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Emergency Survival Fund: LGBTQ2S artists, performers, tip-based workers and Glad Day
The Problem A huge number of queer and trans people rely on revenue that can’t be traced back...

The Problem
A huge number of queer and trans people rely on revenue that can’t be traced back to an employer, so financial supports for businesses and employers will not help us. Many of us will face a crisis before government help arrives. Artists, performers, sex workers, tip-based workers – these are just some of the people who are are experiencing a swift and brutal loss of income. On top of that, many LGBTQ2S people are not supported by their family of origin and have a weak financial support network.

Our Position
Glad Day is uniquely positioned to be able to identify and support LGBTQ2S artists, performers and tip-based workers who are in dire financial need. Our connections to community run deep and already we have been overwhelmed with the number of people who have reached out to us, shocked, desperate and no idea how they are going to get through the next few days, much less the next week or month.

On top of that, Glad Day itself is faced with an immediate crisis. It’s no secret that we have been struggling financially for years and that, without financial support from fundraising and grants, we might be forced to close. We have a non-profit side, called Glad Day Lit, that we have been building to help keep us open and eventually turn 100% of our operations into a charity, but its growth has been slower than we hoped.


The Idea

Given that both Glad Day and the people we serve are faced with an immediate crisis, we want to create a fund that supports Glad Day and the people we serve.

The Plan
All donations to the fund will be split the following ways:
30% – Paid work for LGBTQ2S artists and performers
30% – Swift grants to LGBTQ2S artists, performers and tip-based workers for food and housing
10% – Swift no-interest loans to artists, performers and tip-based workers
15% – Goes towards Glad Day Lit admin costs and becoming a charity
15% – Goes towards keeping Glad Day open


The Team
We have established a team to review applications and provide oversight and transparency for the disbursement of funds. This team includes: Priyanka, Michael Erickson, Jade Niles Craig, Denise McLeod, John Caffery, Kaleb Robertson and more.

The Goal
If we can raise $100,000, we would be able to:
– Support 100-150 artists, performers and tip-based workers
– Keep Glad Day open for one month, until we find out if government support will help us

Applications
The application is now open: https://forms.gle/KNfYtGiG4eajG5xd7
As of Tuesday at 1pm, we have OVER 300 requests for support in less than 24 hours.
The total requests for fund if people don’t need to pay rent is over $70,000.
The total requests for fund if people do need to pay rent is over $230,000.
We will start disbursing funds on Wednesday.

Major Donors & Questions
If you would like to be a major donor (over $5,000) or if you have any questions about donating,, please email Michael Erickson directly at michael@gladday.ca.

 

More about how funds will be used

Paid Work
There can still be many ways to pay artists and performers for their work. While performing for audiences in person might not be possible, we can pay people to:

  •  create audio and video recordings of performances
  •  host live-streamed events on platforms that provide additional ways for performers to get tip/ticket revenue
  • create works (craft, writing, etc) that can later be sold at Glad Day or online
  • other projects that artists and performers pitch to us

Swift Grants & Loans
Many people need money now. We will offer both grants and loans to people from $200-$1200, based on need. We will make the applications easy and set up an application review team made up of community members. People will have a year to pay back the loan, then the money will be put back into a fund for ongoing artist loans and grants.

Glad Day Lit & Glad Day
These funds will be used to keep Glad Day open and our staff fully employed. It will pay for all the admin labour needed to coordinate this program. It will also help us fast-track Glad Day to becoming a charity.


We can get through this together.
We can’t get through it alone.
We need you.

 


DONATE: HERE
Image Credit: Alex Jackman