OUR VISION
We build transformative environments for youth and adults to heal, find purpose, and build meaningful lives of service.
LETTER FROM THE Executive Director
As I reflect on 2025, I’m sitting deeply with the question of how we show up for each other. In the face of so much distrust, tension, unease — and I’ll say it, fear in the world — who do we want to be?
I know for myself, when I let fear drive the bus, I contract. And over the past year we’ve seen firsthand as systems, communities, and people have retreated.
Yet at Inside Circle, as an organization and as individual staff and team members, we’ve met this fear response head on. We’ve shown up in New York City, where our youth programming has spun-off two new projects from our successful Project Restore effort. In Shelby County, Tennessee, where we work with the community and Sheriff’s Department, we stayed in while both sides retreated from change, held space, and worked together until we rebuilt those bridges. In the prisons of Northern California, we’ve expanded to a new site and even hosted our first all-gender circle on the inside.
We believe if we make space for people to sit in a place of fear, to acknowledge it, hear it, listen to it, and listen to each other, we can find a way to thrive. As we look towards 2026, we’re excited that this belief also means that instead of retreating, we’re moving towards opening our doors to our Healing Home: a dignified reentry home and training academy where people shaped by incarceration can learn to guide circles, mentor young people at risk, and interrupt cycles that too often lead to a lifetime behind bars.
I’m proud to share this Annual Report, and through it demonstrate all the ways over the past year that Inside Circle has, in the face of fear, chosen to be of service, to choose life, to choose relationships, to choose to show up as our authentic selves, and to continue to choose love.
Eldra Jackson III Executive Director
“We believe if we make space for people to sit in a place of fear, to acknowledge it, hear it, listen to it, and listen to each other, we can find a way to thrive.”
OUR MISSION
Inside Circle empowers system-impacted people to lead change from within by providing opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to heal and serve both themselves and others. We exist to reduce recidivism and all forms of violence — physical, emotional, and psychological — in our prisons and communities.
LETTER FROM THE Board Chair
Speaking as both Board Chair and as a program alumnus, I can affirm the fearlessness of Inside Circle’s work. I know from my own experience that Inside Circle keeps showing up, keeps asking for both accountability and vulnerability, and keeps taking the time to make sure we connect to each other.
Over this past year, we have wrestled with hard issues of growing during a time of contraction, and made the decision to invest in our future. As a Board, we made the decision to step up, instead of stepping back. We made a down payment on a property that will be our Healing Home and future training academy. The Board spent time researching, debating, talking through pros and cons, reviewing regulations and available properties, and we feel our due diligence aligned with spirit in the purchase of our new property.
In 2025 we’ve brought on three new Board members, and one new full-time staff member — Ari Rosen, who stepped off the Board to fill this much-needed staff position. At the same time, the Board expresses deep gratitude for the leadership of Jeff Buenrostro, who completed an extended Board term, serving a total of seven years. We’re proud that in these difficult times, we have continued to grow our Board and to engage in strategic thinking about our future, because to me, and to all of us, Inside Circle is more than an organization, it’s a living entity.
Manuel Ruiz Chairman
“ I know from my own experience that Inside Circle keeps showing up, keeps asking for both accountability and vulnerability, and keeps taking the time to make sure we connect to each other.”
OUR WORK IN 2025 Year in Review
2025 was a year of laying the foundation for big growth to come. We chose to embrace hope over fear, and to build towards that vision in multiple ways. We said goodbye to one of our longest-serving Board members, and brought on three new ones, and said yes to growth opportunities across the country and here at home in California.
We’re proud that this past year we were able to strengthen and grow in all our focus areas: our work inside, our work in the community — including increasing our work with young people — and our work to ensure a successful bridge from inside to out.
INSIDE PROGRAMS
In 2025, we were able to add a level 3 circle at Solano, bringing our total weekly inside healing circles to eight sites. This is our founding and core work, and we’re proud to be holding multiple circles at New Folsom, Solano, and Jamestown in California, as well as inside circles in Shelby County, TN and a youth facility in New Jersey.
BRIDGING THE GAP
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
In addition, 2025 brought our first replication of our highly successful Project Restore, a year-long community-based, multi-partner collaborative violence intervention program designed to address root causes of gun violence. Modeled on our pilot Bed-Stuy effort and part of our Young Adult Empowerment (YAE) program, this brought the same wraparound approach to the community of Brownsville, NY., with a goal to re-direct justice-impacted youth away from the system into leadership and long-term employment.
