2022 CHECK CELEBRATION (PRESS RELEASE)
Editorial Contact:
Philip Grasso, President
Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation
Email: philip@grgrf.org
Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation grants $230,000 to beneficiary organizations in 2022, totalling more than $3.6 million since 1989
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. November 29, 2022 — The Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation is excited to announce that its extremely successful season of fundraising events allowed us to grant $230,000—up from $158,000 in 2021—to ten local LGBTQ nonprofits.
GRGRF's all-volunteer teams had many successes and accomplishments in 2022 coming out of the pandemic. We streamlined our beneficiary application process, which delivered larger grants to smaller, local grassroots nonprofits. We updated the Host program with a focus on fundraising, which brought in an additional $39,000 for the big check. And we launched the We Rise LGBTQ Scholarship, individual grants that focus on the development of skills necessary to find meaningful employment opportunities in the Bay Area.
Will Vitagliano, Events Chair for the 2022 season of events said, "I am ecstatic with how successful our year was and with the total amount that we were able to donate to our amazing beneficiary organizations. I am so proud that they represent such a vast array of communities within the LGBTQ+ umbrella and how they encapsulate so many vital aspects of our community that makes it so vibrant, unique, and special. We built stronger relationships between our Hosts, community, and our Circle of Friends while remaining true to our roots and by showing the world who we are and what we represent." Our grants were made to the following organizations:
Tom Tarn, incoming 2023 Events Chair said, “I’m incredibly honored to be given this new responsibility, and I look forward to working with such an inspired and joyful community of fellow volunteers. I hope my year of service to this organization helps further its mission of changing lives by promoting a happy, healthy, and connected Bay Area LGBTQ community.”
About the Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation and its Season of Events
The Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our annual fundraising events are completely volunteer-produced, with the production costs of our signature REAL BAD event underwritten by our loyal Hosts and Sponsors. This unique support enables 100% of the general admission ticket price from REAL BAD to be donated to charity. The Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation has donated more than $3.6 million to local and national nonprofits since 1989.
The Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation changes lives by supporting organizations that promote a happy, healthy, and connected LGBT community. For more information, visit www.grgrf.org and www.realbad.org.