Partakers

What Partakers does

Partakers, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1997 and headquartered at 230 Central Street, Auburndale, Massachusetts, that supports incarcerated and returning citizens through a portfolio of mentor-centered programs. Its flagship offering, the College Behind Bars Mentoring Program, deploys small teams of long-term volunteer mentors into Massachusetts prisons to support students pursuing degrees through partner institutions including Boston University Prison Education Program, Tufts Prison Initiative, Emerson Prison Initiative, and Boston College. The Partakers Empowerment Program (PEP), launched in 2020 in collaboration with Brandeis University's Educational Justice Initiative, delivers a 14-week virtual reentry workshop series covering employment, housing, education, civic engagement, financial literacy, and health, paired with volunteer mentors. The Partakers Reading Circle, launched in 2024, adapts the mentor-team model to a postal and email book-club format for incarcerated readers.

The organization operates with approximately eight paid staff and over 400 volunteer mentors drawn from more than 40 community, faith-based, corporate, and university partners. Programs are delivered through in-person prison visits, Zoom-based workshops, and postal correspondence; the Squarespace-hosted website handles mentor interest forms, Reading Circle sign-ups, and donations processed via Stripe, PayPal, and Donor-Advised Funds. The technology footprint is intentionally minimal: Partakers describes itself as a service non-profit rather than a technology company, with no proprietary software platform, mobile app, or API.

Partakers reports a 2% recidivism rate among College Behind Bars graduates versus a 79% six-year national average, and 95% employment/housing outcomes among more than 90 PEP graduates. Revenue is generated entirely through charitable contributions: individual donations across $50/$100/$250 suggested tiers, foundation grants (notably a 2025 multi-year Cummings Foundation grant), and corporate and civic sponsorships (including Boston Red Sox, Eastern Bank, the Bob Barker Foundation, and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office). The customer base is split between program participants (incarcerated and returning citizens), volunteer mentors, institutional educational partners, and donors, with all programs offered at no cost to participants.

Name

Partakers

Legal name

Partakers, Inc.

Website

https://partakers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Partakers is a Massachusetts 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1997 that supports incarcerated and returning citizens through college mentoring inside prisons, a 14-week virtual reentry program co-delivered with Brandeis, and a postal book-club, all powered by 400+ volunteer mentors and university partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prison Education and Reentry Mentoring Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• Prison education mentoring
• Reentry support programs
• Incarcerated student mentoring
• Corrections education nonprofit
• Volunteer mentor network

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburndale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Accepts one-time, weekly, and monthly recurring donations online via Stripe and PayPal, with suggested tiers of $50, $100, and $250. Also accepts checks/money orders by mail and contributions through Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs).
2. Foundation Grants: Receives grants from philanthropic foundations including a multi-year grant from the Cummings Foundation (2025 grant cycle and earlier). Grants fund program expansion, data collection, evaluation, and strategic planning.
3. Corporate & Civic Sponsorships: Supported by corporate, civic, and faith-based sponsor partners including Boston Red Sox, Lenny Zakim Fund, Bob Barker Foundation, and others listed as Supporting Partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Partakers, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, mentor-centered programming to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in Massachusetts through three core offerings: the College Behind Bars Mentoring Program (in-person volunteer mentor teams supporting incarcerated college students at partner universities), the Partakers Empowerment Program (PEP, a 14-week virtual reentry workshop series co-facilitated with Brandeis University), and The Partakers Reading Circle (a postal/email book club pairing community readers with incarcerated Inside Readers). The programs are delivered at no cost to participants and funded through individual donations, foundation grants, and corporate/civic sponsorships.

