OUR STORY
FoSQN was founded in 2016 to support the charitable fundraising and outside operations of San Quentin News. Today, FoSQN is fulfilling a new mission to replicate the transformative power of incarcerated-run media in new communities across the country.
In 2013, the SQNews incarcerated staff had a bold vision: to provide free access to their journalistic-caliber newspaper, focused on hope and rehabilitation, to the over 100,000 incarcerated individuals in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The SQNews staff secured help from the Center for Social Sector Leadership at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business to develop a 10-year strategic and operational roadmap to make their vision a reality. Fortunately, with the support of a large capacity-building grant from the Reva & David Logan Foundation, the SQNews team was able to accelerate the “Haas Plan”, and by 2018 SQNews was being received into all 35 CDCR state prisons.
FoSQN was founded as a fiscally-sponsored nonprofit in 2016 by SQNews advisor Jon Spurlock to make SQNews expansions possible and sustainable via charitable fundraising, development and outside operations.
FoSQN also took on a growing role in business and strategic advisement to the SQNews in supporting additional expansions into non-English language content and new mediums like video production and the introduction of Wall City Magazine.
In 2020, the COVID pandemic and San Quentin prison lockdown forced most SQNews production activities to move outside of the prison. FoSQN sprung into action, with funding from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, and started a Journalism Fellowship to support formerly incarcerated SQN alumni in their efforts to continue production of the newspaper while providing them with professional development.
The pandemic precipitated FoSQN’s adoption of an expanded mission beyond direct support for SQNews, to replicate the transformative power of SQNews in elevating and humanizing incarcerated voices.
Today, FoSQN is developing programs to bring the incarcerated-run media model to other states and prison institutions, and to serve formerly incarcerated individuals with professional development and career support.
The SQNews staff secured help from the Center for Social Sector Leadership at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business to develop a 10-year strategic and operational roadmap to make their vision a reality. Fortunately, with the support of a large capacity-building grant from the Reva & David Logan Foundation, the SQNews team was able to accelerate the “Haas Plan”, and by 2018 SQNews was being received into all 35 CDCR state prisons.
FoSQN was founded as a fiscally-sponsored nonprofit in 2016 by SQNews advisor Jon Spurlock to make SQNews expansions possible and sustainable via charitable fundraising, development and outside operations.
FoSQN also took on a growing role in business and strategic advisement to the SQNews in supporting additional expansions into non-English language content and new mediums like video production and the introduction of Wall City Magazine.
In 2020, the COVID pandemic and San Quentin prison lockdown forced most SQNews production activities to move outside of the prison. FoSQN sprung into action, with funding from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, and started a Journalism Fellowship to support formerly incarcerated SQN alumni in their efforts to continue production of the newspaper while providing them with professional development.
The pandemic precipitated FoSQN’s adoption of an expanded mission beyond direct support for SQNews, to replicate the transformative power of SQNews in elevating and humanizing incarcerated voices.
Today, FoSQN is developing programs to bring the incarcerated-run media model to other states and prison institutions, and to serve formerly incarcerated individuals with professional development and career support.
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Our Values
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Our Impact
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Our Team
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Where Our Funding Primarily Comes From (recent 2 yrs):
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Why Fiscal Sponsorship?
Friends of San Quentin News is fiscally sponsored by Social Good Fund (SGF). This means that SGF provides the back office services that FoSQN uses for accounting, tax, financial controls and audits, HR and payroll, legal, and other organizational needs. FoSQN is part of the same legal entity as SGF and is overseen by SGF's Board of Directors. As a small, lean organization, fiscal sponsorship allows us to minimize overhead and maximize the impact of donor support while ensuring we have all the checks and balances of a large organization, so you can trust your donations are being well-spent. About Social Good Fund:
Social Good Fund works to create and establish positive influences for individuals, communities, and the environment. Their goal is to sponsor and develop projects that will help positively impact and develop local communities into healthier and happier places to live, work, and be. SGF supports over 400 charitable projects that, in turn, serve many thousands of people throughout the United States and the world. Social Good Fund was founded on the idea that positive social change is not only possible, it’s an absolutely necessary and critical component of a healthy community. Guidestar Profile SGF Contact and Tax ID Information [email protected] www.socialgoodfund.org 510.621.7223 (EIN) TAX ID: 46-1323531 |