The Harvey Foundation for Justice & Opportunity
Justice should not determine opportunity.
Whether someone has survived crime, experienced the criminal justice system themselves, or watched its effects ripple through their family, education can create a path forward. The Harvey Foundation for Justice & Opportunity exists to help make that path possible.
Our Premise
Opening doors beyond the justice system
The consequences of justice-system involvement can extend far beyond a courtroom, conviction or sentence — and they touch survivors and victims of crime just as directly. Lost income, instability, stigma, disrupted education and diminished opportunities can affect individuals and their families long after formal proceedings have ended.
The Foundation exists to help ensure those consequences do not permanently determine someone's educational or economic future. Through scholarships, grants and partnerships, we invest in education as a pathway toward stability, dignity and renewed opportunity.
Read our storyThe Education Gap
Why Educational Opportunity Matters
Experiences of violence, child welfare involvement, financial instability, and the criminal justice system can create significant barriers to educational opportunity. Research highlights why accessible pathways to postsecondary education and meaningful support are essential.
Child Welfare
Approximately Half the Rate
Young people from government care participate in postsecondary education at approximately half the rate of their peers.
Children's Aid Foundation of Canada, 2024/25
View ResearchSurvivors of Violence
66%
In a U.S. survey, 66% of intimate partner violence survivors reported that abuse disrupted their educational goals.
Institute for Women's Policy Research, 2018
View ResearchJustice System Involvement
3–4%
Approximately 3–4% of Indigenous adults released from provincial custody in a specific 2016/17 Canadian study cohort had education beyond high school.
Statistics Canada, 2026
View ResearchFinancial Barriers
43.2%
Among Canadian 19-year-olds in the lowest parental-income group, 43.2% were enrolled in postsecondary education in 2022, compared with 75.2% in the highest-income group.
Statistics Canada, 2025
View ResearchEach figure reflects its own study population, geography and time period, and none describes all survivors, all youth from care, or all justice-involved individuals. Full context is available at the linked research sources.
Education should create pathways forward, not reinforce the barriers people have already experienced.
Explore Our ProgramsWho We Support
Different experiences. A shared need for opportunity.
The Harvey Foundation supports people whose educational opportunities have been materially affected by crime or the criminal justice system. We recognize two pathways into our work, and we treat both with equal dignity and respect.
Survivors of Crime
Individuals whose education, financial stability or opportunities have been disrupted by victimization.
Justice-Impacted Individuals & Families
Individuals who have experienced involvement with the criminal justice system, as well as eligible family members whose educational opportunities have been materially affected.
Different experiences. A shared need for opportunity.
Our programs are designed so that no group is portrayed as more deserving than another. Eligibility is based on how a person's education has been affected — not on the specific circumstances that caused it.
Explore our programsOur Mandate
Three institutional pillars
Education
Reducing financial and practical barriers to education and training.
Opportunity
Supporting pathways toward education, skills development and greater economic stability.
Justice
Recognizing that the consequences of justice-system involvement can extend to families and future opportunities.
Our Programs
Investment in education and opportunity
Harvey Education Scholarship
Supporting individuals whose education has been disrupted by involvement with the justice system.
Harvey Education Grant
Reducing practical and financial barriers to completing education and training programs.
Technology & Learning Grant
Providing access to devices, connectivity and learning tools essential to modern education.
Family Opportunity Scholarship
Recognizing that the ripple effects of justice-system involvement extend to families.
The Resilience and Opportunity Scholarship
A future-focused, dignity-first scholarship for those whose education has been disrupted by crime.
Considering applying for support?
Use our eligibility checker to find out which program may be right for you, then create a secure applicant account when applications open.
Check EligibilityPartner with us in this work
Individuals, corporations, universities and community organizations can help expand educational opportunity for those affected by the justice system.
Partner With UsOur Partners
Working alongside trusted organizations
The Foundation's impact is strengthened through partnerships with community, educational and corporate organizations that share our commitment to educational opportunity. Partner details will be featured here as these relationships are confirmed.
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