Prison Fellowship International

What Prison Fellowship International does

Prison Fellowship International (PFI) is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 by Chuck Colson that operates as a global coordination hub for the world's largest network of multi-denominational, indigenous Christian prison ministries, serving prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims of crime across 120+ countries on six continents. The organization's core product portfolio consists of four interconnected programs: The Prisoner's Journey (an 8-week in-prison Gospel course adapted from Christianity Explored curriculum), Sycamore Tree Project: Justice and Peace (a victim-offender reconciliation program), The Listener's Way (solar-powered audio/video Bible translations in prisoners' heart languages delivered via partnership with Faith Comes By Hearing), and PromisePath (community-based support for children of prisoners covering education, mentoring, and spiritual development). Supporting products include Prison Project Philip (discipleship follow-on), The Child's Journey (children's sponsorship program), and Sparks (expansion giving). The technology stack is modest, centered on digital Scripture resources and solar-powered listening devices rather than software platforms or AI systems.

PFI generates revenue exclusively through charitable channels: individual one-time and recurring donations (with tiered sponsorship options from $15 to $165), payroll giving, stock and non-cash asset transfers, planned gifts through the Colson International Legacy Society, and partnership grants from collaborating organizations. Programs are delivered not by PFI directly but through 120+ independent National Ministries that are autonomously led by indigenous leaders, supported by 50,000+ volunteers and accessing 4,100+ prisons worldwide. PFI's central US staff of 11-50 employees coordinates strategy, curriculum, partnerships, fundraising, and research validation, supplemented by regional offices in Canada, Singapore, and Germany. Academic validation comes from quasi-experimental studies with Baylor and Pepperdine Universities demonstrating measurable reductions in aggression and increases in pro-social behavior among program participants.

Name

Prison Fellowship International

Legal name

Prison Fellowship International

Website

https://pfi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Prison Fellowship International coordinates a global network of 120+ independent Christian prison ministries across six continents, delivering in-prison Gospel courses, victim-offender reconciliation, Scripture access, and children-of-prisoners support to over 1 million beneficiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prison ministry and criminal justice rehabilitation services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Religious Organizations (8131), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE), Victim Services & Witness Assistance (Justice System) (BPAIAFAJ), Corrections & Reentry Adult Literacy (Justice-Involved Learners) (EDAAAAAL), Correctional Education Programs (Community College-Delivered) (EDAHADAN), Juvenile Justice Education Programs (Detention & Correctional Education) (EDAJAEAB), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Prison ministry programs
• In-prison rehabilitation
• Restorative justice services
• Criminal justice advocacy
• Faith-based nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters worldwide. Donors can give monthly, designate gifts to specific programs (The Prisoner's Journey, PromisePath, The Listener's Way), or support general operations.
2. Legacy Giving and Bequests: Colson International Legacy Society accepts planned gifts including wills, bequests, living trusts, retirement asset designations, and beneficiary designations.
3. Payroll Giving: Recurring automatic donations deducted from paychecks, with potential tax benefits for donors in applicable programs.
4. Stock and Non-Cash Gifts: Donors can transfer appreciated securities or non-cash assets like real estate, providing tax benefits while supporting the mission.
5. Partnership Grants: Strategic partnerships with organizations like Bible League International, Faith Comes By Hearing, and others provide programmatic and financial support for specific programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Prison Fellowship International delivers Christian-based in-prison transformation programs (The Prisoner's Journey, Sycamore Tree Project, The Listener's Way), community support for children of prisoners (PromisePath, The Child's Journey), and victim-offender reconciliation services through 120+ independent National Ministries in 125+ countries. The work is funded primarily by individual donations, planned giving, and strategic partnerships with Bible League International, Faith Comes By Hearing, Christianity Explored Ministries, American Bible Society, Baylor University, and Pepperdine University.

Product overview

Prison Fellowship International operates as a global network ministry offering four interconnected core programs focused on prisoner transformation, restorative justice, and family support. The Prisoner's Journey is the flagship in-prison evangelism program—an 8-week Gospel course running in over 500 prisons globally. Sycamore Tree Project: Justice and Peace is a victim-offender reconciliation program promoting accountability and peace in 78 prisons. The Listener's Way leverages audio/video Bible technology from Faith Comes By Hearing to reach prisoners with Scripture in their heart languages. PromisePath provides community-based support for children of prisoners through education, mentoring, and spiritual development. Additional offerings include Prison Project Philip (discipleship follow-on), The Child's Journey (children's sponsorship), and Sparks (expansion giving). The programs work as an integrated ecosystem—prisoners can progress from The Prisoner's Journey into deeper discipleship with Prison Project Philip, victims and offenders engage together through Sycamore Tree Project, and family members receive support through PromisePath and The Child's Journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Prisoner's Journey: An 8-week in-prison course where prisoners come face to face with Jesus, introducing them to a restorative relationship with Christ.
• Sycamore Tree Project
• The Listener's Way
• PromisePath

