Equipping and empowering prison media centers nationwide.
Pollen Initiative is a nonprofit organization that provides journalism and multimedia training, resources, and distribution support to build a sustainable prison press.
About Us
We train incarcerated people to document their world and inform their communities.
The Pollen Initiative is dedicated to cultivating media centers inside prisons to shed light on the justice system. Through hands-on multimedia training and leadership programs that foster professional and transferable skills, our team contributes to more balanced narratives about incarceration.
Our Vision
To build a sustainable prison press nationwide that reveals the nuances of incarceration.
Since prison newspapers emerged in the mid-19th century, most operated with few resources and were rarely read beyond prison walls.
Pollen Initiative aims to change that by providing prison newsrooms nationwide with the training, resources, and distribution support they need to serve their communities and contribute to the public’s understanding of the criminal justice system.
We envision a world in which the prison press serves as an integral part of the fourth estate.
Programs
NOTE: Every publication we support is owned by its state’s respective Department of Corrections. As a sponsor, we provide the resources, training, and distribution support necessary for each publication to continue serving its community and the public.
Our Sponsors
Thank you for your support
Pollen Initiative is spreading the hope and opportunities that San Quentin media programs cultivate to other incarcerated communities, including the largest women’s prison in the world, the Central California Women’s Facility.