Sign up for our newsletter,
Rainbow Humanitarianism
   

 Who We Are

Founded in 2000, Rainbow World Fund (RWF) is an international relief agency based in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and friends community. RWF’s mission is to promote LGBT philanthropy in the area of world humanitarian relief. RWF works to help people who suffer from hunger, poverty, disease, oppression and war by raising awareness and funds to support relief efforts around the world. RWF provides a united voice, a large visible presence, and a structure to deliver LGBT charitable assistance to the larger world community.

RWF works in the LGBT and friends community educating people about world need. Along with raising our community’s consciousness, RWF raises funds to support humanitarian relief projects. RWF works with partners around the world on various relief and sustainable development projects. By doing extensive research, RWF develops partnerships with the most effective organizations that best reflect our guiding principles: empowerment, sustainability, peacemaking, measurable impact and ecological awareness. Our partners include Adopt-A-Minefield, Africare, America's Second Harvest, CARE, and Water Partners International. RWF also conducts global awareness tours to Central America.

Currently our work focuses on global HIV/AIDS, water development, landmine eradication, hunger, and disaster relief. RWF currently supports projects in Africa, Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, and the United States.

RWF's is a volunteer run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Our EIN is 94-3372560. We are Guidestar registered.

RWF's Efficiency

RWF is an all volunteer run organization and we work hard to multiply every dollar we receive. In recent years we have grown each dollar received for RWF program services into at least 33 dollars in monetary aid, medicine and supplies, which we then distributed. In 2005, we distributed 68 dollars in aid for every one dollar we received for program services. Our overhead and fundraising costs have averaged 3 percent or less since our inception. Most of RWF's administrative and fund-raising expenses have been covered by Board of Director contributions and small grants.

More info is available in our 2005 Annual Report (pdf)

RWF's Recent Accomplishments

RWF has distributed over 1.5 million dollars in humanitarian aid over the last 36 months: providing food aid for Hurricane evacuees, emergency supplies for the South East Asia tsunami, medical supplies and financial aid to various projects in Guatemala, launching of a landmine eradication project for Cambodia, an HIV/AIDS case management program in South Africa, water projects in Honduras providing safe drinking water for 625 people, producing a benefit concert for Haiti, and delivering hundreds of stuffed animals to children in hospitals, schools and an orphanage.

RWF was recognized for it's humanitarian aid by the California State Assembly following the tsunami and for helping Haiti recover from Hurricane Jeanne. RWF's founder, Jeff Cotter, was named to the OUT 100 List as one of the most intriguing people of 2005. San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom and Speaker of the House, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, have also receognized RWF's work.

Articles/interviews about RWF have appeared in publications/media throughout the United States (Adocate.com, Gay.com, Sirius Radio, Q-TV, Washington Blade, Southern Voice, Dallas Voice, B.A.R., Bay Windows, BayTimes, Windy City News, Scene Magazine, Our Magazine, Lesbian Notions and others), Canada, Europe, Australia (DNA), and Asia.

Staff

Jeffrey Cotter, Executive Director

Founder of RWF, Mr. Cotter is a psychiatric social worker specializing in trauma recovery and HIV/AIDS case management. Cotter practices in San Francisco, California. He has worked in the HIV/AIDS and LGBT civil rights fields since 1987.

Chris Bates, Administrative Manager

Audrey Heller, Communications Specialist

Audrey Heller is a San Francisco artist and a freelance consultant who is ferocious with a red editing pen. She shows her photography all over the country, but stays involved with local community projects, among them curating the Spectrum Art Auction.  She is proud to be part of the "friends" community.

www.audreyheller.com

Michael Norton, Project Manager

An audit specialist for a firm in Marin County, CA, Mike has volunteered for the Red Cross and numerous other organizations. He is currently in the U.S. Airforce Reserves and has been actively involved in delivering medical and humanitarian supplies to world wide locations such as after Hurricane Mitch hit Central America, the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia and the earthquake in Iran.

