The COVID-19 pandemic halted our traditional 2020 and 2021 Pride Parade and Festival, our organization’s largest fundraisers. The loss of these events and the funding they provide forced us to pause our community grants in 2020 and identify entirely new income sources in order to continue running our year-round education and advocacy programs.
In 1989 the leadership of San Diego Pride envisioned a model of organizing and fundraising that, in addition to supporting Pride’s own events and programs, would turn a profit to be invested in building capacity within our community. This model helped us provide grants starting in the 90s, allowing us to become one of the most philanthropic Prides in the world. San Diego Pride has given out over $3.2 million to LGBTQ-serving organizations locally, nationally, and globally. After a record-setting year in 2019, we distributed $340,000 to 60 organizations.
Over the last 2 years, as the world changed, so did the ways we give back to our community. During this time our philanthropy has looked like providing masks for seniors, free vaccines, food and clothing drives, scholarships for transgender students, and giving grocery gifts cards to bar and restaurant workers at LGBTQ-owned small businesses. Today we are finally able to bring back our Community Grants.
I’m beyond thrilled to say that we’re ending the year financially stable, ready to produce our full-scale Pride in 2022, and that by the end of this year we will have distributed over $136,000 to 27 LGBTQ-serving organizations and initiatives.
In a typical year, Pride’s grant funding would have invested in local, national, and international LGBTQIA work. This year we are focusing our giving on smaller local organizations to help foster their stability as we all work to emerge safe and strong from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last two years have been extremely challenging for everyone, and by working collaboratively we can continue to invest in each other to keep our community and movement Resilient.
With Pride,
Fernando Zweifach López
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Executive Director
San Diego Pride
2021 Pride funding recipients:
Fernando Lopez is the Executive Director of San Diego Pride. Lopez’s years of LGBT advocacy, nonprofit management, public education, diversity consulting, media relations, guest lectures, and organizing have made them a consistent presence ensuring the struggles of the LGBT community are ever visible.
