2024 Easter Grant Recipients

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A.B.O. Comix

Provides commissary/medical/legal support to our incarcerated queer and trans family most in need (many of whom are going through severe health complications or have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses recently). They provide a platform to LGBTQ prisoners to express themselves artistically and help advocate for them by supporting their financial, medical, legal, educational, mental, physical and spiritual needs. 

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Albany Voices of Pride, Inc. 

AVOP is a chorus of 70 singers from all representations of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. They perform “music with a message” of hope, peace, and healing that helps build a more welcoming community for all people. AVOP will utilize funding to work with a professional voice coach who specialize in Transgender & Gender Expansive (TGE) voices. Funding will provide a workshop series on teaching the proper vocal techniques and pedagogy that are unique to the TGE singer’s vocal journey.

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arwah collective

arwah collective is a queer/trans South Asian creative coalition that hosts teach-ins on the military occupation of Kashmir, fundraises for Kashmir’s trans community, and traces the linkages between transnational struggles while uplifting underground creatives. Funds will be used to pay 5 performance acts at arwah collective’s April 2024 teach-in and fundraiser event. Performers will be queer/trans Black, Indigenous, and SWANA underground creatives based in the Bay Area. 

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Bad Business Model Bikes

Receives donated bikes, repairs bikes and donates bikes to people who need bikes for transportation. They have served Aids Life Cycle for years and continually donate bikes for riders to do the ride. Since October 2023, they have donated 13 bikes to ALC and 17 bikes to community members in need of transportation. They have donated over 800 bikes since 2016. Funds will be used to pay for bike parts and repair supplies.

 

Basin Pride

Provides safe and celebratory spaces for the LGBTQN+ Community in West Texas through Monthly social events and an Annual Pride Festival. Funding will support their 2024 Pride Festival the first week of June. This includes a Pride Walk (Monday), a Religious Trauma Discussion(Tuesday), a Drag Bingo (Wednesday) , a Community Hike (Thursday) , a Kickoff Party (Friday) , a Pride Festival (Saturday), and an Interfaith Service (Sunday).

 

Bay Area Superheroes

A superhero-themed mutual aid and public safety organization who work with unhoused people and provide relief during natural disaster and other emergencies. Funds would be used to purchase food and other essential supplies (tents, blankets, clothes) for the people they serve.

 

Bay Eagle Community Garden

Established in 1983, the garden includes 43 plots for individuals, 2 foodbank plots, pollinator garden and beehive. Over time 9.5 tons of produce has been donated to the foodbank, value - $63,000. The funds will be used to support the replacement of the garden's perimeter fence. Their goal is to raise $25,000 by Fall 2024 and complete the project sometime in Fall 2024/Winter 2025.

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Blackwomenexhale

A non profit organization in Minnesota helping the homeless with food and shelter and daily necessities. Funding will get some homeless people they work with into permanent housing and set them up with jobs so they can put a end to their homelessness

 

BLUE ORCHID PROJECT INC.

Currently working with GLIDE with Harm Reduction outreach, using plant medicine to help address root cause of mental issues, addictions, working with BIPOC, LBGTQ communities and formerly incarcerated folks. Plant Medicine has been proven to re-wire and help mental issues, addictions historically and scientifically proven. They are working on a pilot program, to help formerly incarcerated folks, heal traumas and addictions.

 

Breads & Thorns Mutual Aid Collective

Provides weekly food distribution at North Oakland encampments, and other outreach/mutual aid. They wrangle tents, clothing, tarps, sleeping bags, hygiene materials, etc., and connect encampment residents with services when possible. Funds will be used to purchase food and food distribution equipment, as well as any encampment necessities they can afford with any leftover money.

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Burma Refugee Families and Newcomers (soon to become Bay Area Resource for Newcomers)

BRFN serves newcomers resettling in the Bay Area, providing social support: social welfare, education, physical/mental healthcare, employment, housing, cultural bridging. Their compassionate, and trauma-informed staff speak the languages of the Afghan and Eritrean communities they serve. Funds will help expand their 3-session "ReproNet", on women's reproductive health and awareness, specifically for Afghan newcomer women. Women participants learn/discuss: reproductive anatomy, health care and prevention, family planning choices.

