Orange Is the New Black launches Poussey Washington Fund to make an impact after its finale

The Hollywood Reporter

A fictional version of the Poussey Washington Fund is featured in the final season of Orange Is the New Black, and creator Jenji Kohan decided to turn the fictional initiative into something that will help incarcerated women long after her series is gone. The Poussey Washington Fund is named after the former Litchfield inmate formerly played by Samira Wiley. "We have seen how Orange Is the New Black has impacted you and people all over the world," Wiley said in a video announcing the initiative. "We've been honored to tell these stories of these characters, and we've learned first-hand that the system is failing women, both inside and outside of prison walls." In the final season, Danielle Brooks' Tasha "Taystee” Jefferson creates the Poussey Washington Fund to offer micro-loans to women getting out of prison. The storyline inspired Kohan and executive producer Tara Herrmann to expand the initiative to real life. "Through the Poussey Washington Fund, our characters can live on and continue to make an impact after the show has come to an end," Kohan said in a statement. "Taystee recognized an opportunity to make a difference for her fellow inmates, and we saw no reason why we couldn’t launch our own initiative to have an effect in the real world."