Product overview

Partakers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering a portfolio of mentor-centered educational and reentry programs rather than a single unified software product. Its flagship offering is the College Behind Bars Mentoring Program (in operation since 1997), which coordinates volunteer mentor teams for incarcerated students pursuing college degrees with partner universities. Its reentry companion program, the Partakers Empowerment Program (PEP), operates in collaboration with the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative to deliver a 14-week virtual workshop series plus mentor support for returning citizens. The Partakers Reading Circle is a newer (2024) book-club module built on the same mentor-team model, and the overarching Partakers Volunteer Mentor Program recruits and supports the 400+ volunteer mentors who power all of the above. Together, the College Behind Bars Mentoring Program, PEP, the Reading Circle, and the Volunteer Mentor Program form an integrated set of in-prison, reentry, and community-engagement offerings united by Partakers' relational mentoring model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• College Behind Bars Mentoring Program: Partakers' flagship mentoring program supporting incarcerated students pursuing higher education through partner colleges/universities in Massachusetts.
• Partakers Empowerment Program (PEP)
• The Partakers Reading Circle

Products and services

• College Behind Bars Mentoring Program Foundational mentoring program pairing teams of volunteer mentors with incarcerated students pursuing college degrees through partner institutions (Boston University Prison Education Program, Tufts Prison Initiative, Emerson Prison Initiative, Boston College Prison Program). Reports a 2% recidivism rate among graduates vs. 79% national six-year average. Delivered through in-person prison visits across Massachusetts. Free to participants.
• Partakers Empowerment Program (PEP) Reentry program delivering a 14-week virtual workshop series (Zoom, Wednesday 6:00-7:30pm) co-facilitated with Brandeis University graduate and undergraduate students, covering employment, housing, education, civic re-engagement, health, financial literacy, professionalism, and technology access. Participants are paired with Partakers Community Mentors, receive laptops and a support stipend upon completion. Served over 130 participants with 95% employment/housing outcomes. Free to participants.
• The Partakers Reading Circle Book-club program launched in 2024 pairing teams of up to 3 outside volunteer readers with one incarcerated Inside Reader via postal mail or email correspondence. Books are supplied by Partakers through the Prison Book Program. Teams meet in-person or virtually. Free to participate.
• Partakers Volunteer Mentor Program Cross-program volunteer engagement framework that recruits, trains, and supports the 400+ volunteer mentors powering the College Behind Bars, PEP, and Reading Circle programs. Coordinates Virtual Mentor Info Sessions via Zoom and onboarding through the Mentor Interest Form.

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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

