Mission
The Cherry Fund, established in 1996, and located in Washington, DC, is an independent, all-volunteer led & managed 501 (c) 3 organization. The sole purpose of the Fund is to raise monies for service-based non-profit organizations serving the LGBT community of Washington and beyond. “ Since its inception, The Cherry Fund has raised more than $1.3 Million dollars for area LGBTQIA non-profit organizations within the HIV/AIDS and Mental Health Communities.
Notes from the nonprofit
The Cherry Fund has donated more than $1.3 million in grants & support. Organizations we helped include: Advocates for Youth, AQUA, ASGRA, Camp Rehoboth, Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance, Capital Pride, Capital Trans Pride, Church of the Pilgrim, DC Aquatics Swim Team, DC Black Pride, DC Care Consortium, DC Leatherfest, DC Rape Crisis Center, DC Wetskins, Delphi Foundation, Delta Lambda Phi, Food and Friends, Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore, GL Victory Foundation, GLAAD, INOVA (Juniper Program), La Clinica del Pubelo, Lambda Legal Defense Fund, Latino GLBT History Project, Mautner Project, Metro TeenAIDS, NOAM, One in Ten, Out for Work, Pediatric AIDS HIV Care, Pride & Heritage Celebration, Project Lazarus, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, SMYAL, Sundance, The Metro DC Center, The Trevor Project, Triangle Community Works, Us Helping Us, Victory Foundation, Wanda Alston House, Renegades Rugby Football Club, Women's Collective, Youth Pride Alliance and more!
Ruling year
1999
Board Chairman
Mr. Allen Sexton
Main address
996 Maine Avenue SW #703
Washington, DC 20024 USA
EIN
52-2139599
NTEE code
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (T12)
Human Services - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (P99)
Community Coalitions (S21)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Cherry Fund, established in 1996, and located in Washington, DC, is a not-for-profit independent, all-volunteer organization that serves as a spark to ignite the dance music community for a greater good. The Cherry Fund actively raises funds to support the HIV/AIDS service and prevention community via charity dance events. Over the years, CHERRY has collaborated with the biggest, most progressive names in dance music, to host some of the largest parties in the mid-Atlantic.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
DIRECT GRANT PROGRAM
Funding from our direct grant program supports non-profits whose work and mission is consistent with our own mission of supporting the HIV/AIDS Service Community.
BARRY SMYTHERS FUND
The Barry Smythers Fund is our new program created in honor of Barry Smythers, one of our strongest supporters and volunteer who unexpectedly took his own life. Funding from this program will support mental health and support group programs throughout the DMV area.
PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
Funding from our partnership programs is given to non-profit organizations and programming partners who have assisted The Cherry Fund and have made a substantial impact in our community.
IN-KIND PROGRAM
Ticket and passes are provided to non-profits to support their own fundraisers who have received no funding under any other program.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with HIV/AIDS
Related Program
DIRECT GRANT PROGRAM
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Funding from our grant program supports non-profits whose work is consistent with our mission of supporting the HIV/AIDS Service Community. In 2020/2021, Our fundraiser was on hiatus due to COVID-19.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Cherry Fund has an all-volunteer board composed of 5 members. The Event Organizing Committee is composed of volunteer members from various backgrounds reflecting the diversity of our communities. The Cherry Fund has provided more than $1,000,000 in support in monetary donations, as well as provided organizations with non-cash support such as volunteers, raffle items, etc. The Cherry Fund continues to support underserved communities and creates incentivised programs such as Testing for Tickets to increase the number of those getting tested.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
CHERRY began when a group of local residents united to plan a charity fundraiser in the late 90s. Using modest financial resources, the volunteer-based organization known as Friends Being Friends banded together to put on a weekend of music, dance and celebration. Several other CHERRY events would follow, each growing in entertainment value and attendance over time. The popularity of these fundraisers inspired the idea that Washington was ready for an annual charity event on the level of those held on Fire Island, Miami or Montréal. 2022 marks CHERRY's 25th Benefit Weekend, we're proud to have raised more than $1.3 million dollars in financial support to assist the Washington DC HIV/AIDS community organizations that enable city wide education, prevention and mental support.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Cherry Fund has: (1) Provided more than $1.3 million dollars in support, (2) Donates non-cash support to organizations with volunteers, raffles, etc., (3) Supports under-served communities., (4) Created incentivised programs to increase the number of persons tested, and (5) Continues to be an all volunteer organization
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
2018 marks CHERRY's 23rd Benefit Weekend, we're proud to have raised more than 1.2 million dollars in financial support to assist the Washington DC HIV/AIDS community organizations that enable city wide education, prevention and mental support.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We are grant giving foundation that provides support to the Mental Health, Youth, HIV/AIDS Service Communities that span all demographics.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Cherry Fund
Board of directorsas of 03/20/2022
Mr. Allen Sexton
Allen Sexton
Todd Orange
Philip Tickner
Alan Thompson
Corey Fisher
Karl Mueck
Adrian Weselin
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/20/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
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