FROM THE INSIDE OUT:
LAWRENCE’S STORY
When Lawrence walked out of Jamesburg in 2021 after three and a half years, he didn’t walk out alone. He stepped into the Young Adult Empowerment (YAE) program and, through it, into the community of Inside Circle. What happened next wasn’t a straight line. It was something more human than that. It was learning to see himself differently, to sit with discomfort instead of running from it, to accept support from people who believed in his capacity before he fully believed in it himself.
“It made me a better man, made me look at life differently, and I’m glad and happy to say it changed my life around.”
Today, Lawrence doesn’t just point to how far he has come. He turns around and reaches back. Inspired by the facilitators and community members who showed up for him, he now wants to be that presence for others: young people navigating the same crossroads he once stood at, adults making hard decisions in hard circumstances.
“I try to motivate others to see the path I chose,” he says, “that there’s more to life than being in the streets.”
Lawrence’s story is what YAE is built for: not just a safe landing after release, but a foundation sturdy enough to build a life on, and then to turn that life into something that gives back.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Inside Circle continued our work in Shelby County, TN. Given the external pressures on Memphis this past year, there was a significant flare-up of distrust between community and law enforcement. We stayed committed through these challenges, held space, and rebuilt bridges to ensure progress made wasn’t lost. We’re incredibly proud of this work and that the relationships and on-the-ground leadership have continued to grow, facilitating cultural shifts rather than reverting back to fear-based violence.
Inside Circle remains committed to embracing connection and commitment in the face of fear and as a result, our work has continued to inspire and grow, rather than shrink and retreat.
OUTSIDE CIRCLE: SANTA MONICA
Inside Circle held Outside Circle in Southern California for the first time in 2025. A powerful energy filled the space, a testament to the deep work being done. We hope to return to the Los Angeles area in the future.
COMING TOGETHER: CIRCLE IN THE WAKE OF THE FIRES
In January, as wildfires tore through the greater Los Angeles area and entire neighborhoods disappeared in smoke and ash, Inside Circle traveled to LA to sit in circle with members of YPO Southern 7.
The gathering had been planned long before the fires. But by the time everyone arrived, it had become something else entirely: a space to breathe together in the middle of a city that was grieving.
“In the face of loss and uncertainty, we found strength in one another, reaffirming that we are all family, bound together by our shared humanity.”
There were no presentations, no agenda designed for crisis. Just people choosing to be present with one another when presence was exactly what was needed. Participants shared. They listened. They sat with what was real.
Inside Circle also reconnected that day with program alumni navigating new chapters in the community. Seeing these individuals moving forward was its own kind of testimony. The work continues long after the circle closes, and healing, once it takes root, keeps growing.
This is what Inside Circle knows to be true: community is not a resource you access in good times only. It is the thing you build precisely so it is there when everything else is burning.
SHIFTING THE
NARRATIVE
Impact & Advocacy
Through screenings of our documentary, The Work, house parties that have connected us to new supporters and a broader community, and high-profile speaking engagements, we are continuing to raise the profile of Inside Circle. Through the Inside Circle Podcast, these stories come to life in powerful ways. In Episode 79, My Time Gonna Come, Ian Manuel—activist, poet, and author—shares his journey from being sentenced to life in prison at just 13 years old to becoming a national voice for justice and healing. His story reflects the courage it takes to face fear, take responsibility, and move forward with intention.
We are expanding the reach of our newsletter and social media, elevating the voices, experiences, and contributions of justice system-impacted people. Our pen pal program continues to connect those inside with caring, personal support on the outside, fostering connection in spaces where isolation is often the norm. Through storytelling, education, and advocacy, we are shifting the narrative about incarceration—not only by challenging outdated perspectives, but by demonstrating, time and again, that transformation is possible, sustainable, and deeply human.
Eldra Jackson III took the stage at the 2025 Responsive Conference and grounded the room in what really matters: people, transformation, and the courage to do the work within.
