LOS ANGELES — Defy Ventures, a national nonprofit working to cut recidivism in half by leveraging entrepreneurship to increase economic opportunity and transform lives for currently and formerly incarcerated people, has received a $1 million unrestricted grant from SmartRecruiters, an SAP company. This commitment not only recognizes Defy’s successful model that leads to meaningful employment, economic independence and positive contributions to society for people with criminal histories – it supports long-term sustainability and program expansion nationally.
“Defy helps individuals with criminal histories achieve economic mobility through workforce development and entrepreneurship programs,” said Defy Ventures President and CEO Andrew Glazier. “We are very grateful to SmartRecruiters for this catalytic gift that jump-starts our efforts to double the number of justice-impacted people we serve annually by 2030 and reach more communities across the country.”
“I first learned about Defy Ventures’ work while participating in one of its in-prison volunteer business coaching days,” said Rebecca Carr, CEO of SmartRecruiters. “It was an incredible experience that impacted me both personally and professionally. This year SmartRecruiters funded 20 nonprofits championing workforce readiness, job access, and economic mobility as a result of the company’s 1% pledge. I am thrilled our employees chose to recognize Defy’s life-changing work through this gift.”
Defy’s programs include a six- to nine-month in-custody training program entitled CEO of Your New Life (CEO YNL), a career and reentry program for individuals once they are released from prison, and an entrepreneurship program for formerly incarcerated people who want to launch businesses. A key component of each program is the integration of business community volunteers who help participants – known as Entrepreneurs in Training (EITs) – build healthy thinking patterns and prosocial behavior, challenge self-limiting beliefs, and pursue meaningful work trajectories.
ABOUT DEFY VENTURES
Defy Ventures is a national nonprofit whose mission is to shift mindsets to give people with criminal histories their best shot at a second chance through entrepreneurship, workforce readiness, and personal development training programs delivered both in prison and in the community. Defy’s vision is to cut recidivism rates in half by leveraging entrepreneurship to increase economic opportunity and transform lives. Defy program graduates have a three-year recidivism rate of less than 15% compared to the national average of 39%, and 85% secure employment within six months of release. Learn more at defyventures.org.
