Introducing Put Me In!

I am writing to update you on the next steps in my journey. 

During the past 17 years as an investor, I have had the privilege of working and partnering with founders of great companies, including investor-founders. Over time, their influence and inspiration catalyzed vision, purpose, and drive with clarity: to achieve the impacts I want as an investor – with “investor” meaning investing in human lives and social outcomes – I needed to become a founder and build.

In June, I transitioned from Managing Director to a Senior Advisor role at Vector Capital to intensively focus on a long-term ambition: to build a non-profit organization serving the Children of Incarcerated Parents (“CIPs”). Today, I am proud to announce the launch of Put Me In! ("PMI!") - a nonprofit California corporation that will provide financial aid to CIPs to increase their access to sports.

Approximately 2.7 million American children have an incarcerated parent. More than 5 million children — 7 percent of all US children — have had a parent in prison or jail at some point. Parental incarceration is designated by the CDC as an Adverse Childhood Event, distinguished from other adverse experiences through a unique combination of the elements of shame, trauma, and stigma.

Research and evidence clearly support positive associations between participation in sports and increases in mental health and self-esteem for children. However, two in three system-impacted families have difficulty meeting basic financial needs as a direct result of incarceration. Because of their costs, sports are often out of reach for the children of incarcerated parents. PMI! invests to close this economic opportunity divide for CIPs. 

Put Me In! provides recurring annual financial aid grants of $1,000 per enrolled child per year that support a CIP's participation in sports, through funding equipment purchases and league participation fees. Our support is recurring and long-term; we target enrolling CIPs in middle school and commit to support them with financial aid each year through high school.

Think of our model as a venture capital fund that invests in the lives of children. PMI! works with partners serving CIPs to identify children who are a good fit for our financial aid. We do not provide services or manage programs. We will efficiently distribute financial aid and work hard to act as a thoughtful partner to the incredible nonprofits, CBOs, and city agencies that work hard every day supporting CIPs and system-impacted families. We intend to reinforce our partners' own missions through providing financial aid to the children in their programs that opens fields of opportunity. Targeted outcomes include increased self-esteem and personal resiliency, as well as the physical and mental health benefits derived from participation in sports.

Put Me In! is built from my own experience as a CIP, where a small-town community enabled me to “get on the field” and play sports during challenging formative years that were adversely impacted by parental incarceration. The impacts of sports – self-esteem, personal resiliency, recurring exposure to coaches and positive adult mentors – built a bridge to Yale and a blessed life in San Francisco.

Put Me In! is grateful for the support, insights, and door-opening from the San Francisco community, its public servants, and the ecosystem of nonprofits, CBOs, and city agencies serving CIPs and system-impacted families - Project Avary, Project WHAT!, The Place4Grace, BAYCIPP, BMAGIC, UnCommon Law, Mt. Tamalpais College, Walls to Bridges, and many others.

I would like to acknowledge and thank our incredible team (our roster includes four former CIPs, as well as Bay Area native and Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman as our Athlete Ambassador) for their great efforts and passion, along with a heartfelt "thank you" for the exceptional pro bono support of Morrison & Foerster, Krystal Lauk Studios, and PwC. 

I am especially grateful for the wisdom, support, and inspiration of Tim Dibble, Robyn Glaser, Mitch Lowe, April Gargiulo, Ben Metcalfe, Rainer Gawlick, and Larry Lukis.

Most of all: thank you, Margaret and Julius, for your love and support.

 Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can’t Lose

 Let’s Go!