Pollen Initiative

Description

The Pollen Initiative is dedicated to cultivating media centers inside prisons and jails across the United States. Through hands-on journalism and audiovisual training, as well as leadership programs that facilitate personal growth and transferable skills, the projects led by incarcerated writers and media producers contribute to more balanced, grounded narratives both inside and outside.
We support existing prison newsrooms, like the historic San Quentin News, and well as emerging newsrooms and media projects across the country.By equipping and empowering system-impacted individuals to be storytellers and the prism into their own narratives, Pollen Initiative’s aim is to turn the stigma of incarceration into a catalyst for growth, community impact and transformation. By eliminating the stigma, we in turn create more inclusive and safer communities where everyone can prosper and grow.