A local non-profit group wants to solve that age-old dilemma of deciding whether to spend one's disposable income on booze or something a little less myopic: United Libations Foundation hopes to become San Francisco's first ever not-for-profit bar, with 100% of the proceeds going to small scale charity projects around the world.
The foundation, a registered 501c3 non-profit, is partnered with United Libations — the event operations group that handles all the drinks and bar setup. For now, United Libations hopes to start as a pop-up, throwing fundraising events around the city. The proceeds go to the foundation, which will select and vet charitable projects outside of the U.S. to partner with.
To put it simply: you buy your $7 highball and $1.75 goes to charity, according to the group's handy infographic. A $10 martini nets out to a $2.50 donation. We don't expect to see any deals here, but your inebriation could mean a small town in Uganda gets a reliable source of fresh drinking water.
Getting the project off the ground will require a little charity of its own: United Libations is running an Indiegogo campaign to pay for supplies to launch their pop-up business: an $8,500 goal will pay for bar equipment and cover costs of rent and start-up operations. If the idea works, the group hopes to settle into a permanent home (most likely with the help of a second fundraising campaign).
Here's the promo commercial, complete with interviews of typically self-absorbed Dolores Park day drinkers:
So you can be sure your drink price/donation is going to a legit non-profit, and not down the toilet where it usually goes, the foundation has laid out a set of ground rules for partner projects: all must be registered non-profits outside of the U.S. that are thoroughly validated by third-party audits. For the launch, United Libation Foundation has selected two charitable projects to fund: $2,400 for English lessons for 30 schoolchildren in Port au Prince, Haiti and $2,900 to build a rainwater collection system in Bweyale, Uganda.
The Indiegogo campaign has nearly $8,000 left to raise with less than a month until deadline. If it hits their goal, expect to hear about their pop-ups for Haiti and Uganda in the near future.