Products and services

• The Prisoner's Journey An 8-week in-prison course where small groups of 10-12 prisoners explore the Gospel and develop a restorative relationship with Jesus, learning about who He is, what He calls them to do, and what He wants for their lives. Graduates receive a Bible, completion certificate, and invitations to enroll in deeper discipleship programs such as Prison Project Philip.
• Sycamore Tree Project: Justice and Peace A victim-offender reconciliation program that brings victims and unrelated offenders together in small group dialogue to discuss accountability, raise awareness of how crime creates harm, reflect on ripple effects, and promote restoration and rehabilitation. Active in approximately 78 prisons globally.
• The Listener's Way An in-prison audio/video Scripture program that delivers solar-powered Bible translations in prisoners' heart languages, removing literacy and technology barriers. Small groups gather weekly to listen to audio recordings and gospel films and engage in discussion, with more than 1,700 languages available.
• PromisePath A community-based program supporting children of prisoners and their caregivers with education assistance (school fees, supplies, uniforms), social connections via local church mentors and peers, and spiritual development through church involvement and Scripture resources.
• Prison Project Philip An in-prison discipleship follow-on program for graduates of The Prisoner's Journey, adapted from Bible League International, providing deeper Bible study and theological training using Bibles distributed at graduation ceremonies.
• The Child's Journey A first-of-its-kind intervention and sponsorship program for children of prisoners that provides regular gatherings, Bible-based activities, sponsor connections, and spiritual development support for children with incarcerated parents.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76.21% of Prisoner's Journey graduates continue to further discipleship programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Faith Comes By HearingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Faith Comes By Hearing provides the technical devices necessary to implement The Listener's Way, including group session listening devices and personal devices for participants upon release. Expanded offerings to PromisePath beneficiaries. Partnership aims to reach 700,000 prisoners in 70 countries over five years with audio and video Bibles.
• Bible League InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBible League International contributes Bibles in seven languages for distribution at The Prisoner's Journey graduation ceremonies. They also adapted Prison Project Philip, a discipleship course using graduates' Bibles. Partnership celebrating a decade of joint evangelism programs with nearly 800,000 lives transformed across 35 countries.
• Christianity Explored MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides the curriculum for The Prisoner's Journey and conducts all initial volunteer training for program partners worldwide. Partnership celebrating 10 years with nearly 800,000 lives transformed.
• American Bible SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLiaises with and provides financial grants to country's local Bible society to provide printed Bibles when PFI does not have a source for them in a certain language.
• Eastern European MissionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides Bibles in Albanian, Hungarian, Russian, Romanian, and Ukrainian to beneficiaries of The Prisoner's Journey and PromisePath. Partnership distributing more than 100,000 Bibles and Scripture resources.
• Grace and Mercy FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupports the poor and oppressed by encouraging Public Reading of Scripture and Just Show Up programs, where participants listen to Scripture or books and read along.
• Pepperdine UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing a first-of-its-kind, multi-year study in Colombia's prison system to measure efficacy of international prison programming in offender rehabilitation, recidivism reduction, and correctional reform. Partnership with PFI, Prison Fellowship Colombia, Colombian National Penitentiary Institute, and Colombian Senate.
• Baylor UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Dr. Byron Johnson and Dr. Sung Joon Jang, conducted quasi-experimental study of The Prisoner's Journey in Colombian and South African prisons. Study determined TPJ increases religious involvement, identity transformation, virtue development, and reduces aggression. Published multiple peer-reviewed papers.
• Hopebearer FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommitted to giving people around the world hope and a future; focuses on children of prisoners, refugees, and restorative justice.
• TrustBridge Global FoundationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational giving partner enabling recognition and receipt of gifts given from outside the United States.
• BiblicaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with PFI in 2020 to provide scripture resources for the Children of Prisoners Program.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Prison Reform Trust: UK-based independent charity working to create a just, humane, and effective penal system through research and advocacy. Comparable to PFI's advocacy and reform work as a peer in prison-system reform, though focused on policy rather than direct program delivery.
• Centre for Justice Innovation: UK-based nonprofit advancing restorative justice and criminal-justice reform with measurable program outcomes. Comparable to PFI's Sycamore Tree Project as a peer in the victim-offender reconciliation and restorative-justice methodology space, though secular in framing.

Broad incumbents

• Samaritan's Purse: Evangelical relief and development organization operating globally, including prison ministry components (Operation Christmas Child, disaster response). Comparable in evangelical donor base, global operations, and faith-based delivery model.
• Catholic Charities USA: Largest US faith-based social services network, with extensive prison reentry, family services, and refugee programs. Comparable as a faith-rooted, multi-state social services provider addressing many of the same justice-involved and family-support populations as PFI.
• World Vision International: One of the largest Christian humanitarian organizations, operating in ~100 countries with child sponsorship, disaster relief, and community development. Comparable as a multi-national faith-based NGO with similar donor-driven revenue model and global program footprint, though broader in scope.
• Compassion International: Large evangelical child-sponsorship organization operating in 25+ countries with measurable child-development outcomes. Comparable to PFI in donor model, faith-based framing, evidence-based impact reporting, and children-of-prisoners adjacent programming.

Direct peers

• International Justice Mission: Global faith-based organization operating across 30+ countries to combat slavery, violence, and injustice. Comparable to PFI as a large, faith-rooted, professionally-run global justice nonprofit with country offices, donor base, and measurable intervention outcomes.
• American Bible Society: US-based nonprofit engaging 100M+ people with Scripture through translation, distribution, and ministry partnerships, including prison outreach. Comparable as an active PFI partner and a faith-based Scripture-distribution peer with overlapping prison ministry and global reach.
• Prison Fellowship (US): The US-based organization founded by Chuck Colson in 1976, now an independent 501(c)(3) and the largest US Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and families. It is the direct US counterpart to PFI, sharing founder, mission, and program IP lineage.
• Bible Society (United and Bible Society): Global network of Bible Societies translating, publishing, and distributing Scripture in hundreds of languages. Comparable to PFI's The Listener's Way as a content-distribution peer with multi-language Bible translation capability and prison/outreach programming overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pfiworldwide
• YouTubevimeo.com/user1984108
• Facebookfacebook.com/prisonfellowshipinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prison-fellowship-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/prison_fellowship_intl

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Prison Fellowship International