the Future on September 23, 2025

Jobs for the Future issues RFP for states to join FC2A State Action Networks

Jobs for the Future (JFF) aims to transform the U.S. education and workforce systems to drive economic success for people, businesses, and communities.

JFF has issued a request of proposals to join its Cohort of Fair Chance to Advance State Action Networks. Across the United States, more than 70 million people live with a history of arrest, conviction, or incarceration. They face barriers that severely limit their access to education and employment and undermine their opportunities for economic mobility—which in turn curb the potential for regional and national economic growth. Jobs for the Future’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement has launched the Fair Chance to Advance (FC2A) initiative to dismantle these barriers and create broader pathways to economic advancement for people with histories of incarceration by improving alignment of systems and funding mechanisms at the state level.

A key strategic pillar of the FC2A initiative is to give coalitions of leaders from select states opportunities to accelerate the creation of fair chance ecosystems as members of FC2A state action networks. The states in these networks will receive support, including grant funding and technical assistance, over a period of up to four years to design and implement coordinated policies and practices that create clear pathways to quality jobs for people who are or have been incarcerated.

With this request for proposals, made possible by the support of Ascendium Education Group, JFF invites states to apply to be part of the inaugural cohort of FC2A state action networks. The statewide coalitions must include leaders from the state’s corrections, postsecondary education, and workforce development systems or agencies; policy makers; and leaders whose lives have been impacted by interactions with the criminal justice system. States are also strongly encouraged to include reentry services professionals, leaders of community organizations, and employers. The four states that are selected to be part of the inaugural cohort will receive subgrants, data tools, and technical assistance from JFF and partners at the Coleridge Initiative, and will have opportunities to come together for meetings and activities.

Membership in the state action networks will enable participants to align education, workforce, and corrections systems to better serve people with histories of incarceration; build and sustain cross-sector partnerships that accelerate fair chance policy and practice; improve data-sharing and decision-making to support education and career pathways; drive adoption of fair chance hiring practices among employers statewide; and remove longstanding barriers that prevent people with records of incarceration from accessing quality jobs.

By participating in this initiative, states have opportunities to transform siloed systems into a coordinated, data-driven ecosystem that expands access to education, employment, and economic mobility for people with records—advancing opportunity, reducing harm, and strengthening the workforce.

Participating state action networks will receive phase 1 grants of up to $300,000 over a period of up to 24 months for planning, network infrastructure, and coordination efforts; phase 2 grants of up to $1.8 million to implement coordinated strategies and reforms over the remainder of the four-year period, contingent upon successful completion of phase 1 milestones; free technical assistance and network coordination services (valued at approximately $1.8 million per state) from JFF and the Coleridge Initiative; and state-specific services and supports, including needs assessments, asset mapping, data dashboards, and evaluation.

Proposals are due October 14, 2025. States selected to participate will be notified in late November 2025. State action networks will open with a planning phase that begins in February 2026.

For complete program guidelines, application instructions, and full eligibility criteria, see the Jobs for the Future website.

Deadline: October 14, 2025