Birmingham, AL – Today, Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) announced $4 million in federal grant funding to be awarded to the Dannon Project through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Pathway Home grant program which focuses on assisting justice involved individuals with community re-entry and employment. The Dannon Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit located in Birmingham, Alabama, helps non-violent offenders who have been involved in the criminal justice system with re-entry by providing valuable resources such as short-term training, certifications, job placement and case management, beginning six months prior to release. 

“As we continue to reexamine systems of racial inequity and oppression, I am grateful for organizations like the Dannon Project who work to fill in the gaps left by our deeply flawed criminal justice system,” said Rep. Sewell. “In a state with one of the most underfunded and violent prison systems, with one of the highest rates of overall incarceration in the country, and where Black Americans are jailed at 3.3 times the rate of white Americans, we can clearly see the need for the work of the Dannon Project. Of course, this funding is just a drop in the bucket of what is needed for true reform, but it is a step in the right direction.”

“The Dannon Project is thankful to receive this award and for the opportunity to make an impact in communities we serve,” said Kerri Pruitt, Executive Director of the Dannon Project. “Under the Pathway Home program, enrolled participants will have the option to follow one or more of three job training tracks: Industry-Recognized Credentials; Pre-Apprenticeship; or Career Pathways. The first two opportunities focus on training and job placement in employment sectors predicted to have the greatest job growth and/or high demand for skilled workers within the major industries of Birmingham’s regional economy. The third option, Career Pathways, will focus on facilitating participants’ enrollment at post-secondary institutions to attain educational credentials for their desired areas of employment.”

In July, 2019, the Dannon Project received $6 million in grant funding also through the Department of Labor.