ALERT: Uncuffed lost our funding.
Donate to help us make it through.
The Uncuffed Training Program
KALW provides training in storytelling and audio production to people in the carceral system. Through Uncuffed, participants develop job skills, express their humanity, and inspire change. Their stories air on KALW, in-prison TV and tablet systems, and on the award-winning podcast Uncuffed, which has been featured in The New York Times, Snap Judgment, and other outlets.
Since 2017, we have been funded by California’s Arts In Corrections (AIC) program, and have taught at San Quentin and Solano State Prison.
The Funding Gap
On August 11, AIC abruptly rescinded all of the contracts it had intended to award, due to errors in their decision-making process. That means that our current podcasting programs at Solano and San Quentin run out of money on August 31, when the current contract ends, and we have no funding to continue our ongoing podcasting programs. AIC will be releasing a new request for proposals, but this process will likely take months, and the state has not yet found a way to fund prison programs like ours during this gap.
The Ask
We are seeking $80,000 in bridge funding to sustain Uncuffed through the end of the year.
With that support, we will be able to release the remaining episodes of Uncuffed Season 2, re-apply to AIC, and pursue other long-term sources of funding. Without ongoing support, we could be forced to lay off staff and cancel our programs indefinitely.
Make a tax deductibe donation here, or write a check to KALW Public Media, Inc. at 500 Mansell St. San Francisco, CA 94134.
Thank you for helping us grow through this unexpected challenge.
