Reading for Redemption Phase 2 Expansion
The Reading for Redemption Phase 2 Small Grants Scheme provides funding to UK Higher Education Institutions and recognised research organisations to deliver and review innovative reading programmes in prisons. Building on a successful pilot at HMP Frankland, the programme aims to engage people in prison who can read but do not routinely participate in reading opportunities. Funding will support delivery of curated reading programmes tailored to specific prison cohorts, alongside research to inform future development and scalability.
- Opening date: (Midnight)
- Closing date: (Midnight)
Contents
Summary
Summary
Reading for Redemption Phase 2 is a expansion of a successful proof-of-concept educational reading programme developed at HMP Frankland. The programme explores how structured reading, reflective discussion and literature-based learning can increase engagement with reading amongst individuals in custody who can read but do not routinely participate in existing reading provision. The programme will also generate evidence regarding any wider impacts on wellbeing, engagement and positive participation within prison communities.
Core Programme Requirement
All projects must be built around a carefully curated reading list tailored to the needs of a specific prison cohort.
Applicants must explain:
how texts have been selected;
why the materials are appropriate for the chosen cohort;
how the reading list supports critical thinking, self-reflection, empathy and social awareness;
how participants will be supported to engage with the materials.
What prison resources will be required, if any, to support delivery.
The rationale, quality and proposed application of the curated reading list will be a central component of application assessment.
Expected Structure of Activities
Successful applicants will be expected to:
Submission of a National Research Committee application is a mandatory requirement of successful projects within 4 weeks of confirmation of a successful bid.
Deliver a university-led educational reading programme within a prison that has agreed to participate.
Develop and deliver a curated reading programme specifically designed for individuals who can read but who do not typically engage with reading opportunities.
Undertake regular direct engagement with participants through university-led delivery, which may include facilitated discussions, reflective activities and supported reading sessions.
Have a reflective element to the educational reading programme.
Prepare end of prototype project report.
Requirements for Service Providers
Applicants must demonstrate:
Experience of delivering comparable higher education, educational reading or research programmes.
Appropriate governance and safeguarding arrangements.
Capacity and experience to work effectively within prison environments.
Ability to deliver monitoring and research requirements.
Intended Outcomes
Grant recipients will be expected to consider the following:
Confidence in engaging with reading, discussion and learning activities.
Engagement with individuals who do not routinely participate in existing reading opportunities.
Development of critical thinking and reflective learning skills.
Discussion of different perspectives, experiences and ideas.
Supporting growth in empathy, social awareness and perspective-taking.
Engagement with education and other purposeful activity.
Builds evidence regarding the effectiveness of curated reading programmes in prison settings.
Tests whether educational reading activities can contribute to wider positive outcomes.
Benefits for Service Users
Participants are expected to benefit through:
Increased empathy and reflective thinking.
Greater engagement in education, learning and other purposeful activities.
Enhanced wellbeing.
Improved opportunities for personal development and progression.
Research Expectations
Applicants should propose a research approach that considers:
Successful applicants will be required to submit an application to the National Research Committee (NRC), where required, and comply with applicable HMPPS research governance processes.
Participant attendance and engagement.
Reading participation and reading habits.
Changes in attitudes towards reading and learning.
Evidence of changes in critical thinking and reflective discussion.
Participant perceptions of empathy, social awareness and understanding of others.
Staff observations regarding engagement and participation.
Barriers and enablers to engagement amongst the target cohort.
Lessons for future scaling and delivery.
Applicants should demonstrate:
· Relevant expertise in delivering educational reading programmes, literature-based learning initiatives or research projects.
Ability to deliver within the required timescales.
Appropriate governance arrangements.
Capacity to manage public grant funding.
Financial stability and organisational capability.
Applicants must provide evidence of support from the Higher Education Institution responsible for delivery.
Evidence of support from the participating prison establishment, including written confirmation in principle of willingness to participate in the prototype delivery.
Demonstrate that all programme costs, including resources, travel and research activity, can be delivered within the grant funding available.
Confirm that the project will not draw, nor has it received, duplicate funding for the activities covered by this funding application
Applicants must identify the target cohort and explain why current reading provision does not adequately meet their needs.
Delivery Window
The grant scheme will support delivery during FY 2026/27, with activity taking place between approximately January to December 2027 with a final end of year report due by April 2028. This is a time-limited grant programme funded through the MoJ Spend to Save Innovation Fund and is intended to support activity during the specified delivery period only.
Funding Available
· The total grant fund available is £80,000, comprising up to four grants of £20,000 each.
· The total grant amount will be paid in advance, subject to satisfactory completion of due diligence requirements and execution of a Grant Funding Agreement.
· This is a time-limited grant programme funded through the MoJ Spend to Save Innovation Fund and is intended to support activity during the specified delivery period only.
