About Us

Our Purpose

The purpose of this fund is to provide resources and opportunities that promote queer nightlife in the SF Bay Area during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the history of white supremacy and male cisgender privilege in queer communities, we aim to prioritize women, transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and all queer Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

“Queer nightlife is a renowned and integral aspect of San Francisco Bay Area culture. The people who produce and staff local queer nightlife have been financially devastated by the venue closures resulting from the coronavirus crisis. The Bay Area is known worldwide as a center for amazing queer nightlife. Let’s keep that nightlife alive by lending a helping hand to those who need our help in these trying times.”

Race Bannon
Writer & Activist

“Queer nightlife has always stepped up to support our community in times of need. Now the workers who are the backbone of our nightlife industry need our support. The San Francisco Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund offers a lifeline to these workers until they can get back to work.”

Rafael Mandelman
San Francisco District 8 Supervisor

“Queer nightlife is at the heart of our community. For generations of LGBTQ people, nightlife is how we found our community and learned that we aren’t alone. The workers who make queer nightlife run are unsung heroes…. We need to be there for them. For those of us fortunate enough to still have a paycheck, let’s chip in to help these members of our community survive. The San Francisco Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund is an amazing way to do so.”

Scott Wiener
California State Senator

“We need to band together as a community to help support our friends who work in nightlife, now more than ever. With COVID-19 just starting to affect our City, the newly instated quarantine is going to rapidly change the lives of those who help make the magic happen, night after night. The SF Queer Nightlife Fund will secure their stability now and until this pandemic is over.”

Juanita More
Activist & Entrepeneur

“All of us who still have jobs can support those who don’t. We must all support our friends and neighbors as we face this new challenge to our community and our nation. We’ve been to this rodeo before, and we know what to do.”

Cleve Jones
Writer & Activist

“As a united San Francisco Bay Area, now is the time to band together to ensure that all of us make it through this latest challenge together. Our artists, performers, our nightlife creators, especially Queer Nightlife, are part of the heart and soul, the very fabric of San Francisco. They create the bubble that keeps us from living in a place just like the place we escaped. These visionaries and cultural pioneers must be here for when this crisis is through.”

Brian Basinger
Executive Director, The Q Foundation

1. Employed in Queer Nightlife

Those eligible to receive funds are those for whom nightlife employment constitutes a significant portion of their regular monthly income, and where nightlife is defined as working as:

• A service industry worker, such as a bartender or server at a nightlife establishment.
• An entertainer, such as a DJ, dancer, or drag performer who performs at nightlife events.
• An artist, such as a production, lighting designer, or event photographer.
• A vendor or contractor primarily serving the nightlife industry.
• A producer or organizer of nightlife events.

2. Financial Hardship & Need

Applicants’ annual or monthly income should be considered low- or moderate- income (LMI) for the SF Bay Area.

Only life-line expenses will be considered for a grant, such as:

• Rent
• Electricity, Gas
• Basic Telephone / Internet Service
• Food (normal basic maintenance)
• Medical, Insurance (if none other is available)

3. Application Deadline

Watch this site for the next opportunity to apply.