 

Care Workers for Palestine

An independent formation of queer and trans, global majority, Ohlone-based care workers, community builders, and artists. Their efforts support, connect, and empower queer & trans Palestinians. Funds will help produce the anthology launch event for Inara: Light to Queer & Trans Palestinian Utopia. Funds will compensate performers, a graphic designer, materials costs, and light refreshments.

 

Collar City Pride

Operates as a community driven organization, providing awareness, visibility, and action for LGBTQ+ people in Rensselaer County, a county with a conservative super majority and no Pride center. They are hosting their county's first Pride festival! This grant funding will go directly towards needed supplies such as tables, tents, and pronoun pins.

 

Drag King History

DragKingHistory.com is a free resource library that provides visibility and empowerment for the marginalized by showcasing the rich history of Drag Kings, Male Impersonators, Breeches Roles, and the Gender Free from antiquity to today. The grant will go to a web designer to revamp and market the website to create visibility. representation, and sustainability.

 

ECU PRIDE

2SLGBTQIA+ is student lead organization at East Central University. They produce town halls, drag performances, queer art shows, die-in protests, and provide resources to community. The funds will be used to restart and promote the student organization to the Ada, Oklahoma community and the university. They have recently struggled due to Covid and turbulent politics in Oklahoma.

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Enzyme Cultural Center

Enzyme Cultural Center creates a thriving QTBIPOC arts community by connecting artists, patrons, and collectors via networking events, artist talks, and social gatherings that empower personal and economic growth. Funds will strengthen and expand Enzyme’s arts and harm reduction programming providing naloxone (narcan), fentanyl test strips, and anti-oppression policy integration to nightlife producers in the Bay Area and beyond.

 

Equality Project dba Henderson Wellness Clinic

A Non-Profit HIV and STI Testing and Treatment Clinic providing Free HIV testing to the community. Funds will be used to purchase HIV test and STI test like Syphilis, Hep C and CTNG Test so they can continue to provide free testing for people.

 

Equipment Connections for Children

Works with children with disabilities/chronic illness and their families. This grant will help fund an event for “Ability Pride” month (disability pride month awareness) with accessible sailing, a stroll & roll, and a picnic in the park.

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Flying Over Walls Prisoner Solidarity Project

Their letterwriting & penpal program resists the violent isolation of the prison system by connecting our queer and trans community across prison walls. Funds will go towards the next round of their inside/outside study group as well as their next newsletter to their inside members and postage for sending resources to inside members.

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Fremont High School QSA

Providing gender affirming shapewear and clothing to students throughout Oakland Unified School District. Funds will help purchase binders, bras, and shaping underwear for trans and nonbinary students throughout OUSD.

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Humboldt Soups On

Feeding hot soup to 60 unhoused people in Valley West Arcata, CA daily. They help with dog food and vet care. HSO also supplies tents, sleeping bags and warm clothing, all with unconditional love and without judgment or prejudice. Funds will be used to purchase food and necessary food service items. It costs about $525 a week to feed 60 people and their pets daily.

 

Kennedy High Welding Pathway

A high school welding and engineering program that teaches around 150 students /yr in a title 1 school (title1=more than 40% living under the poverty line) in Richmond, Ca. Many students in the program speak no English. The district doesn't fund bi-lingual aids so the responsibility falls on the program's teacher. A former student helps translate with the most difficult classes. She was funded by a program called Richmond Youth Works, but the funding is drying up. This grant will help supplement funds that are needed to pay her so she can finish this school year.

 

LGBT National Help Center

Providing vital peer support to the LGBTQIA+ community through multiple national hotlines and other online programs. All of volunteers are remote, which requires them all to have equipment to answer calls, this grant will help with being able to provide needed equipment for those answering calls.

