Our Mission
On The Inside builds a creative connection for incarcerated women, both individually and collectively. We do this by telling our stories, igniting our hearts, and sparking dialogue. Creative connection for a greater good, we create community for women on the inside and outside by breaking down the walls that keep us apart.
The United States houses over 1.3 million incarcerated women.
We aim to change that.
Creativity is what keeps us alive, it is what draws us together. Our stories save us and have the ability to heal us. Healing is both collective and deeply personal. We create shared dialogue by holding a container for women to transform themselves. We do this through creative prompts where each woman has a voice in the room, through exploratory movement, creating a rolodex of emotions to draw from, and boundaries to hold.
We begin.
We create.
We play together.
We share.
We seek closure.
We begin again.
We hold weekly classes to gather in a circle. We create weekly newsletters where women on the outside create work (poetry, art, song) for women on the inside, and the women on the inside do the same. We create living, breathing works of art that move us far beyond the page, beyond the stage, and into a space of embodiment.
We are generously supported by the following organizations
Thank you for believing in the power of creative connections.
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-16 Board of Directors (all female identifying) came together from 4 different countries, time zones, and life experiences to connect through this work.
-We have applied for 2 grants per month, with our two person volunteer team.
-We currently serve 2,600 female identifying folks in three incarcerated states.
-We continue to meet monthly with those that have shared in the four class series work, and have met monthly for 8 consecutive months.
-We currently teach all of the Wyoming Caseworkers monthly in a class they asked for.
-We purchased a new computer for Caroline to work more easily at home or in the office.
-We currently teach weekly over Zoom at the Wyoming Women’s Center and Nebraska Correctional Center for Women.
-We secured $75k p/year for 5 years from private funders with a commitment to healing and bettering women's lives long term.
-We took our first overnight staff retreat to plan for the future, rest, relax, and reflect.
-We hired our first bookkeeper in May.
-We began reworking our website in June.
-We received grant support from the Wyoming Community Foundation and the Akhilanda Women’s Foundation.
-We continue to offer a newsletter twice a month to women at the Nebraska Correctional for Women to those that are unable to fit in our classroom.
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-All fifteen Board of Directors (all female identifying) came together from 4 different countries, time zones, and life experiences to connect through this work.
-With an all volunteer power team, we applied for 3 grants and received full funding for each of them.
-We grew our work from one state to three states with an opportunity to serve up to 2,200 female identifying folks.
-We offered eight four class series, and gave out twelve full scholarships to those in need.
-We began meeting monthly with those that have shared in the four class series work, and have met monthly for 8 consecutive months.
-We created a short video for an end of year giving ask.
-We filmed and shared three videos with our women on the inside: joy, resilience, and an intro to theatre.
-We hired Caroline as our Book Project Manager, added her to our Board of Directors, and invited her into the fold as a paid staff member.
-We rented our first creative space on April 1, just days before our birthday.
-We traveled to Nebraska to visit our facility and meet our caseworking team in person.
-We hand delivered 60 holiday bags to women serving time at our Coffee Creek Correctional
Facility in Oregon filled with journals stickers, notecards, soap, candy canes, The Water DAncer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and A Widow's Guide To Healing donated by Kristin Meekhof.
Who We Serve
-Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Oregon: weekly in-person classes since 2019
-Nebraska Correctional Center for Women: weekly in-person and virtual classes, as well as a monthly class since 2021
-Wyoming Women's Center: weekly in-person and virtual classes since 2021
-Wyoming Women's (Youth) Center: weekly in-person and virtual classes since 2023
-Women's Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center, Missouri: weekly in-person and virtual classes since 2023
-Virginia Correctional Center for Women: weekly in-person and virtual classes since 2023
-Tarrengower Prison Victoria, Australia 2024
“I have 5 sisters and 2 brothers, and I still feel like I grew up alone. But here, in this class, I am not alone.”
“The first time I felt sisterhood was in our theatre class.”
“On the Inside is a very unique program. It is different from anything the inmates currently have available. I really appreciate the work Nikki and her team do. I am especially impressed by how Nikki is able to reach even the most difficult inmates. They show up, they participate and they learn to communicate better, in every way. Thank you Nikki Weaver and your team for the valuable work you do!”