Funding and Support
Prison of Peace has been a pro bono project, provided by Kaufer and Noll. Each training cycle takes 84 hours per trainer or 168 professional hours. In addition, travel time and administrative time adds 192 professional hours per training cycle. In 2010, Kaufer and Noll donated over 1,080 professional hours into the project in addition to providing necessary funding, from their own resources, for expenses not covered by grants.
To offset some of these costs, the inmates at VSPW raised and donated $1,131.01 to Kaufer and Noll. Considering that the women earn 21 cents per hour of which 2/3rds is transferred to the California Victims’ Compensation Fund, this is a significant donation.
The project has been endorsed and embraced by both Chief Deputy Warden Velda Dobson-Davis and Warden Walter Miller of Valley State Prison For Women (“VSPW”). In addition, VSPW has provided administrative self-help support through Gabriel Vela, Kerri Fausone, Christina Gordon, and Prison Information Officer Lt. Gregory Bergersen, as well as numerous other administrative support personnel.
Additional EPSS training has been generously provided by Jim Forkner, of San Francisco, CA, Stacey Marcel, of New Orleans, LA, and Barbara “Zellda” Zelly, of Cleveland, OH, not only traveling to VSPW to lend their expertise, but covering all their expenses in doing so.
In 2010, Ridge Associates graciously donated 50 “People Skills” books for use in the program.
Prison of Peace has received funding from the following organizations:
- The Fresno Regional Foundation , $500 (Grant, 2010)
- Open Meadows Foundation: $1,000 (Grant, 2010)
- Topfer Family Foundation/Bonnie Topfer Vozar: $5,000 (Gift, 2010)
- Ridge Associates: $3,000 (Gift, 2010)
- Southern California Mediation Association Foundation: $1,400 (Grant, 2011)
- American College of Civil Trial Mediators: $4,000 (Grant, 2011)
- The JAMS Foundation: $10,000 (Grant, 2011)
- The Eastman Foundation: $2,000 (Grant, 2011)
- Stacy D. Phillips
- Mary B. Culbert
- Hon. Daniel “Mike” Hanlon, ret.
- Members of the 2010-2010, California State Bar Association Standing Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution
Thank you to the following individuals who have also made financial contributions: