Ministry of Justice

Reading for Redemption: Comparative Research of the Brazilian Reading for Remission Model

A single £15,000 grant for a UK university, recognised research organisation or academic partnership to research Brazil's Reading for Remission model and how it could inform Reading for Redemption, HMPPS's reading-based prison education intervention, in England and Wales. The work ends in an evidence-based policy paper for HMPPS, with activity starting in autumn 2026 and a final report due by April 2028. It will not consider sentence reduction. Paid in advance from the MoJ Spend to Save Innovation Fund.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £5,000 – £15,000
Deadline: 35 days left; 22 November
Effort: Moderate; full application with documents

Who can apply

UK Higher Education Institutions, recognised research organisations, and academic partnerships led by an eligible institution
Applicants must demonstrate experience of delivering comparable educational, rehabilitation or research programmes; appropriate governance and safeguarding arrangements; capacity to deliver high-quality research, evidence synthesis and policy analysis; and ability to deliver monitoring and evaluation requirements
Any organisation must show it meets HMPPS due diligence requirements before an award is made

What it funds

Aim: a comparative research project examining the Brazilian Reading for Remission model and exploring whether elements could inform future Reading for Redemption policy development in England and Wales:

Scoping exercise of international and domestic evidence relating to reading-based interventions, prison education and rehabilitation approaches
Comparative review of the Brazilian Reading for Remission model, prison education approaches in England and Wales, and other relevant international education and rehabilitation programmes
Stakeholder engagement and expert consultation
Comparative assessment against Reading for Redemption, including emerging learning from Reading for Redemption activity across Durham and up to three additional pilot sites
Analysis of applicability within HMPPS
Identifying effective education strategies for engaging people in prison who are less likely to engage with existing provision
Recommendations for future implementation, and an evidence-based policy paper setting out findings and recommendations for HMPPS

the research will not consider sentence reduction; it focuses on progression frameworks, rehabilitation pathways and future policy development

gathering data from HMPPS requires National Research Committee (NRC) approval

one grant award of £15,000, paid in advance after due diligence and a signed Grant Funding Agreement; delivery from autumn 2026 through January 2028, end of year report by April 2028

What it will not fund

Core services which HMPPS should be delivering
Costs of preparing and submitting the application (ineligible expenditure)

How to apply

Complete all questions in the Apply for a Grant application form via the Find a Grant listing, keeping within each word count (text beyond the limit is not evaluated; no diagrams, tables or images)
Send any clarification questions to prison_education@Justice.gov.uk; answers are added to the advert
Submit by 11:59pm on 22 November 2026

applications must average at least 3 out of 5 across the technical questions; the grant goes to the compliant, eligible applicant with the highest technical score

due diligence and fraud risk checks are done before award

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