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LGBTQ Merced

Providing social opportunities, as well as health and mental health referrals for LGBTQ+ people in their rural California county of Merced. An award will directly fund the free, monthly lunches they provide to the community. 

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Maintaining Empowerment Dedicated to Unite Survivors in Aid (MEDUSA) Project

MEDUSA project provides resources that can aid in restoring physical and mental health post-sexual assault. It maintains empowerment by gathering the tools to get connected with SF community resources and self-heal with plant medicine to treat symptoms of post-sexual assault. A new community project to address the service gap to treat post-sexual assault symptoms at home. This grant will pay for honey pot products like herbal infused pads, boric acid inserts, pH safe wipes and washes, as well as self care items like herbal tea, coloring pages/color pencils, underwear, pregnancy tests, and etc.

 

Marty's Place

Marty's Place is the only self governing low income housing cooperative for people living with HIV and AIDS in the United States. Funds to be used to make our entryway safer for residents and visitors by installing stair treads, improved lighting and video doorbell.

 

Misfit Cabaret

Kat Robichaud's Misfit Cabaret! The grant will help pay rent on their current theater, which is in the Tenderloin, a neighborhood that desperately needs venues to stay open to keep other businesses in business and not drop off into the pit of despair.

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Mutual Aid Babes

Maintains an abortion and bail savings account for the rural queer/trans community of middle Tennessee (the Short Mountain/IDA neighborhood). They help fund queer/trans activism, and, when possible, also provide direct grants to trans people, with BIPOC prioritized. They also provide free emergency contraception. Funds will be used to replenish the abortion & bail savings account, and restock emergency contraception.

 

New Community Café

Provides cell phone charging, WiFi, restrooms, food and supplies for unhoused folks in the rural town of Oakhurst, CA. Funds will be used to purchase supplies that they don’t get donated enough of, like tents, tarps, and shelf stable high protein food.

 

Pride Lafayette

Founded in 2003, Pride Lafayette provides year-round programming serving the LGBTQ+ community of Greater Lafayette and the surrounding rural counties in north Central Indiana. In addition to producing its annual OUTFest pride celebration, Pride Lafayette operates the oldest LGBTQ+ community center in the state with daily open hours 365 days a year. Funds will be used to purchase 2 10' x 20' tents to create a 20' x 20' sensory tent for their annual OUTFest pride festival in August.

 

QT care house

QTCareHouse is a collective of LGBTQ+ folks committed to creating joyful, affirming, and accessible spaces for our Queer and Trans New Orleanians to gather, connect, and receive free holistic care. Funding will help pay each practitioner for their work and keep their services free for participants. 

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Queen's Haven Bounce Back Program

Personal development coaching, case management and referral services to women who were formerly incarcerated, recently released from drug rehabilitation and/or experiencing homelessness to aid in their transition back into society. Funding is for upcoming personal development, housing, and job readiness workshops to empower women with essential skills and resources for success.

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Queer Humboldt/ KMUD Redwood Community Radio 

Youth & community outreach. This grant will help pay 2SLGBTQIA+ performers at their 2nd annual Southern Humboldt Pride 

 

Rainbow Collective for Change

RCC is a collective of LGBTQIA+ families working together to build safer, affirming spaces for children ages 0-12 who are gender diverse and/or have LGBTQIA+ caregivers in North Carolina. Funds will help host monthly meet ups for gender diverse children ages 8-12. They partner with local queer/BIPOC owned businesses to provide opportunities for connecting with each other and to new hobbies.

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Rainbow Defense Coalition of Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley

Protects drag story time events and other queer youth spaces, using trained volunteers with rainbow umbrellas to create a physical buffer between anti-LGBTQ hate and queer joy. Funds will be used to purchase more rainbow umbrellas, a button maker and supplies, and logo stickers.

 

Richmond Rainbow Pride

Celebrating their 10th anniversary pride! Funds will be used to pay out performers, DJ, and porta potties and ensure a great pride event!

