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San Diego Pride’s annual festival and parade is a celebration of diversity and love in a safe environment for all to enjoy. On average, the weekend brings in 3 million dollars, which we actively use to give back to local, national, and global communities.
In 2016, we continued the tradition by donating a total of $80,000 in grants to 41 nonprofit organizations to aid their development and growth. The following highlights 11 of the non-profit organizations we donated to last year and what they were able to accomplish with the grants.
Click on an organization’s name for direct links to their page:
- SEED (Malaysia Pride)
- Fierté Simcoe Pride
- Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center
- San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition
- Lambda Archives of San Diego
- Diversionary Theatre
- Trans Youth Project
- Being Alive
- Lead The Way
- The Industry
- Casa Ruby
[nextpage title=”SEED (Malaysian Pride)”]
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SEED: Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kebajikan Dan Persekitaran Positif Malaysia, makes sure that ‘Nobody Gets Left Behind’. They are the only non governmental organization that is community led and provides safe spaces for the transgender community.
The project proposed to San Diego Pride for the grant aims to support SEED to sustain the Drop In Center, which provides a safe space for the community where they can access basic services and needs such as food, hygiene, referrals, care, support, and education in Kuala Lumpur.
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“Receiving the Grant support from San Diego Pride has [allowed] SEED to continue the Drop In Center for the community, where they are able to receive information, support, care, and safe place to be [themselves],” said Nisha Ayub, SEED Program Director. “San Diego Pride has given the community here in Malaysia a sense of belonging. [We] are truly grateful and humbled to have an ally [in] San Diego Pride.”
[nextpage title=”Fierté Simcoe Pride “]
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Located in Ontario, Canada, Fierté Simcoe Pride creates and offers inclusive events, services, and educational opportunities that rise above heterosexism, hetero-normativity and homo/bi/transphobia to promote safe communities within Simcoe County. They also provide social support services, such as support groups and healthy living activities for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) persons as well as their families and communities.
With the grant, they were able to inform the public by offering educational programs and seminars related to LGBT issues in the local community. They also hosted special events such as the annual Fierté Simcoe Pride Festival, International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia, and Trans Day of Remembrance.”
[nextpage title=”The Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center Youth Committee”]![](https://sdpride.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/I.V.-LGBT-Resource-Center-logo-20152-e1438235500678-1-300x155.jpg)
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The Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center Youth Committee was formed with the intention of providing leadership skills to youth between the ages of 14 and 25 by giving them roles of responsibility for events.
“As the impact of funding cuts are felt so keenly by those we serve,” said Rosa Diaz, CEO of the Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center. “The grant award helps us provide educational services, events, and activities to LGBT youth and adults needing to have a safe place to be themselves, express their ideas and thoughts, and be with those who understand and care about them”.
In the past year, the youth committee organized the first LGBT Valentine’s Dance with over 100 people in attendance. The event included families and friends who enjoyed a delicious complimentary meal, dancing, and a drag show at the Twin Dragon restaurant in Heber.
They have also hosted three Poetry Perches which is an open mic night for anyone who wants to share their poetry or musical talent, and a Sunday Funday for families and friends to socialize.
[nextpage title=”San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition”]
The mission of the San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition is to work together to build and sustain a stronger Black LGBTQ community in San Diego. They aim to form a united front of Black LGBTQ leaders coming together for the common social, political, and economic advancement of Black LGBTQ individuals into a thriving community.
“The San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition is a new organization,” said Treasurer Kanisha Morgan. “Thanks to the grant from San Diego Pride, we were able to develop our steering committees and make plans for social events and a conference in the Fall of 2017. “
[nextpage title=”Lambda Archives”]
The mission of the Lambda Archives of San Diego is to collect, preserve, and teach the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in San Diego and Imperial Counties and Northern Baja California. With assistance from the Pride grant, the Lambda Archives has been able to celebrate their 30th anniversary by hosting public events throughout 2017.
“History is best reflected in the records and cultural artifacts of those people who are directly involved in its events,” said Head Archivist Jen LaBarbera. “Archives are usually considered to be resources primarily for scholars and academic researchers, but we are committed to opening up our stacks to broader audiences.”
Most of the collections date to post-1970, but there are original materials dating back to the 1930’s. Lambda Archives is dedicated to preserving and interpreting this important material and making it available for learning to everyone.
[nextpage title=”Diversionary Theatre”]
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Diversionary Theatre was founded in 1986 to provide quality theatre for the lesbian, gay, bisexual , and transgender communities. The mission of the theatre is to provide an inspiring and thought provoking theatrical platform to explore complex and diverse LGBT stories, which influence the larger cultural discussion.
“Diversionary is grateful for the commitment of San Diego Pride in supporting our mission of providing an inspiring and thought provoking theatrical platform to explore complex and diverse LGBT stories, which influence the larger cultural discussion,” said David R. Shorey, Diversionary Development Associate.
San Diego Pride’s generous grant helped Diversionary to produce the World Premiere production of Ballast by Georgette Kelly. In an investigation of identification and intimacy, Ballast intertwines the story of two relationships between trans and cisgender partners as they grapple with the stranger they find across the dinner table and in the mirror. This cutting-edge new play skydives into personal identity, navigating intricate dreamscapes to explore how gender shapes our spirituality, desires and destiny.
