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SUNNY CENTER FOUNDATION USA INC

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 471020119 · Form 990 · FY2023 · NTEE I40 · Crime & Legal-Related · Micro (<$100K) · sunnycenter.org
revenue
$60K
expenses
$144K
net assets
$137K
employees
0
program ratio
96%
mission · from form 990

CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT OF HEALING AND FACILITATING THE PROCESS OF REHABILITATION/REENTRY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN WRONGLY INCARCERATED.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Sunny Center Foundation supports individuals who have been wrongfully incarcerated, providing healing, reentry assistance, and long-term housing through the Sunny Living Center in Tampa, FL. The organization was co-founded by Sunny Jacobs and Peter Pringle, both exonerees, to help others rebuild their lives after release. It offers trauma-informed support, outreach, and advocacy, continuing its mission despite the founders' passing.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Exoneree Support and Outreach
Offers ongoing emotional, logistical, and healthcare support to exonerees, both in-person at the Healing Center in Ireland and remotely via phone and video, especially during and after the pandemic.
Sunny Living Center
Provides long-term, stable housing and reentry support for up to four exonerees at a time in Tampa, FL, helping them regain identification, access healthcare, find employment, and transition to independent living.
Survival Yoga
Online yoga and wellness program created by Sunny Jacobs, featuring YouTube videos such as "Rules for Myself" that share personal wisdom and coping strategies for trauma and reentry.
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 1 activity
    • Advocate for justice reform and death penalty abolition through public education
      Delivers presentations, seminars, and global vigils on justice reform, death penalty abolition, and spiritual healing at universities and organizations across the United States and Europe, informed by lived experience of wrongful imprisonment.
  • Trauma-Informed Yoga and Mindfulness Programs 1 activity
    • Build capacity for exoneree support through training and resource sharing
      Launches training programs to equip others with tools to establish exoneree support centers in their communities and distributes healing resources such as the “Survival Yoga” YouTube series and A Survival Yoga Manual to the public and incarcerated individuals.
  • Youth and Community Research Initiatives 1 activity
    • Conduct research on criminal justice and refugee issues
      Conducts research initiatives including documenting liberal arts education in prisons through collaboration with the Bard Prison Initiative, preserving Native American oral traditions using emerging technologies, and producing reports on the refugee crisis in East Asia by following refugee journeys and interviewing North Koreans in hiding.
  • Creative Arts Therapy Programs 1 activity
    • Deliver healing-centered programming including art, woodworking, and mindfulness
      Provides therapeutic art and woodworking instruction, yoga, mindfulness, and somatic practices as core components of healing and renewal for exonerees at both the Tampa and Ireland centers, addressing complex PTSD and promoting emotional and physical well-being.
  • Supportive Housing for Mental Illness 1 activity
    • Operate trauma-informed sanctuary housing for exonerees in Tampa, Florida
      Provides long-term, stable housing in standalone private units at the Sunny Living Center in Tampa, Florida, offering a trauma-informed environment where exonerees can heal and rebuild their lives. Supports up to four residents at a time with no fixed time limit, typically staying one to three years, with community-based access to public transit, groceries, and civic resources.
  • Documentary Film Production 1 activity
    • Produce and distribute educational and advocacy media on wrongful conviction
      Produces and presents the documentary film "Stolen Lives" to raise awareness about wrongful convictions and gun violence, and supports its release through fundraising screenings and public engagement.
  • Reentry Support Services 1 activity
    • Provide holistic reentry support services for exonerees
      Offers comprehensive wrap-around services including assistance with obtaining identification documents, access to healthcare and dental care, trauma-informed counseling, public benefits enrollment (SSI, Medicaid), employment support, adult and digital literacy, financial navigation, and post-conviction legal assistance to support full reintegration into society.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Operate and expand sanctuary housing in Ireland
      Operates the Sunny Healing Center in rural County Galway, Ireland, providing sanctuary, healing, and programming for exonerees; hosted visitors since at least 2012. Currently constructing a new Healing Center in Western Ireland with completion expected between 2025 and 2026.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$60K
Contributions & grants$43K72%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$17K
expenses
Total expenses$144K
Program expenses96%
Admin / overhead4%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$300K
Cash$13K
Investments$0
Liabilities$163K
Net assets$137K
Liquid reserves1.1 mo
3 years on record · 2021–2023 · YoY revenue -73.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

