Founder, Alice Pauser, with her daughter

The Demeter Foundation was co-founded by the parents of a young inmate and was named for the Greek Goddess, Demeter, who lost her daughter, Persephone, to the underworld. Demeter's determination to reclaim her daughter is unrivaled.

​Meet our team.

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We provide:

Social Advocacy

In 2003, The Demeter Foundation worked with Amnesty International and Disability Rights Wisconsin to have the Custodial Sexual Misconduct Bill AB51 passed into law. This law makes it a felony for staff to have sexual relations with individuals in state custodial care. The sexual assault of women in the WI women's prison system continues.

The foundation was active in providing information to the US Department of Justice who declared the mental health care at Taycheedah Correctional Institution unconstitutional and the American Civil Liberties Union settling a massive class action law suit with the State of Wisconsin over the prison's health care system.

Our advocacy work continues and we are active in social justice issues statewide. We provide information to the ACLU, The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and other agencies.

Senator Janet Bewley wrote a letter of support for The Demeter Foundation and you can view it here.

Holistic Support

We believe that holistic support can reduce recidivism, save taxpayer money, improve quality of life, and offer opportunities for community partnering. 

Our services are rooted in the philosophies of the Divine Feminine and SAMSHA's Eight Dimensions of Wellness.

The Divine Feminine encompasses the wisdom, compassion, self-empowerment, healing, strength, and power that all women possess. It is a universal concept from all faiths and spiritual practices.

The Eight Dimensions of Wellness incorporate the mental, emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of a person's life. Each aspect of wellness affects overall quality of life (SAMSHA).

Image from samsha.gov

We realize that no one organization can provide services to everyone and value our partners.
 Community Partners:
[Fair Shake] 
[Wisconsin Books to Prisoners]
[Backyard Mosaic Women's Project]
[Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health]
[ACLU Wisconsin]
​[Wisconsin Justice Initiative]
​[Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation]
[NAMI Dane County]
​[Black and Pink supporting LGBTQ incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals]

National Community Partners:
[SAMSHA's GAINS Center] 

Funding Partners:
[Evjue Foundation of The Capital Times]