SD Pride’s grant also helped support Diversionary’s New Play Festival, Spark. From May 18-21, Spark presented four one-night-only readings of fascinating contemporary works never before seen in San Diego by exceptional playwrights. The festival featured staged readings of Le Switch by Philip Dawkins, Directed by Meg DeBoard; The Nether by Jennifer Haley, Directed by Matt M. Morrow; The Harvest by Samuel D. Hunter, Directed by Anthony Methvin; Swimming Circles by Philip Himberg, Directed by Will Detlefsen, and two Master Classes taught by Phillip Dawkins and Jennifer Haley.
[nextpage title=”Trans Youth Project”]
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The Trans Youth Project is an organized collective working to fulfill the needs of trans and gender non-conforming youth by providing resources, safe spaces, and pathways to advocacy. This year, the grant helped the Trans Youth Project host a Leadership Retreat in March and a LGBTQIA Spring Dance.
Throughout the year, the organization hosts social dances, workshops, and Holiday Wishes, which provides gender affirming gifts to trans youth during the holidays. The Trans Youth Project also offers educational programming to school faculty and students.
[nextpage title=”Being Alive”]![](https://sdpride.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BALOGO-300x60.jpg)
Being Alive’s mission is to provide quality, compassionate services, education, and referral services to people affected or infected with HIV/AIDS. Being Alive’s vision and goals are to meet the “unmet needs” of San Diegan’s living with HIV/AIDS by providing comprehensive services
“We envision a world where people living with HIV/AIDS are met with compassion instead of stigma,” said Executive Director Shannon Wagner. “Where we can help them stabilize their lives and where the community can come together for HIV/AIDS education, in an effort to create better understanding of the disease and compassion for people living with it.”
The San Diego Pride grant assisted the continuation of the Helping Hands Moving Program (HHMP) and Being Alive’s grocery program “Daniel’s Market”. The HHMP provides moving services for low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS who would not otherwise be able to move. “Daniel’s Market” provides over 600 clients with quality, fresh foods and staples including fresh produce, dairy and meats.
[nextpage title=”Lead the Way San Diego”]
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Lead the Way is dedicated to the development and performance of high quality research that enhances the quality and duration of life for people living with HIV, Hepatitis C, and other infectious diseases of global significance, while respecting and supporting the best interests of our clients.
“Lead the Way SD is immensely thankful to accept an in-kind donation from San Diego LGBT Pride of Pride Festival tickets for our “Testing for Tickets” program,” said Marvin Hanashiro, Staff Research Associate & Community Health Liaison at UCSD AntiViral Research Center. “The program offers a complimentary 2-day Pride Festival ticket to each participant that completes an HIV test with us. This greatly benefits our testing program and clients because it encourages people to get tested and engaged in care, while also supporting our local Pride festivities.”
Lead the Way operates various testing centers in Hillcrest and sets up mobile testing sites at a variety of community events- including the San Diego Pride Festival- to offer free, confidential HIV testing to as many residents of San Diego as possible.
They maintain a safe, caring, and confidential environment for persons of any age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. The program hopes to increase the number of people getting tested regularly for HIV in San Diego by making testing readily available in the community.
[nextpage title=”The Industry – Chula Vista”]![](https://sdpride.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/the-industry-150x150.jpg)
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The mission of The Industry is “to be a sacred space where social justice and the arts come together to make a difference in our community.” The Industry is also recognized as a safe space where each member of the LGBTQ community is welcomed, affirmed, celebrated, and supported.
“The grant [from San Diego Pride] has helped us continue building upon our work, specifically by creating a safe space for LGBTQ youth to gather, connect, and explore ideas and projects they’d like to work on together,” said Francisco Garcia-Velasquez, Reverend for the Industry. “In March we hosted a movie night exploring the intersection between theater and LGBTQ advocacy with a youth focus. Then in May we hosted the ‘South Bay Other Prom’ for LGBTQ youth, where the grant helped us with food, beverages, decorations, and promotion.”
[nextpage title=”Casa Ruby”]![](https://sdpride.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/8bff258949dd-300x201.jpg)
Casa Ruby is the only Bilingual Multicultural LGBT Organization providing life saving services and programs to the most vulnerable in the LGBT community. Their mission and vision is to create a world where Transgender, Gender Queer, and Gender Non-conforming people pursue their dreams and achieve success in their lives without fear of discrimination, harassment, or violence due to their sexual orientation and/or Gender Identity and Expression.
Casa Ruby was able to initiate a Navigation Services Program to address longstanding concerns of police brutality and LGBTQ People with the help of the San Diego Pride in-kind grant.
Their Drop Inn-Community Center is the only Bilingual Multicultural LGBT safe space in Washington, DC. The center offers a wide range of resources and programs including makeup artistry, sewing, English classes, Spanish classes, case management, legal counseling, a cyber center, support groups, resume writing and STI testing.
[nextpage title=”2017!”]
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Each year, Pride strives to continue our grant program to help as many LGBT serving non-profits and organizations possible. Our success is something that the entire community can take Pride in. Whether you’re a volunteer, a sponsor, a ticket buyer, or one of the 20+ community organizations we work with to make Pride happen, take Pride in knowing that the support and hard work you put into Pride will help serve our community beyond just one weekend a year, and bring critical resources to a spectrum of LGBTQ programs and lives.
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Click on an organization’s name for direct links back to their page:
- SEED (Malaysia Pride)
- Fierté Simcoe Pride
- Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center
- San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition
- Lambda Archives of San Diego
- Diversionary Theatre
- Trans Youth Project
- Being Alive
- Lead The Way
- The Industry
- Casa Ruby