Trellis Foundation grants $750,000 to expand CTC prison education in Gatesville

A $750,000 Trellis Foundation grant is set to expand Central Texas College’s prison education work in Gatesville, and the real test is what it returns to Coryell County: fewer people cycling back through the system, stronger job prospects after release, and less long-term cost for taxpayers. The three-year award was accepted at CTC’s April 28 board meeting.

College officials said the grant comes as the prison education program is already growing. CTC said it had 18 course sections planned for Spring 2026, covering government, science, mathematics, English and computer science. The program also has added a Paralegal Studies pathway and select computer science electives in 8-, 10- and 12-week formats, with plans underway for a fuller computer science pathway.

That growth matters in Gatesville, where CTC offers associate degree programs to offenders on four Texas Department of Criminal Justice units: Alfred D. Hughes, Christina Melton Crain, Dr. Lane Murray and Mountain View. The North Service Area Center serves those units and communities in North Coryell County, Hamilton County, Lampasas County, Mills County and San Saba County, tying the prison-education effort to a wider local service area.

The grant lands after CTC graduated four incarcerated students with Associate of Arts degrees at the Patrick O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville in May 2026. That ceremony involved CTC, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Windham School District and Texas Woman’s University, showing how the college’s prison education network is already operating across multiple institutions.

Trellis Foundation says it supports equitable educational opportunities in Texas by backing postsecondary programs, practices and systems that reduce disparities and promote student success. The foundation also said it convened Texas stakeholders with the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison in June 2024 to plan for the future of economic mobility and opportunity for incarcerated people, placing the Gatesville grant inside a broader statewide strategy.

For Coryell County, the stakes go beyond campus numbers. If the new money helps more incarcerated students earn credentials, move into a computer science or paralegal track, and finish degrees before release, the payoff could show up later in local workplaces, family stability and fewer demands on public systems. In a county where Gatesville’s correctional facilities are already part of the economic landscape, the question is whether education behind bars can produce measurable gains outside the prison walls.