 

Rural Oklahoma Pride

Helping the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in rural areas of Oklahoma. They will use the financial funding to become a 501c3

 

San Francisco Spikes Soccer Club

A non-profit that creates a healthy, affordable and supportive community environment for LGBTQIA+ people and allies to play soccer at all levels in local leagues. Funds will be used for scholarship applicants. The club has experienced immense growth from 96 members (2019) to 166 members (2023) - resulting in a greater need for scholarships.

 

Santa Tim

They provide & support families and individuals in low income and poverty stricken areas, and also assist Special Needs children. Funding will help with the purchase of food, clothing and essential need items.

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SF Drag King Contest

Educates, supports, enriches and promotes drag artists, providing a stage, resources and opportunities to entertain & enlighten the public in regards to the LGBTQIA+ Community to cleverly deconstruct the patriarchy. Funding will be used for promoting the event and towards covering the cost of bringing a Drag King megastar in as a special guest. 

 

Short Mountain Sanctuary

Provides a year round safe space for LGBTQ+ folx regardless of their ability to contribute (NOTAFLOF). Funding will provide supplies for the Trans/Femme and BIPOC autonomous spaces

 

Spirit Root Medicine People

​Spirit Root Medicine People is based in both Ohlone & Tiwa Territory. They offer community healing circles for Indigenous Two Spirit & QTBIPOC relatives toward decolonization, healing and reclamation of their medicine & lifeways. Funding will support the continuation of their healing circles and will enable them to offer a four-part series in Spring 2024.

 

The BOOM (originally, The Bayview BOOM)

The BOOM Apprenticeship uplifts teens at-risk for violence by teaching them to build and market boomboxes. They will learn engineering and entrepreneurship so they can implement their own product ideas. Funds will help pay professional engineers to prototype boombox electronic circuits and hardware needed for the youth-built boombox.

 

The First Place

First Place provides a safe space in the Tenderloin at 410 Ellis near Jones for 12-step Recovery meetings to take place. They mainly host AA meetings, but have had NA & Ala-non meetings as well. Funds will go toward remodelling their bathroom door and entry way to make it better accessible and secure for those attending recovery meetings. This will help members to feel safer in attending their groups.

 

The Landing Spot

Supporting and affirming LGBTQ+ youth, their adult caregivers, and the community through creating safe spaces, advocating for education, and providing peer-support. The grant will help fund having 50 LGBTQ+ youth attend Camp Fruit Loop this year. Event details are on their website.

 

Theatre Rhinoceros

The mission of Theatre Rhinoceros is to develop and produce works of theatre that enlighten, enrich, and explore both the ordinary and extraordinary aspects of our LGBTQ+ community. These funds will support costume designer fees and material costs for Theatre Rhinoceros' queer, modernized production of Shakespeare's 'All's Well that Ends Well,' the final production of their 47th season.

 

Transplanted Collective

A food and disability justice org focused on bridging gaps in access to fresh vegetables and culturally significant seeds for fellow queer/trans/Black/Indigenous/disabled peoples. Funds will be used to expand their community nursery and replace degraded equipment. The funds will also be used to cover the shipping costs and materials for any seed requests made through their website in 2024.

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UC Berkeley Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine

Organizing UC Berkeley graduate students around Palestinian liberation. Through education and activism, they amplify Palestinian voices, combat anti-Palestinian narratives, and strengthen intersectional bonds between Palestinian struggle and other movements. Funds will support an ongoing blockade of Sather Gate, where they have a rotating audiovisual installation to resist normalization of genocide in Gaza and pressure the UC to divest from Israel.

 

Ukiah Unity Coalition

A LGBTQ+ group that spreads awareness to their community. It will help up them to put on their LGBTQ+ pride event for their community

 

 

Wood Street Commons

Providing mutual aid within our unhoused community, connecting our community with resources like housing, transportation and love. The funds will be used to get their community van fixed so that they can continue the work of transportation and resource distribution. Any extra will be used to sponsor emergency shelter for our community.