In the spring of 2002, the Reverend Laurie Etter, a Connecticut prison chaplain for over 20 years, invited a group of women with extensive experience working in the criminal justice system to meet and exchange ideas for enhancing the lives of incarcerated women in Connecticut. During this gathering of women of different faiths and careers, ideas for programs to promote spiritual growth and emotional and physical wellness were proposed. A Sacred Place was created to consolidate and implement these ideas. It was incorporated as a nonprofit charitable organization in April of 2003.

The Sister Fund grant was used for staff and material resources needed to operate the Chrysalis Community program. This mult-faith, spiritually based, gender-responsive residential program on the grounds of York Correctional Institution in Niantic, CT seeks to deepen the spiritual lives of incarcerated women in order to help them lead a responsible, spiritually-enriched life that is drug-free and crime-free.