Image: FEPPS graduate smiling at commencement ceremony
A rigorous college degree for people in prison
Our mission:
FEPPS provides an accredited college program for incarcerated women, trans-identified and gender nonconforming people in Washington and creates pathways to higher education after students are released from prison.
Notice: If you have received a sweepstakes or raffle notice soliciting a donation from “Freedom Education Project” we urge you not to respond, and instead to forward the solicitation to your state’s attorney general office. We believe a bad actor is using our name to run a predatory scheme, possibly illegal in some states. FEPPS never buys or sells donor lists, never engages in sweepstakes or raffles, and always fully discloses our name and contact information on charitable solicitations.
Program Overview
FEPPS is a college program open to people incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) in Gig Harbor, WA.
Students work towards an Associate of Arts degree accredited by Tacoma Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree accredited by the University of Puget Sound.
FEPPS is a non profit organization and receives no state funding.
Our faculty is made up of professors and teachers from colleges, universities and schools across the Puget Sound.
Image: FEPPS students and professor in a Biology class.
Our impact
Through our program, more than 300 students have taken courses with FEPPS, and 72 students have earned an Associates of Arts degree while incarcerated. Since 2014, FEPPS has offered over 200 college and pre-college classes — nearly 100 unique courses, spanning a wide range of disciplines.
After leaving prison, FEPPS students have gone on to attend the University of Washington in Seattle and Tacoma, Evergreen State University, Central Washington University, University of Puget Sound, and numerous community colleges.
Image: FEPPS students complete an Environmental Science lab.
Introducing the first Bachelor of Arts program in a prison in Washington State
In the Winter of 2021, fifteen students began the coursework that will culminate in a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, granted by the University of Puget Sound.
This program took many years to develop and we are so excited to offer this opportunity to our students.
Image: FEPPS student celebrates her admission to the University of Puget Sound
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to make significant changes in how we administer our classes. Read more about how students, professors and staff have persevered through uniquely challenging circumstances to keep our program running:
“When I walk into a FEPPS classroom I feel like it’s the first day of my future.”
— 2017 AA Graduate