Pressroom
Videos
- “American Dreams,” Pecka Kucha – Seattle Art Museum, January 18, 2019
- “Prison Scholar Fund and Unlocked Futures,” November 20, 2018
- “Dirk Van Velzen, Unlocked Futures,” LetsFreeAmerica, July 30, 2017
- “John Legend Speaks With the Entrepreneurs of Unlocked Futures,” LetsFreeAmerica, December 5, 2017
- “SVP Fast Pitch: Winning pitch in startup nonprofit category,” Social Venture Partners, October 27, 2015
- “SVP Fast Pitch: Dirk answers questions about his experience and being last year’s startup nonprofit winner,” Social Venture Partners, July 6, 2016
- “SVP Fast Pitch: Dirk discusses how SVP coaches and mentors helped him,” Social Venture Partners, July 6, 2016
- “SVP Fast Pitch: Dirk discusses hit feels to win SVP Fast Pitch,” Social Venture Partners, July 6, 2016
- “SVP Fast Pitch: Dirk discusses the impact of participating in SVP Fast Pitch on his life and organization,” Social Venture Partners, July 6, 2016
Podcasts
- “Prison Scholars Part 2: Robert Wood on his journey to desistance through education,” AEI, 32 minutes, March 31, 2022.
- “Prison Scholars Fund Part 1: Theresa Matheson on community education and work, in and out of prison,” AEI, 41 minutes, March 31, 2022.
- “Dirk Van Velzen on his transition from crime to founding a nonprofit,” AEI, 1 hour 23 minutes, March 25, 2022.
- “Dirk Van Velzen and Prison Scholars,” BeastNet, 48 minutes, October 22, 2018.
- “The Founder of the Prison Scholar Fund Thrives in the Face of Adversity,” Classy Podcast, 30 minutes, September 9, 2016.
Blog Posts
- “From Transgressor to Trailblazer: A Story of Redemption and Heroism,” David Myers, October 27, 2016.
- “From Transgressor to Trailblazer: A Story of Redemption and Heroism,” Talk Psych Blog, David Myers, October 27, 2016.
Digital Media
- “Coding Boot Camp for the Formerly Incarcerated from Coding Dojo and PSF“, Forbes, September 27, 2021
- “Coding Dojo Partners with The Prison Scholar Fund to Train Formerly Incarcerated Individuals“, Benzinga, August 3, 2021
- “Coding Dojo Partners with The Prison Scholar Fund to Train Formerly Incarcerated Individuals“, Markets Insider, August 3, 2021
- “Leading with Conviction,” JustLeadershipUSA, 2019
- “Why John Legend Is Backing Startups Launched By These Former Inmates,” Fast Company, December, 5, 2017
- “New Profit, John Legend’s Free America, and Bank of America Announce First ‘Unlocked Futures’ Entrepreneurs,” New Profit Amplify Blog, December 5, 2017
- Honoring the Best of Social Media, Shorty Awards for Social Good, 2017
- Prison was an unlikely incubator for Seattle ex-con’s education startup, Puget Sound Business Journal, November 7, 2016
- Privately-funded College Degrees Help Offenders Stay out of Prison, Washington State Department of Corrections, December 18, 2015
- 2015 SVP Fast Pitch Winners, SVP Seattle, October 28, 2015
- Prison Scholar Fund Awards: Two incarcerated students received funds to help with their tuition from the Prison Scholar Fund, PRWeb, May 5, 2006
Periodicals
- Antoinette Alexander, “Coding Dojo, PSF Partner to Provide Formerly Incarcerated Individuals Free Tech Training“, 425Business, March 10, 2023
- Naomi Ishisaka, “Prison Scholar Fund fills the prison-to-employment pipeline with a new tech program“, The Seattle Times, January 24, 2022
- Cherranda Smith, “Formerly Incarcerated People Are Getting A Chance At Change Through Coding“, BIN: Black Information Network, December 10, 2021
- Coding Dojo, “Coding Dojo Partners with The Prison Scholar Fund to Train Formerly Incarcerated Individuals“, PR Newswire, August 10, 2021
- Laura Jaye Cramer, “Coding Dojo, the Prison Scholar Fund Offer Training for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals“, 425Business, August 3, 2021
- Dirk Van Velzen, “Congress must unlock higher education for people with criminal convictions“, Washington State Wire, October 25, 2019
- Patti Payne, “Once ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ this man started a Seattle nonprofit to help prisoners through college,” Puget Sound Business Journal, March 8, 2018
- Dirk Van Velzen, “Opening Prison Doors,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring, 2017
- Ashley Stewart, “Prison was an unlikely incubator for Seattle ex-con’s education startup,” Puget Sound Business Journal, November 7, 2016
- “Prisoner from Bothell earns his degree,” The Herald, August 18, 2010
- Carley Stavis, “Correctional Education,” City on a Hill Press, December 4, 2008
- Joshua Holland, “Orting man runs scholarship fund for prison inmates,” The Gazette, September 11, 2007. (Offline)
- “Everyday People, Dirk Van Velzen,” The Penn Stater, September/October 2006
- Kristi O’Harran, “Father, jailed son team up to help inmates get degrees,” The Herald, September 20, 2005
- Kayur Patel, “Inmate sells work to pay for college,” The Daily Collegian, September 15, 2004
Other Shout Outs
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- Eve-Marie Andres, Let Scholarships Pay the Way, p. 119, 2014
- Hill Harper, Letters to an Incarcerated Brother, pp. 203-232, 2013
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