Beneficiaries — Academy of Friends

Over the last 40 years, Academy of Friends has distributed over $8.7 million to more than 73 organizations serving men, women, and children affected by HIV/AIDS.

A rigorous grant review process determines which HIV/AIDS service agencies receive proceeds from the upcoming Academy of Friends Gala. The Board of Directors selects a diverse group of organizations providing direct services to people living with HIV/AIDS or providing HIV prevention education programs. These agencies provide a wide range of services reaching people throughout the Bay Area.

We present our 2019-2020 Beneficiaries:

LGBT Asylum Project

The LGBT Asylum Project is the only San Francisco nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to providing accessible legal representation for LGBT asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution due to their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or HIV status.

Our clients arrive in the United States with horrendous histories of imprisonment, bodily harm, torture, and psychological trauma. These atrocities are inflicted on them by their own governments, countrymen, and, worst of all, friends and families. They have committed no crime, yet cannot live freely in their own countries due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Many have faced excruciating challenges to escape their home countries and travel to the United States. They come to San Francisco as it is known internationally as a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community. They come to the Castro District to find a sanctuary, a place where they can be safe, secure, healthy, and productive. This is where they find The LGBT Asylum Project. Our sign, hanging clearly in the heart of the Castro, is a beacon of hope that means the possibility of remaining here permanently and receiving understanding, caring, and professional assistance to do so.

We work directly with clients and ensure that they receive the most suitable and appropriate services based on each case. Our clients originate from all over the world, from countries including but not limited to Algeria, Bahrain, Brazil, Burma, China, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Korea, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam, which are known for extreme and violent persecution of LGBT communities. Without our timely assistance, vulnerable individuals will potentially be deported to face persecution, imprisonment, and even death in their home countries.

The LGBT Asylum Project provides support to immigrants in the San Francisco Asylum Office jurisdiction (from Bakersfield, CA to Seattle, WA), identify as LGBTQ+, and have been persecuted or have fears of future persecution if they return to their home country.