The SF Queer Nightlife Fund (QNF) — a Bay Area nonprofit geared toward supporting the region’s LGBTQ+ entertainment workers — has announced it is accepting yet another round of applications for emergency grant awards.

San Francisco has long been known for having one of the nation’s most vibrant LGBTQ+ nightlife scenes — the same one that as of late has sat largely listless amid the pandemic. To buoy the workers who once filled these venues, QNF has continued awarding grants to approved applicants over the past few months; last year, the group raised well over $300K in funds to help donation recipients stay financially afloat. And now, they’ll be accepting more applications from in-need nightlife workers for a new round of grant awards. 

We have has opened up our next round of applications for emergency grant awards to workers in Bay Area queer nightlife who are still having financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are due February 10, 2021.https://t.co/8V4va2dhUy

— SF Queer Nightlife Fund (@qnightlifefund) January 21, 2021

“The SF Bay Area Queer Nightlife Fund (QNF) has opened up our next round of applications for emergency grant awards to workers in Bay Area queer nightlife who are still having financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the organization writes in a recent news release. “For this round, QNF is providing emergency grants for food (normal basic maintenance) and medical expenses (prescriptions and essential care) only, up to $500.”

QNF has broadly supported queer nightlife workers by offering single-installment grants directly to approved applicants. Previously, the average amount received by grantees ranged from $300 to around $2,750, funds that could be used for essential needs like rent, paying utility and cell phone bills, and insurance costs. As mentioned above: the amounts bestowed to grantees for this round will be up to $500 and will be meant to help secure sustenance and lessen the sting from medical expenses. 

Admittedly, the nonprofit has mentioned the past few months have been especially difficult for the organization when it comes to raising donations.

"Right now, due to the challenging financial landscape and duration of the pandemic, fundraising has been difficult,” the news releases continue. “We hope that those people who do have extra money on hand will consider donating.”

For more information on how to give to QNF, visit at sfqueernightlifefund.org/donate; each donation is tax-deductible, as QNF is a fiscally sponsored project of the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. And additional details on the organization and the collective of local LGBTQ+ notables who make up the group — among which include writer and activist Race Bannon, laudable SF drag queen Juanita MORE!, and producer Phil Hammack — go to queernightlifefund.org/about.

Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, February 10 to be considered for this next installment of grant awards.