Request Support
This is not an emergency fund — funds will not be distributed on an emergency basis. Applications for micro-grants & disbursements happen quarterly (March, June, September, December) for as long as funds are available.
We are a small, peer-led, volunteer-run, donation-based mutual aid network based on Lekwungen territory. All donations made to our fund and expenses are publicly available on Open Collective.
For a hard copy application, you can download a copy here and email it to [email protected]
Quarterly Micro-Grants
All sex workers/folks involved in the sex trade (exchange of sex for gifts, food, shelter, drugs, etc.) based on “Vancouver Island” can apply for a micro-grant, no matter what kind of sex work you do.
Disbursements are determined based on several factors, including:
-
- Whether you’re a new applicant
- Your level of need & social marginalization
- Funds available during the disbursement period
Not all applicants will receive funding. We are intentionally prioritizing applicants working in criminalized forms of sex work and those most targeted by policing, criminalization, violence and systemic harms. We prioritize community facing multiple barriers, especially workers who are:
-
- Indigenous & racialized
- Chronically-ill & disabled / time off work due to health issues
- Queer & trans workers
- Street-based, outdoor, and those most targeted by policing
- Previously incarcerated / denied work due to criminal record
- Experiencing housing instability or homelessness
- Youth and migrant workers
- Survival workers (exchanging sex for immediate basic needs / few if no other viable options available)
To verify you’re a sex worker, we accept:
-
-
Ads or work websites
-
Sex work social media accounts
-
Screenshots of messages with clients
-
A vouch from a community member we know and trust
-
We may also need to confirm you’re the intended recipient of these funds (not someone using someone else’s ads/social media, or someone we’ve already helped recently). On a case-by-case basis, we may ask you to:
-
-
Join a brief video chat, or
-
A short video call to confirm that you are you
-
Additional Information (Click to expand)
YOUR PRIVACY, CONFIDENTIALITY & DIGITAL SECURITY
Your digital security and privacy is our priority. We do our best to do preemptively limit any harms of breaches by following industry best practices:
- All requests for support will be reviewed by two collective members.
- All information shared is kept confidential by our collective. We may use demographic information collected for political or fundraising purposes, but any identifiable information will be removed.
- Our “Request Support Form” is encrypted and its data is securely stored on a private server in Canada, accessible only to our collective members. We do not store any additional identifying data such as your IP address. We do not use Google Analytics or any other tracking scripts on the site. Form submissions are immediately moved to an offsite server, and screening info is cleared after users have been approved. We use Google Firebase solely to verify that phone numbers are active and valid.
- Applicants will never be able to see other applicant’s data. We only temporarily store phone numbers and email, but no other personally identifiable info.
- Collective members are required to use all available security features, including strong passwords and 2 Factor authentication.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your information, please contact us by email.
Thank you to SWAID, DecrimSexWorkCA & Rouge Support Network for guidance on creating this application.
