The Pruno Fund was established to help exonerated men and women succeed in transitioning from prison to life on the outside. The Fund provides grants to individuals and organizations. The Pruno Fund also offers a Certification Program, for which any Exoneree interested in public speaking will be able to register to receive training towards certification.

Emergency Grant. Individuals can request a cash grant for an emergency situation. If you need to pay a utility bill, if you need to see a dentist or doctor, if you can’t pay your rent this month—each of these is an emergency situation for which you can apply for a grant of up to $1,000 in a 12-month period. To apply for an Emergency Grant, complete the online application and upload your supporting documents. Once you have completed your application and provided your supporting documents, we will review your application and let you know within 72 hours if you have been awarded a grant. All grants will be paid directly to the service provider.

Organization Grant. Periodically, we will invite certain organizations to apply for a grant of up to $25,000 by delivering a request for proposal. An organization that provides post-exoneration services to exonerated men and women might be requested to submit a proposal. Funds granted to an organization must be used in direct support of an exoneree and not for overhead and other administrative expenses. If you are an innocence project, a grant to pay for a private investigator on a specific case would qualify. Our funds for Organization Grants are limited and we do not accept unsolicited proposals.

The Speakers Bureau. The Pruno Fund will also  offer a Certification Program –  The Speakers Bureau (the Bureau”) in which any Exoneree interested in public speaking will be able to register with the Fund to receive training towards certification. Each Exoneree will receive training in public speaking and dealing with the media. The Fund will maintain a web-based database that will include a profile for each Exoneree available for public speaking engagements. The profile will indicate what type of speaking engagements the Exoneree seeks. The database will also be available for event managers to select a speaker that meets their needs. The Bureau certification program provides a skill to the Exoneree where he or she can become professional orators and potentially earn the Exoneree an ongoing sustainable wage.