San Mateo County Pride Center looks for fiscal support

The financial loss comes shortly after the Pride Center navigated the closure of its former fiscal sponsor and loss of physical space in San Mateo. In August 2025, the Pride Center had to move out of its former home at 1021 S. El Camino Real and focuses on virtual services and events at satellite locations throughout the county. 

“What happened in this past year has brought setback after setback, and we continue to try and catch our breath as we still provide the programs and services that our community needs,” Sapp said. “We are still rebuilding from that, and this loss of funding has now put everything we do in jeopardy.”

The Pride Center was established through a county Mental Health Services Act grant in 2017, and has received significant funding support from the county’s Behavior Health and Recovery Services department since. 

However, the broadening of the Mental Health Services Act to the Behavioral Health Services Act — following the passage of Proposition 1 in 2024 — prioritizes services and funding toward programs that integrate mental health and substance abuse services. While the Pride Center can seek money through the reconfigured system, and will look to do so, the focus has shifted toward individuals with the most severe needs. 

A reduction in funding for Fiscal Year 2026-27 was expected as a result of Proposition 1’s implementation, Sapp said, but the degree of loss was still jarring. 

“The impact of this loss is not just a regular big hit, it’s an amplified one,” Sapp said. 

After StarVista’s closure, the center was able to quickly find a new fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Public Health Foundation, but there’s an undeniable need to diversify the Pride Center’s revenue portfolio to avoid relying on a single or few fiscal support systems, Sapp said. 

“Truthfully, as we can see, the financial portfolio of the Pride Center was not healthy and diverse — now we can see the impact of that,” Sapp said. 

Currently, Sapp and the Pride Center team are actively seeking emergency bridge funding, philanthropic partnerships and community support as they look to also secure grant and foundation funding. 

When StarVista closed last summer, Sapp was overwhelmed with the community’s support as the organization navigated the waters of closing its physical location. 

“We did everything in that time because the community in the county responded,” Sapp said. “As much as we support the county and community, they really supported us in our hour of need.” 

Since the loss of the physical space, staff at the Pride Center have “done what we have been able to do creatively,” Sapp said. 

The pandemic taught folks how to run programs virtually and activate online spaces in an effective way. And for those who need in-person services or want events, the Pride Center has been able to operate out of "satellite locations” thanks to businesses and local organizations offering up their space.

The need for services has only gone up in recent years, and that need didn’t drop after the Pride Center closed its physical doors. 

In the last fiscal year, the Pride Center served more than 15,500 individuals and trained more than 4,100 professionals to create safe and inclusive environments within healthcare, education, social services and community systems. 

With only virtual options available, the Pride Center had to pause its clinical therapy services, which has been significant, Sapp said. Prior to pausing this service, staff built an extensive list of LGBTQIA+ affirming therapists in the state, but the goal is to find a free or low-cost office space, get recertified and begin serving residents in this capacity soon. 

Rebuilding the Pride Center and establishing a physical presence will be a long journey, though. 

While Sapp said they’re “not even at the starting line for our Pride Center 2.0,” the strides toward a diverse fiscal portfolio and securing streams of revenue are moving in the right direction. 

The goal is first and foremost to secure funding and become fiscally sustainable, and then to find a long-term home for the new Pride Center. The focus now is on securing donations, informing the community that the Pride Center is in need of help and continuing to fight for a safe space for LGBTQIA+ community members, Sapp said. 

“I do not want to imagine a county without our services, and I don’t think our county wants to either,” Sapp said. 

Call (650) 591-0133 or visit sanmateopride.org/donations for more information about donating.