Eligibility
The award is open to:
UK Higher Education Institutions.
Recognised research organisations.
Academic partnerships led by an eligible institution.
Any organisation applying for funding must demonstrate that it meets HMPPS due diligence requirements before any award is made.
Grant funding cannot be used to deliver core services which HMPPS should be delivering.
Objectives
To test innovative university-led educational reading programmes in prison settings.
To increase engagement in reading amongst individuals who can read but who do not currently engage with reading activities.
To explore how curated literature can encourage critical thinking, reflection and social awareness.
To generate evidence regarding the effectiveness of educational reading interventions for different prison cohorts.
To encourage innovative approaches from Higher Education Institutions.
To assess the scalability of the Reading for Redemption model across the prison estate.
Dates
The grant is open for applications until 11.59pm on the 22 November 2026.
Successful applicants will be notified following completion of assessment and due diligence checks.
The grant scheme will support delivery during FY26/27 with activity starting in Autumn 2026 and concluding with a final report due by April 2028.
How to apply
In order to submit a compliant application, applicants must complete all questions in the Apply for a Grant application form. Please note and do not exceed the word counts for each answer. Any information that is included once the word count is exceeded will not be evaluated and will not count towards the evaluated score. Responses must not include diagrams, tables, images or similar.
Applicants are permitted to submit clarification questions via email to prison_education@justice.gov.uk . For transparency, this advert will be updated throughout the competition to include any responses to questions asked by applicants.
Further information from clarification questions:
No further information.
To be eligible for funding under this grant applicants must achieve the minimum threshold score of 3 averaged across all technical questions otherwise they will be removed from the competition process. The scoring criteria is outlined below:
Score Interpretation
5 Exceeds the requirement. Exceptional demonstration shown for the proposal, how the project will be delivered, and extensive past experience detailed.
4 Satisfies the requirements and has minor additional benefits. Above average demonstration across all questions.
3 Satisfies the requirements. Demonstrates understanding and ability to a satisfactory standard.
2 Satisfies most of the requirements with some minor reservations relating to the experience, understanding and/or ability. Whilst mostly the question has been answered in a satisfactory way, one element has been omitted/offers insufficient evidence.
1 Major reservations about the experience, understanding or ability demonstrated, with little to no evidence to support the questions. More than one element has been omitted.
0 Does not meet the requirement. Does not comply or offer sufficient information to demonstrated experience, ability and/or understanding. Significant elements of the question has been omitted or not addressed to a satisfactory standard.
The Authority reserves the right to ask clarification questions about any elements of an application. These questions will not give applicants the opportunity to expand on the response and may only be used where applications contain minor errors or to clarify where the information presented is unclear.
The grant, if awarded, shall be awarded to applicants who:
· have submitted an application in compliance with these instructions
· meets the eligibility criteria
· has not scored below the minimum quality threshold of 3 in any of the questions
· achieves the highest overall technical score
Proportionate due diligence and fraud risk assessments will be undertaken for all successful applicants prior to award.
Supporting information
Conflicts of Interest
The Authority is required to prevent conflicts of interest occurring in this competition and may disqualify applicants if an actual or potential conflict of interest occurs in connection with the competition which cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated. The Authority may disqualify any applicant which attempts (or whose advisers attempt) to influence the competition in any way.
MoJ Disclaimer
The Authority shall not be committed to any course of action as a result of:
• issuing the competition documents
• communicating with an applicant or an applicant’s representatives or agents in respect of this competition exercise; or
• any other communication between the Authority (whether directly or by its agents or representatives) and any other party.
All applicants accept and acknowledge that by issuing the competition documents the Authority is not bound to accept any bid and reserves the right not to award or conclude a grant for all or any of the costs for which bids are invited.
The Authority reserves the right to apply its discretion on the amount of funding that is to be awarded to the successful applicant(s). If only part of the application is acceptable, in terms of the stated deliverables, then the Authority may only award funding on that basis.
The Authority reserves the right to amend, suspend or terminate all or any part of the competition or its documentation at any time.
The instructions in this advert, together with any other competition documentation are designed to ensure that all applicants are given equal and fair consideration. Applicants should read the instructions carefully to ensure they understand them and the conditions of participation before submitting their applications.
Failure to comply with these instructions regarding submission of the application response may result in its rejection. The Authority may reject applications which are substantially and materially incomplete, non-compliant, inconsistent, or vague.
Applicants should answer all questions as accurately and concisely as possible. Applicants are solely responsible for ensuring that their applications are free from error and accept that these cannot be modified after the submission deadline.
Costs incurred in submitting applications will be borne by applicants and will be defined as ineligible expenditure under the terms of the grant.
All information supplied by the Authority to applicants must be treated in confidence (unless already in the public domain) and must not be disclosed to third parties other than as is necessary for the purposes of preparing the application.