Impact Justice receives $97,000 grant from Power:Ed to support SC prison system’s first vertical farm job training program
COLUMBIA, SC — June 9, 2025 — National nonprofit organization Impact Justice (IJ) was awarded a $97,000 grant from Power:Ed, the philanthropy of SC Student Loan Corporation, to support Growing Justice, a pilot program in partnership with Amplified Ag, to transform upcycled shipping containers into a fully functional vertical farm behind bars. This first-of-its-kind vertical farm job training program in South Carolina prisons will expand training opportunities, offer new reentry support, and provide fresh produce to the incarcerated residents at Camille Graham Correctional Center, offering transformative potential for incarcerated women and their families across South Carolina.
“Growing Justice is really a triple win,” said Alex Busansky, Founder and President of Impact Justice. “We’re equipping incarcerated women with the skills they need to thrive in a high-tech environment, seeding the South Carolina job market with new, qualified talent, and delivering fresh produce to prison kitchens that typically lack access to locally-grown fruits and vegetables.”
In partnership with Amplified Ag, Growing Justice establishes a dual farm/classroom model that can be replicated in other states. The program is also building ties to local employers in order to create a training curriculum that meets their needs, and to establish direct employment pipelines with local Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) farms.
Power:Ed’s grant will fill key gaps in the program budget to pay stipends to incarcerated women participating in the job training program, and to support a key staff position, the South Carolina-based Program Manager/Trainer leading the workforce development educational programming. Power:Ed’s support will also cover food safety certification costs, a critical resource for participants as they enter the job market post-release.
“Power:Ed and SC Student Loan are proud to support this incredible pilot program to help ensure incarcerated women receive fair wages for the work they will do in the vertical farm
and have savings upon release to ensure financial stability. Savings that meet basic needs, like housing, food, and support for children is the key to reentry success for women and enables a successful job placement and retention. We hope it will become a workforce development model that can be replicated across South Carolina,” said Power:Ed Executive Director Claire Gibbons.
Beyond the 200 hours of job training, the program also offers wraparound reentry support services to women who graduate, providing dedicated, on-site resources for job matching and coaching, as well as other reentry support services to ensure women secure employment in the community and are able to sustain it upon their release.
Agriculture is one of South Carolina’s main industries, generating nearly 70,000 jobs each year. While the program seeks to place as many women as possible in high-wage, high-tech CEA jobs, participants will graduate with transferable skills to secure additional full-time jobs with employers across the state.
In FY2024-25 Power:Ed has awarded $1,000,000 in grants to South Carolina education and career readiness organizations, including this grant to Impact Justice. Grants are administered quarterly, and the next grant funding deadline is July 1, 2025.
About Impact Justice
Impact Justice is a national nonprofit innovation and research center advancing safety, justice, and opportunity through boundary-breaking work that changes expectations about what we can accomplish together. Known for its bold ideas, commitment to empowering system-impacted people, and innovative programs, Impact Justice has been challenging America’s obsession with endless punishment for the past decade.
About Power:Ed
Founded in 2019, Power:Ed, the philanthropy of SC Student Loan, is dedicated to creating opportunities for South Carolina’s youth and adults by supporting low-income, underrepresented, and first-generation students; improving access to college and degree completion; and creating pathways to quality workforce opportunities. Organizations serving middle school through post-college talent who are interested in applying for a grant or partnering with Power:Ed, should visit power-ed.org.