The Dannon Project was founded by Jeh Jeh Pruitt and his wife, Kerri Pruitt, in 1999. It obtained its nonprofit status in October 2003.

It was named after Dannon Pruitt, Jeh Jeh's youngest brother, who was killed by a person that had been released from prison (only weeks before the murder) on a non violent offense.

It was established to help all persons in transition, especially those with addictions on the road to recovery, unemployed, underemployed, at-risk youth and adults, and specifically nonviolent offenders reentering society.