Each year, World Bear Weekend donates a portion of our proceeds (after expenses) to local and global LGBTQ+ charities. This year, we have partnered with the organizations below:
In countries all over the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBT) people still live in basic fear for their freedom, their safety and their lives. They often have nowhere to turn because their government and police not only tolerate but encourage this brutality. Rainbow Railroad exists to help these people get out of danger to somewhere safe. In the spirit of and with homage to the Underground Railroad, the mission of the Rainbow Railroad is to help LGBT people as they seek safe haven from state enabled violence, murder or persecution. Through funds collected by people like you, we’re able to support, provide information, and help to arrange safe transportation for these LGBT people to somewhere in the world where they can live their lives in safety.
Rainbow Railroad versus other charities is that you have a tangible and immediate impact. By donating to Rainbow Railroad, you help us provide information and support to LGBT individuals living in fear and isolation due to government and police supported persecution and violence. In many cases we are also able to provide funds to help individuals get to safe or safer countries for LGBT people. This can include funds to cover the cost of travel documents, airfare, and basic needs while individuals are in hiding or preparing to leave to a safer country. World Bear Weekend will donate a percentage of our proceeds (after expenses) from our 2026 event to Rainbow Railroad.
Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline and microgrants 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.
The impact of our work extends far beyond the direct services we provide. From our program design to our advocacy efforts, everything we do at Trans Lifeline is in support of broader movements for collective liberation. We are building community-based alternatives to ways trans people have been policed, pathologized, and targeted by oppressive systems at every turn. We are healing justice, mutual aid, and community empowerment in action. Specifically, we work on:
- Suicide & Trauma
- Non-Consensual Hospitalization & Medical Discrimination
- Economic Oppression
- Racism
- Xenophobia
- Isolation
- Criminalization
- Ableism
For more information about this organization, visit https://translifeline.org/
WORLD BEAR WEEKEND 