OUR TEAM Behind the Work
Our work is impossible without the fearlessness and courage of our team. Our dedicated staff and facilitators demonstrate unwavering commitment to their work which forms the foundation of everything we do. Our Board oversees the organization with empathy and commitment, and ensures we’re operating with accountability and vision. We’re so grateful to our team:
STAFF AND FACILITATORS:
Transitions: At the very end of 2024, we brought Ari Rosen on staff. A former Board Member, 2025 marks the first full year with him on staff. His commitment to expanding our impact and improving our storytelling has developed the position into wraparound support for our team.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EXECUTIVE & ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM:
Eldra Jackson III, Executive Director, is a writer, speaker, and Inside Circle leader whose transformation began inside New Folsom Prison. After his release in 2014, he dedicated himself to mentorship, youth outreach, and redefining masculinity through personal development and rehabilitation work.
Aaron Burris, Programs Director, transformed his life after 22 years of incarceration, moving from a past of violence to one of leadership, advocacy, and healing. Now an entrepreneur, husband, father, and youth mentor, he is passionate about sharing the recovery and transformation that saved his life with others.
Ari Rosen, Programs Coordinator, is a chef, restaurateur, and founder of the non-profit, Corazón Healdsburg. Since attending an Inside Circle weekend intensive in 2017, he has been a dedicated facilitator in our Vacaville prison program, and now brings heartcentered leadership to all our programs, expanding our impact each day.
EAST COAST YOUTH TEAM:
Felix Mickens, Community Engagement Strategist, brings over 25 years of experience in juvenile justice, including a decade overseeing New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice Commission operations. At Inside Circle, he leverages his expertise to expand our programs and deepen support for justice-involved youth.
Verónica Vargas, Youth Justice & Reentry Specialist, has over 20 years of experience designing re-entry and therapeutic programs in various settings. Influenced by her upbringing in a single-parent immigrant home, she is dedicated to empowering marginalized communities and building pathways for successful re-entry.
Deepest gratitude to our incredible facilitators who bolster our work across the country—Dr. James McLeary, Rob Allbee, Cai Sorlien, Rick Misener, Bharataji Joplin, Hannan Joplin, Al Lewis, Guido Lewis, Sammy McDaniel, Niambi Jaha Echols, Aaron Ortega, and Darrion Gains—with special thanks to our Outside Circle support facilitators, including Natasha Taylor, Randy Rusk, Min Harris, Cindy Christensen, Martha Preble, Maggie Anderson, Jackie Shea, Rachel Hauseur, Heather Misener, James Cross and Sha-Mel Jackson.
BOARD NEWS:
Transitions: At the end of 2025, we said goodbye with deep gratitude to Jeff Buenrostro, one of our longest-serving Board Members. Jeff has been an integral part of our vision and graciously extended his time with us to support the Healing Home task force, ensuring we were well positioned for the future. We thank Jeff for his leadership, his commitment, his wisdom, and his kind spirit .
This past year we also welcomed three new Board Members, who each bring unique expertise to our Board, passion for our work, and joy and energy to our Board meetings. We’re proud to welcome Brian, Danny, and Scott onto our Board:
Brian O’Keefe is a highly accomplished Operating Executive and Financial Services Expert with more than 20 years of success in the military, biomechanics, manufacturing, finance, software, investment banking, and private markets. Currently he and his wife own one of
the largest Home Healthcare Franchises in northern California, BrightStar Care of San Francisco and Marin County. During the COVID pandemic he founded and gained venture capital funding for a remote monitoring service company for the elderly.
Brian holds an MBA from University of Chicago, Booth School of Business with Concentrations in Finance and Economics, and a BS in Biomedical Engineering, with minors in Mechanical Engineering and Military Science and served in the US Army.
Danny Givens Rooted in the historic Rondo community of St. Paul, Minnesota, Danny Givens is a transformative leader, truth-teller, and healer. As Associate Director of Programming for the City of Minneapolis’ Neighborhood Safety Department and Founder of The Healing Streets Project, he works to end cycles of violence and restore dignity in underserved communities. Surviving both sides of gun violence and incarceration, he emerged committed to justice and healing. A former pastor and founding member of Black Clergy United for Change, he lives in Minneapolis with his family.
