Who We Are


Free the 350 Bail Fund exists to undermine the criminal injustice system and get Black people out of jail in Dane County. We focus on those most impacted, especially Black folks who are poor, women, queer, trans, youth, disabled, and criminalized for surviving. On any given day, 350 Black people would need to be released from the Dane County Jail just to eliminate racial disparities in incarceration. That number grounds our work and reminds us why this fight matters.


What We Believe


We are abolitionists. We don’t want to make the jail system better. We want to dismantle it. We believe in building a world where no one is caged, where safety comes from meeting people’s needs, not punishing them. We believe Black people deserve to be free, supported, and safe—without exception.


Founding Members of Free the 350 Bail Fund 


  • Freedom Inc.

  • Young Gifted and Black

  • Madison General Defense Committee of the IWW

  • Madison-Area Urban Ministry

  • Sankofa Behavioral Community Health

  • Operation Welcome Home

  • LGBT Books To Prisoners

  • National Lawyers Guild

  • Racial Justice Tipping Point

  • And many individual community members