The Beyond the Barriers initiative strives to support and recognize formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students, faculty and staff and their important contributions to research initiatives and campus life. It promotes this endeavor with innovative research that centralizes and addresses the challenges that mass incarceration and the over-reliance on imprisonment have presented in California and the United States.

Beyond the Barriers offers research mini-grants to support research relevant to mass incarceration, the prison system, and other topics related to our research mission.

Grants of up to $1,000 are available to undergraduates, graduate students in any discipline including in the Schools of Law, Medicine, and Nursing; and faculty. 

Beyond the Barriers will be offering Summer Research Mini-Grants to support research on topics relevant to mass incarceration, the prison system, and related topics of interest. Grants are available to undergraduates, graduate students in any discipline including in the Schools of Law, Medicine, and Nursing; and faculty.

The UC Davis Beyond the Barriers Initiative strives to support and recognize formerly incarcerated and system impacted students, faculty and staff and their important contributions to campus life and research initiatives. It will support this endeavor with innovative research that centralizes and addresses the challenges that mass incarceration and the over-reliance on imprisonment has presented in the state of California and the US. 

As a formerly incarcerated or system-impacted student you may be experiencing many barriers including those that directly impact your financial and basic needs. Through funding provided by the Basic Needs Center, Beyond the Barriers may be able to offer some economic relief to help offset the cost of housing and/or food insecurity. Grants will be offered on a sliding scale but will not exceed $1000.

The new Beyond the Barriers Initiative at UC Davis has awarded three students the inaugural Beyond the Barriers Initiative Carceral Justice Research Awards.