board members · 7
  • ALLISON FLOM — SECRETARY
  • AMY FLY — DIRECTOR
  • EVA HALLER — DIRECTOR
  • HELEN PREJEAN — DIRECTOR
  • KIM BRISSOLARA — OFFICER
  • PETER TUNNEY — DIRECTOR
  • SUNNY JACOBS — DIRECTOR
relationships · 13

Who they work with

  • @bangbangteo Partner — Collaborated on the production of the documentary "Stolen Lives" about Sunny Jacobs and Peter Pringle.
  • Bang Bang Teo Partner — Film company producing and screening the documentary "Stolen Lives" about Sunny and Peter's work with exonerees.
  • Bang Bang Teo Partner — Produced the documentary "Stolen Lives" about the work of the Sunny Center Foundation.
  • Bard Prison Initiative Partner — Collaborates with the Bard Prison Initiative to document liberal arts education programs in prisons.
  • Dorothy Partner — Full-time Program Director and Liaison who oversees residents, community operations, and support coordination at the Sunny Living Center.
  • Free the Children Partner — Collaborated with Free the Children on global efforts to empower communities and support youth activism.
  • Stetson University Partner — Hosted a screening of the documentary "Stolen Lives" about the Sunny Center Foundation's work.
  • Stetson University College of Law Partner — Hosted the first USA screening of the documentary "Stolen Lives" in partnership with The Sunny Center Foundation.
  • Stolen Lives (documentary) Partner — Collaborates on a documentary about the foundation's work with wrongfully convicted and exonerated individuals.
  • Stolen Lives Film Partner — Collaborates on the presentation and promotion of the film "Stolen Lives."
  • Sunny Living Center Partner — Entity through which the sanctuary values and healing model of The Sunny Center are implemented in Tampa, Florida.
  • The Human Kindness Foundation Partner — Collaborated to distribute A Survival Yoga Manual to people in prison and at seminars across the USA.
  • bangbangteo Partner — Produced the documentary "Stolen Lives" about the Sunny Center Foundation and its work with exonerees.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Art and Vocation as Healing Practice
    methodology: art_based_healing
    By integrating creative expression, artisan work, and vocational skill-building into daily life, the organization supports psychological renewal and reintegration, because meaningful work and artistic agency restore identity, purpose, and dignity after trauma.
  • Housing as a Therapeutic Intervention
    methodology: housing_as_mental_health_intervention
    By providing long-term, sanctuary-style housing designed with mental health and healing in mind, the organization improves reintegration outcomes, because stable, safe, and individualized living environments serve as a clinical-grade intervention for survivors of extreme institutional trauma.
  • Individualized, Lifelong Healing Relationships
    methodology: individualized_relational_healing
    By offering lifelong, relational support tailored to each person’s emotional and spiritual journey, the organization sustains long-term recovery, because healing from wrongful conviction is not time-limited and requires enduring connection over episodic services.
  • Self-Directed, Peer-Supported Reentry
    methodology: self_directed_reentry
    By empowering exonerees to set their own reentry goals and timelines within a peer-mentored, relationship-centered community, the organization fosters deeper healing and reintegration, because shared lived experience and self-determination rebuild agency eroded by wrongful incarceration.
  • Trauma-Informed Autonomy Model
    methodology: trauma_informed_autonomy_model
    By rejecting compliance-based, institutional reentry models and restoring personal autonomy, the organization prevents re-traumatization and supports sustainable healing, because regaining control over one’s environment and decisions is foundational to recovery from prolonged incarceration and wrongful conviction.