These San Francisco Bay Area Music Venues Need Your Help to Survive

Artwork by Aaron De La Cruz www.aarondelacruz.com/

The future is uncertain for your favorite local music venue staff. If you’re able, you can help today by making a donation to their online fundraisers. Any amount will help, just think of it as a ticket, drink or poster you might have normally purchased if these venues were still open today.

Here is a list of local SF Bay Area music venues with active fundraisers that directly benefit the live music industry.

Because the situation is changing minute-by-minute this is by no means a complete list but we will add more music venues as we are notified of them. Have a tip? Email us!

924 Gilman Street Project (nonprofit)

All Ages DIY Volunteer Run venue. Donate

Madrone Art Bar and Pops Bar

“During this crisis, we will be bringing you stories and cocktail recipes from our staff. We hope you will enjoy learning more about the people who have been serving you and donate aka “tip” them to help support them. This money goes directly to the featured staff member.” Tips for Tips

El Rio

“100% of the money we receive will be split among ALL of our staff” Donate

Benders

Benders “As much as you miss the cheap drinks, tater tots, cute back patio, and our charming personalities, we miss you more… The money will go directly to the employees.” Donate

Freight & Salvage (nonprofit)

Make a Gift

Rickshaw Stop

Funds donated here will be distributed directly to the Rickshaw Stop family. Donate

Bottom of the Hill

“We have set up a Relief Fund to help our employees stay afloat until we can reopen.” Donate/Buy A Limited Edition Shirt

UC Theatre (non-profit)

60% of operating budget comes from earned revenue and 40% from contributions. Donate to the Concert Career Pathways Education Program or Annual Fund. Link to support

Gray Area (nonprofit)

“From our unique position as a nexus for interdisciplinary arts, we will expand on our successful Experiential Space Research Lab and Immersive Education programs to explore new ways of connecting, learning, and preserving intimacy through live streaming, online education, and virtual spaces.” Link to support

The Lost Church (nonprofit)

Become a member

Monarch & The Great Northern

Staff Appreciation Fund

SOMArts Cultural Center (nonprofit)

One time or Monthly Donations

The Chapel

“All money raised will be solely divided up amongst the staff.”
Donate

DNA Lounge

“DNA Lounge has always been a political project: an attempt to move the needle of culture in this city. To provide a form of a wide variety of art that makes this city a better place.”Donate + Benefits for Higher level patronage

Halcyon

Family Fundraiser

Starline Social Club

“Home to over 60 bartenders, servers, cooks, event staff, and security team members. Any funds raised will be distributed in full to staff by percent of time worked over last six months.” Help employees who were laid off

F8 Nightclub

100% of precedes go to staff Donate

The Knockout

“If you have the ability to donate even a small amount, it would help them immensely.” Donate

Beauty Bar

“Bar shifts make up a significant portion, and sometimes the entirety, of their income.” Donate

Cat Club

“There’s gonna be one hell of a party when we can all come back! Stay safe and wash those hands!” Donate

The Stud

Venmo @STUD_SF

Jolene’s

“This fund will be distributed evenly amongst all employees. Life in the bay is expensive and we really don’t know when we’ll be able to reopen and reoccupy our community space.” Donate

Piano Fight

“Thousand of people perform here every year. Tens of thousands see shows here every year. And if you contribute to this campaign, we will have a place to come together once this crisis has ended.” Donate

OMG

“Committed to paying the staff $5/hour for the scheduled hours that they would have worked.” Donate

Ginger’s

“All donations will be evenly distributed to staff members” Donate

Ivy Room

Paypal /ivyroom

Honey Hive Gallery

“There’s no online fundraiser planned, but people could mail checks of any amount made out to Honey Hive Gallery LLC and it would directly support us. Address is in our bio… And show up in droves once shows are back on.”

Public Works

“Current options are limited and uncertain. So we, the staff of Public Works, are asking for your help during these trying times. Any and all donations make a difference and 100% of the proceeds benefit the staff directly.”Donate

Elbo Room Jack London Square

“100% of the money received will go directly to our staff to help supplement the lost wages and tips during this forced shutdown.”
Donate

Noise Pop

“Our goal is to not have to make further cuts, and we’re working hard on some new initiatives to help us through this, but it will not be soon enough and for now really need your help. Donations from this campaign will go entirely to keeping our crew employed and the company afloat, so that we can continue to focus on creating more work and opportunities for our community and uplifting and diversifying the Bay Area music and arts scene.” Donate

BFF.FM Monthly Concerts (nonprofit)

Become a Bestie and “help us support, mentor, and provide opportunities for Bay Area DJs from all walks of life to learn radio and DJ skills, while serving a community of listeners who want to hear voices and sounds that are normally underrepresented in mainstream media.” Donate or Become a Bestie

1015

“1015 will be matching EVERY dollar raised here so the #s donated will 2x automatically. Please continue to share this and let’s get this pumping!” Donate

Emporium

“100% of all donations will go directly to our most affected staff during these very hard and unsure times.” Donate

Red Poppy Art House (nonprofit)

