Mary Mason Lemonade Fund

Making Lemons into Lemonade for Over 20 Years

The Mary Mason Lemonade Fund is a confidential resource for theatre practitioners with terminal or life-threatening illnesses who are in need of supplemental financial assistance to improve the quality of their lives as they deal with medical conditions. Since 2000, Theatre Bay Area has distributed over $100,000 through the Lemonade Fund to theatre workers in need throughout the Bay Area, much of it made possible by generous donations by fellow artists.

Giving to the Lemonade Fund

The Lemonade Fund is a program for and by Bay Area theatre practitioners, and it continues to be possible to distribute funds to those in need because of the generosity of the theatre community. If you would like to join the hundreds of theatre artists and other supporters who have made tax-deductible donations to the Lemonade Fund, please contact Cindy Im at cindy@theatrebayarea.org. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
If you represent a theatre company or other organization that would like to hold a Lemonade Fundraiser or host a Theatre Bay Area Lemonade Stand in your lobby for a performance, please email Cindy Im at cindy@theatrebayarea.org. 

Applying to the Lemonade Fund

Who is eligible to apply to the Lemonade Fund?
Any resident of the San Francisco Bay Area who has worked professionally or vocationally in local theatre or has been an active participant in the theatre community, regardless of the income derived from work in the theatre (with two years' experience in the last five years), and has received a diagnosis of a terminal or life-threatening medical illness or condition is eligible to apply for the program.

How do I apply for Lemonade Fund monies?
Click the following links for an application or further information, or contact Dale Albright at (415) 430-1140 x14 or dale@theatrebayarea.org.

How much money can be requested and how often?
Requests for up to $1,000 may be submitted every six months. Repeated funding, however, is not guaranteed. If approved, the amount received may fluctuate according to how much is available in the Fund. 

How may Lemonade Fund monies be used?
For any need, excluding hospital expenses, that arises due to illness or intensive medical treatment. We are unable to fund hospital expenses due to the Fund's limited resources. Eligible expenses may include activities or purchases that contribute to relieving stress or improving quality of life, e.g. alternative therapies, personal and home support, transportation costs, etc.

Who administers the Fund?
A three-person committee reviews all applications, verifies information in a confidential manner and makes all final decisions. TBA's business manager handles the fiscal component of the Fund. The Lemonade Fund is not available to staff or board of Theatre Bay Area, their families or members of their common households. 

Distribution Specifics
A donation cannot be earmarked for a specific person. Monies will be distributed equitably among all qualified applicants. Please allow up to 4 weeks for processing of applications.

Download a PDF application to apply for funds from the Mary Mason Lemonade Fund.

Get more information about the Lemonade Fund here.