36 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Boston College Prison Education ProgramflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Longtime educational partner. In 2026, Partakers in partnership with Boston College will return inside Framingham State Prison with mentoring teams for women pursuing higher education. Boston College graduation ceremonies at MCI Shirley are attended by Partakers leadership.
• Fountain FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025New partner announced in Spring 2025 to expand economic opportunities for returning citizens.
• Brandeis University Educational Justice Initiative (BEJI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-delivers the Partakers Empowerment Program (PEP) reentry curriculum since 2020/2021. Brandeis graduate and undergraduate students serve alongside Partakers mentors to facilitate the 14-week workshop series. PEP is a flagship program of Partakers.
• Boston University Prison Education Program (BUPEP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partakers has maintained an official relationship with BUPEP since 2000, anchoring its work with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. Partakers coordinates volunteer mentor teams that support incarcerated students pursuing degrees through BUPEP. Robert Cadigan (Board Chair) serves as BUPEP liaison.
• Tufts University Prison Initiative (Tisch College of Civic Life)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Tufts University created in-prison degree-granting programs in 2017 and became community partners with Partakers. Partakers coordinates mentor teams supporting Tufts in-prison students, including the Tufts My TERN program.
• Boston Mayor's Office of Returning CitizenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partakers became a community partner of the Boston Mayor's Office of Returning Citizens in 2017. The Mayor's Office has issued a Letter of Support for Partakers.
• Emerson College Prison InitiativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Emerson College established the Emerson Prison Initiative in 2016 and became a partner with Partakers. Partakers provides mentor teams supporting Emerson's in-prison students.
• MIT Educational Justice InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner supporting Partakers' work with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated citizens.
• Harvard Divinity SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner supporting Partakers' work.
• Community Resources for JusticeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner supporting Partakers' work with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated citizens.
• Project Place BostonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner providing critical education and support services alongside Partakers.
• The Petey Greene ProgramminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner supporting incarcerated and formerly incarcerated citizens.
• Justice 4 HousingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner supporting Partakers' work.
• Boston BullPen ProjectminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner supporting Partakers' work.
• New BeginningsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner supporting Partakers' work.
• Trinity Church BostoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Community and Educational Partner; faith-based organization that supports Partakers' mentoring work.
• Temple Israel BostoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Temple Beth ElohimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Congregation Dorshei TzedekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Old South Church BostonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Temple Beth Zion BrooklineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Cambridge Congregational First ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Twelfth Baptist BostonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Myrtle BaptistminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Old Cambridge BaptistminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• First Parish WaylandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• First Parish WestonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• First Congregational BrimfieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• First Parish SherbornminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• First Parish Jamaica PlainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• St. James EpiscopalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• St. Stephen's Episcopal Church CohassetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Hills Church Congregational (Wellesley)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Great Road ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• First Unitarian Society of Newton (FUSN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based Community and Educational Partner of Partakers.
• Prison Book ProgramcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupplies and mails books to Inside Readers for the Partakers Reading Circle program; supports the postal correspondence infrastructure for incarcerated participants.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prison University Project: Operates the Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin, offering accredited degree programs to incarcerated students with strong volunteer and mentor engagement. Directly comparable to Partakers' College Behind Bars mission and in-prison degree-support model.
• Defy Ventures: National nonprofit that uses entrepreneurship education, mentoring by business executives, and career development to support currently and formerly incarcerated people. Comparable to Partakers' mentor-centered model and reentry employment outcomes, with a different (business-focused) curriculum.
• Community Resources for Justice: Massachusetts-based nonprofit supporting individuals involved in the criminal justice system through reentry, housing, and education services. Listed as a Partakers community partner and operates in the same Massachusetts corrections ecosystem with overlapping client populations.
• Roca: Massachusetts-based nonprofit providing reentry, education, and workforce programming for returning citizens, with high-touch relational engagement. Comparable to Partakers' PEP reentry mission and Massachusetts geographic focus.
• Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison: Provides college education, degree programs, and reentry support to incarcerated individuals in New York State prisons, with a strong volunteer and mentor component. Closely comparable to Partakers in delivering higher-education-in-prison programming with a relational mentoring model.
• The Petey Greene Program: National nonprofit that coordinates volunteer tutors to provide free, individualized academic support to people in prison and reentry. Directly comparable to Partakers' College Behind Bars Mentoring model in mission, volunteer-led structure, and in-prison delivery, and is listed as a community partner of Partakers.
• Project Place Boston: Boston nonprofit providing education, job training, housing, and support services for adults experiencing homelessness and returning citizens. Listed as a Partakers partner and directly comparable in Boston reentry and education programming for justice-involved adults.

Broad incumbents

• The Fortune Society: New York-based nonprofit providing housing, education, employment, and advocacy for people with prior involvement in the justice system. Comparable to Partakers in reentry and education mission, but offers a much broader service portfolio and operates at a larger scale.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit offering immediate employment, retention, and reentry services to people returning from incarceration. Comparable to Partakers' PEP reentry focus on employment outcomes, but operates at much larger national scale with a paid-staff (not volunteer-mentor) model.

Regional players

• College Bound Dorchester (Breakthrough Greater Boston): Greater Boston nonprofit providing college access and success programming for underrepresented youth, including those impacted by the justice system. Comparable to Partakers in Massachusetts footprint and higher-education access mission, but serves a younger pre-college population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partakers-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/tags/mentorsmatter
• Facebookfacebook.com/Partakers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Partakers