Scott Raymond is a lifelong real estate and health and wellness entrepreneur. As the co-founder of Club Evexia, Scott is a skilled community builder, devoted to human transformation, integrity, and connection. His work is shaped by decades of building mission driven businesses, and exploring the intersection of psychology, embodied practice, and secular spirituality. As a Board member, he brings strategic insight, grounded leadership, and a deep respect for lived experience, supporting initiatives that foster healing, accountability, and the belief that meaningful change is possible at every stage of life.
OUR 2025 BOARD:
Manny Ruiz, Chair
Gordon Brown, Vice Chair
Brian O’Keefe, Treasurer
Greg Mellor, Secretary
Danny Givens
Eldra Jackson III
Lisa Siglain Blum
Scott Raymond
Tina (TJ) Jones
Advisory Board
Andrew Blum
Christina Hollenback
James Maskell
Roth Herrlinger
Elder Council
Bharataji Joplin
Bill Wich
Dr. James McLeary
Rob Allbee
HEALING HOME
A Place to Land. A Place to Become.
The biggest news came at the end of the year, when IC put a down payment on a property for our future Healing Home, a dignified reentry home and also a place where we can hold circle and train future facilitators.
This bold move was the result of a decades-long vision held by our founders and Elders and months of due diligence, analysis, and financial review by our Boarddesignated task force. The down payment is just that — the first step towards fulfillment of this vision. The coming year will require fundraising and growth to ensure we can make this dream a reality.
This space will offer more than housing. It will provide continuity. A place where the work that begins inside can continue, deepen, and take hold in daily life. Residents will participate in regular healing circles, build life skills, and strengthen their capacity to lead, serve, and sustain meaningful change. Rooted in accountability and connection, the Healing Home will provide graduated living spaces with a phased path toward independence to ensure the same sustained success that is Inside Circle’s standard.
The Healing Home is also an investment in the future. As residents grow, many will step into leadership, becoming facilitators, mentors, and guides for others. Over time, we envision it as a place where potential facilitators from our efforts across the country can come to be immersed in the work and deepen their leadership skills.
In this way, the Healing Home is a place where transformation multiplies. We have work ahead of us to renovate, prepare, and welcome our first residents in the year to come, but at a time of fear and disconnection, we’re committing to something else entirely.
In the face of fear, we are building a home where people can heal, belong, and thrive.
FINANCIAL OVERVIEW Looking Back
Inside Circle has continued to grow and diversify our funding sources. We’re proud that even in a challenging funding climate we grew individual donations an impressive 8.4%.
At the same time, we recognize that California nonprofits were disproportionately impacted by the larger landscape this past year. A combination of slashed or canceled federal funding, redirected private foundation funding to support causes under direct and immediate threat — including natural disasters — and a shrinking economy meant grant and donation amounts shrank substantially nationwide.* Combined with a sharp increase in the demand and urgency among communities for support, our work has never been more critical nor more challenging.
We’re proud that our revenue held steady, with modest growth even in these challenging times. This growth demonstrates the incredible urgency, need, and success of our work.
Even more impressive, we raised over 1/ 3 of our capital campaign goal within two months, indicating there is strong support and brave contributors who believe this work has the power to make a difference. In the face of fear, our finances remain strong.
*Nonprofit Finance Fund 2025: Essential, Enduring, and Under Strain Sector Snapshot for Bay Area Nonprofits
FUTURE GOALS
Looking Ahead
As we move into the final year of our three-year strategic plan, we’re proud to share that we’ve met our major goals and benchmarks: we’ve expanded our Board, continued to train facilitators, and convened a Healing Home task force that resulted in the purchase of our Sacramento property.
In this coming year, we will officially launch our capital campaign to support the necessary renovations and expansion. In 2026 we plan to continue to bring on new Board members, solidify internal structures, bring on an additional staff member, and welcome our first returning citizens into a place of respect, dignity, and transformation.
We look forward to a year of courageous growth grounded in spirit and supported by this community.
TOTAL 2025 REVENUE:* $1,594,688
$470,400 (30%) GRANT FUNDING $979,516 (60%)
$144,772 (10%) EARNED REVENUE
INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS
* Note: 2025 financials have not yet been audited.
THANK YOU
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Partners in Courage
Our deepest appreciation for the fearless support of our donors and partners. In a year when many are shrinking their giving, your generosity has made it possible for us to continue and even deepen our work, bringing hope and transformation to countless lives at the moment it’s most needed and impacting thousands of lives for the better.