Will Clayton, Clayton Design, Inc., Graphic Design
Established in 1964 by William Clayton, Sr., Clayton Design has offered graphic, display and advertising services for over 40 years. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, its client base reflects the broad commercial interests of the area, with long-time clients in the fields of finance, technology, professional networks, industrial design, human services, education and healthcare. In 1990, William Clayton Jr., became sole owner of Clayton Design. Currently, Clayton Design Inc. has several long-term clients including Wells Fargo Bank, Global Equity Organization, and AgeSong. Visit them at www.claytondesign.com.

Doris Kizzina, Administative Specialist

Kizinna has worked primarily with youth and young adults in a variety of settings. She is currently on Conference Staff for the United Church of Canada. Kizinna's passion is encountering the world with groups of youth and young adults and she has led Global Awareness trips to Guatemala and Cuba on many occasions.

Karen Dickinson, Grant Writer

 

Advisory Board

Darren John Main

Darren is an internationally known yoga and meditation instructor and author. His books include Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Spiritual Journeys Along the Yellow Brick Road and The Findhorn Book of Meditation.

Christian de la Huerta

Del la Huerta is author of Coming Out Spiritually, chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the ten best religion books of 1999. His writing has appeared in OUT, The Advocate, Hero, Genre, and other publications. He is founder and president of Q-Spirit, an organization catalyzing the necessary conditions for LGBT people to fully reclaim their spiritual roles of service, leadership and community enrichment.

Gearge R. Melton

Melton is the co-author of  Beyond AIDS: A Journey Into Healing. George has traveled extensively throughout the United States lecturing about his personal journey of living with AIDS. Change begins with the development of self-love, he believes. He writes: "When this disease has run its course, we will emerge... as a changed race of people, one that recognizes and practices the loving acceptance of all people."

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jeffrey A. Cotter
Founder-President

A psychiatric social worker specializing in trauma recovery and HIV/AIDS case management. Cotter practices in San Francisco, California. Cotter has worked in the HIV/AIDS and LGBT civil rights fields since 1987.

Education: Masters of Social Work, 1990, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Baccalaureate of Science, Management Information System, 1985, Old Dominion University.

Bradford C. Hubert
Secretary-Treasurer

A Senior Audit Leader at Wells Fargo, Hubert serves as treasurer on several social justice-oriented religious organization boards of directors and has been active in his local congregation since 1998. He is also a member and supporter of other organizations promoting equal rights and care and support for people with HIV/AIDS. He also served as treasurer and board member of an organization aiding at-risk youth in the early 1990s.

Education: Bachelor of Business Administration, 1990, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.

Karen N. Kai

An independent research and writing consultant, Kai is a community activist who has served on the boards of local, statewide and national Asian American, civil and human rights organizations. She is a former Chairperson of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and served as co-chair of its LGBT Advisory Board.

Education: J.D., University of San Francisco, 1978; San Francisco State University, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1975.

Sister Jeannine Gramick, IBVM, PhD

A reform-minded Roman Catholic nun, activist and co-founder of New Ways Ministry - helping LGBT Roman Catholics in the United States. She has a doctorate in Mathematics Education from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1971, Gramick began working with gays and lesbians. In 2000, Gramick and New Ways co-founder Father Robert Nugent were ordered by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI) to cease ministering to gays and lesbians due to the Church’s teaching that same-sex relationships are sinful. While Nugent formally acquiesced to the decision by resigning from New Ways, Gramick respectfully set aside the order altogether. Gramick is the author of several books on LGBT Catholic issues. The documentary In Good Conscience details her journey of activism, the Vatican’ attempt to silence her and her decision to disregard the attempt.

Education: Doctorate in Mathematics Education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lisa Capaldini, MD, MPH

An Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF, Capaldini has been in private practice in Internal Medicine with an emphasis on care of people with HIV disease since 1988. Capaldini's areas of interest include quality of life, the doctor-patient relationship and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders in the primary care setting.

Education: M.D., 1982, University of California, San Francisco; Masters of Public Health, 1982, University of California, Berkeley; Baccalaureate of Arts, in the History of Ideas, 1978, Williams College.