“Can one be small, meaningful, and effective, and still flourish?” Donate

Eli’s Mile High Club

Employee Apocalypse Fund Donate

Make Out Room and Latin American Club

“The funds collected will go towards the next two months in rent, employees hourly wages and lost tips, paying distributors, and maintenance.”
Donate

The Royal Cuckoo Organ Lounge

“All funds will go towards relief for our employees and payment of rent and other bills. If you are unable to contribute financially then please spread the word.”
Donate

The Midway

“We appreciate all donations, big and small. But! If you donate $25 or more, we will guest list you to any future Midway event once we are up and running again. A $50 donation is good for two guest list spots. And so on.”
Donate

Martuni’s

“All of it (minus the gofundme fees) will be split among the employees at Martunis!”
Donate

Audio & Bergerac

“Ownership will also be matching a percentage of all donations.”
Donate

Chamber’s

“Our hope is to help our team-members meet just basic human needs, and to keep them living here in the Bay Area.”
Donate

John Colins

“We are in we are at place where outside assistance will be needed to reopen John Colins. Any funds not used for the direct operating expenses will be given directly to the staff.”
Donate

Aunt Charlie’s

“At a moment when historical queer spaces are closing, reach into your pockets to Save Aunt Charlie’s! Contribute whatever you can—no amount is too little.”
Donate

Golden Bull

“Due to Covid-19 we have been forced to close for an undetermined amount of time. By donating you will be helping our bartenders get through this difficult time.”
Donate

Thee Parkside

“Thee Lockdown” is a virtual show series LIVE streamed from Thee Parkside’s Instagram on a weekly basis. We miss our bands, our staff and our patrons! This is our way of staying connected and keeping staff afloat.”
Donate

Cafe du Nord

“Any and all donations big or small will be going directly to our small bar crew to help with everyday needs.”
Donate

Cafe Van Kleef

“All donations will be given directly to all of the hourly staff”
Donate

Amado’s

“Amado’s creates jobs for bartenders, security, box office/show managers, booking and sound techs. In addition, it provides a venue for bands, DJ’s and artists of all types to perform on a nightly basis.”
Donate

Slim’s and Great American Music Hall

“Every little bit ensures staff—the box office attendants, security personnel, cooks, bartenders, waitstaff, stage managers, lighting and audio techs, and everyone in between that makes the scene possible—will have a promising return.”
Donate

The Independent

“If you can, please help by contributing what you can to this staff-run fundraiser.”
Donate

Amoeba Music

“Any donation to this campaign will contribute to the cash resources we need to deal with the immediate future, to take care of our staff of over 400 Amoebites, and to allow Amoeba to continue operations.”
Donate

Boom Boom Room

“Our extensive family of local musicians are relying upon the day that the Boom Boom Room reemerges in support of their talents with live music shows to pay their rents, foster their art and creativity.”
Donate

Radio Stations

SomaFM

“SomaFM is entirely listener-supported and independent radio. We don’t run ads because that would mean giving up our independence, plus we don’t want to interrupt the music with annoying.” Support

KXSF 102.5

“Independent radio needs your financial help to stay on the air ~ KXSF is non-profit, community radio and we need our community’s help to keep us alive.”
Support and Donate

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We’re all in this together, let’s stay Bay Area strong!

SF Station
San Francisco’s Independent City Guide Since 1996

Comments

  1. Café Van Kleef in Oakland is a family-owned bar and jazz venue that is an integral part of Oakland’s bar culture. Heck, they even have part of Telegraph Ave named after them! CVK have a gofundme set up to help their staff, people can donate here>>> https://www.gofundme.com/f/cafe-van-kleef-staff-support-fund

    If you can’t donate, consider visiting them when they re-open; they have, hands down, the best grey hound you’ll ever drink!

  2. Missed Thee Parkside, too.

    1. added!

    1. Added!

  3. W O W – how could you forget about the Great American Music Hall and Slims (which literally JUST closed because of all this bullshit). These venues are locally run and locally owned and are in just as much need. I know a lot of people who work there and they can’t even afford to buy food right now. Fix this now.

    1. We don’t see a fund for staff at either venue online, if you see one please let us know and we’ll add it here.

    2. GAMH and Slims are not “independent” venues. Goldenvoice (Coachella) has been running both for the past two years. Just as the Independent is ownned by ClearChannel and the Fillmore by LiveNation. Great venues, but far from “independent”

      1. Parker Gibbs,

        So that actually isn’t true. There is a lot of misinformation out there about the relationship between Goldenvoice and GAMH/Slims, but they are not owned or run by Goldenvoice. I know almost everyone who works there and am well versed in the way the venue is run. According to Billboard.com, the “owners of San Francisco Slim’s and The Great American Music Hall have signed with Goldenvoice for talent booking services.” That might be confusing for some, but talent booking is a service, similar to how most companies hire vendors for payroll, ticketing, etc. GAMH is owned by the same people it’s always been owned by and is run by local, hardworking folks, Goldenvoice just books some of the shows.

        Here is the link to their Gofundme: http://gf.me/u/xsyzjh

      2. They are still independently owned. GV May book the shows but definitely do not own the venues.

      3. The venue is independently owned. GV helps book the shows but definitely does not own the business.

Comments are closed.