Every year, Maximum Fun ends our fundraising drive with a sale benefiting a staff-selected charity. It’s a wonderful celebration of the power of our community, and it’s one of our favorite traditions. The past few years have been difficult for most and have left many budgets tighter, but our generous audience have continued to support the podcasts and artists that brighten their day. We are extremely grateful for everyone in the Maximum Fun community, both for their support of our shows and for buying thousands of patches in our charity sale. You make it possible for us to do good in the world.
When we considered an organization to be the recipient of this year’s charity sale proceeds, Trans Lifeline was a natural fit. MaxFun is home to transgender artists, staff, members, audience, family, and friends who make our network better every day by being part of it.
Anytime is a great time to donate to Trans Lifeline, but it feels particularly important in the United States right now. To add to that, the holidays are quickly approaching, and this season can be challenging and isolating for a lot of folks. We hope this donation to Trans Lifeline helps provide resources to people who need extra support right now.
The week, Maximum Fun sent Trans Lifeline a donation of $53,436.
Normally we’d take a group photo of us handing over a giant novelty check (along with a real, cashable check) but we’re still working remotely so instead we have a collage of staff photos and show logos!
Most people are familiar with Trans Lifeline’s hotline, where trans operators assist trans and questioning callers through immediate crises. But that’s only one branch of the lifesaving work they do. Trans Lifeline also operates a microgrant program to help with legal name changes, updating IDs, and hormone replacement therapy. And they have a wide library of resources, including specialized support for trans people who are incarcerated or undocumented. Since 2016, Trans Lifeline has given over one million dollars directly to trans people.
Since 2017, Maximum Fun has donated over half a million dollars to nonprofit organizations through our limited-edition merchandise sales and other charitable endeavors. All of us at MaxFun are thrilled that this donation will help Trans Lifeline connect trans folks to the support and resources they need to survive and thrive.
A heartfelt thank-you to everyone in the MaxFun community for making our work and this donation possible. Time and time again, our audience have shown their commitment to supporting and uplifting folks in their and our communities. We’re also very grateful to the hosts of Maximum Fun shows who have helped bring our audience together. And, of course, thank you so much to everyone working and volunteering with Trans Lifeline, providing much-needed peer support for trans people. We at Maximum Fun are honored to help out in this small way, thanks to the generosity of our community.
If you’d like to join the Maximum Fun community in donating to Trans Lifeline, you can by making a contribution at translifeline.org.