As we look towards 2026 and the future, your continued collaboration remains essential. Thank you for standing shoulder to shoulder with us as we forge ahead, holding this brave vision together, building the future we strive to make a reality.
$300,00-499,999
Annie E. Casey Foundation N2 Stone Foundation
$50,000–$299,999
City of New York
Justice Innovation
Jennifer & David Risher Fund
Shelby County
$10,000–$49,000
Michael & Maria Bridge
Lisa & Andrew Blum ^
Michelle & Gordon Brown ^
The Futures Project
John Kenny & Joan Marttlia
Scott Raymond ^
Karen Piretti Rosen
State of California
The Work Day Foundation * YPO Gold Southland
$5,000–$9,999
The Bro Experience
Will Harper
Holiday Johnson
Brian O’Keefe ^
Milton & Mildred Rosen Foundation
Marnie Curry & Steven Smith
$1,000–$4,999
Taylor Barrella
Jeff Buenrostro ^
Fred Burks
Craig Dias
Nevin George
Bask Gill
Jennifer Jerde
Tina Jones ^
Mark Krassner
Greg J. Mellor ^
Messing Family Charitable Foundation
Elizabeth Mihevc
Elena Rosen
Simply Always Awake
Murdock Smith
Nina Stark-Slapnik
Lawrence Tingley
Judy Tretheway
Ona E. Murphy & Robert E. Murphy Trust
$500–$999
Adrian Almquist
Donald Berry
Monica Chi
Roth Herrlinger
Barry Kilzer
Taya Levine
John Maes
Els Meijer
Sterre Mense
Maren Liv Pedersen
Ari Rosen
Shelley Thomas
Veronica Vargas
Margaret Willits
$200–$499
Tatjana P. Adams
Phillip Baker
Charles Bookoff
Al Sawyer Brown
Joe Dew
Ryan Elder
Jorge Flores
Riccardo A. Gale
Poh Choo How
Jessica Ivey-Thomas
Michael Kahn
Jennifer Kelly
Jesse Kriss
James Ladika
Yong Lee
Sarah Marikos
Thomas J. Nerger
Emory Niles
Jacory Parker
Stephanie Pike
David Proctor
Jonathan Purinton
Susan Quesnel
Dustin Seely
Jackie Shea
Nina Simonds
Hariette de Swaan Arons
Stacy Swider
Tri Counties Bank
Up to $199
Antonio A
Astrid Bennett
Amy Bertelli
Emily Brablc
Cole Cameron
Jinwha Choi
Ian Curzon
Tim Davis
Frances & Frank Dawson
Maraba DiRaddo
Gary & Susan Ganong
Danny Givens ^
Chandra Hanson
Rachel Hauseur
Mary Holland
Eldra Jackson III ^
Kent Jones
Mande Knowles
Arron Lakey
Robert & April Lewis
Aaron Lewis
Ali Kate Lodise
Trevor Long
Sarah Lundy
Saskia McCafferty
Rhoda Makled
Lisa Martin
Chris Mellor
Melissa Mercier
Marissa Lluch Morell
Jose Moreno
Davis Mosenkovs
Wiebke Niemiec
Oakland Center for Spiritual Living
Charles Peters
Michael Pierce
Delfina Piretti
Sarah Pollak
Martha Preble & John Hernandez
Kim Rosen
Katrina Royce-Malmgren
Manuel J. Ruiz ^
Kathy S.
Mary Ann Scanlon
Matthew Sellens
Parker Simon
Catherine Sparling
Harriet Spicer
Brady Sprunger
Olga Terekhin
Antoinette Turpin
Ginny Wall
Eleanor Whitaker
James White
Sergey Yasinov
^ Inside Circle Board Member
* Pledged 2025 | Funds Received Outside FY
In addition to online donations, we accept cryptocurrency and gifts of stock. You can also mail checks to:
Inside Circle | 4540 Florin Road, Suite E 344 | Sacramento, CA 95823
Donation and Billing Mailbox 4540 Florin Road, Suite E 344 Sacramento, CA 95823 SAN FRANCISCO
Inmate and Returning Citizen Mailbox 2443 Fillmore St. #380-4123 San Francisco, CA 94115 www.insidecircle.org
