Support The Joy Who Lived 2026!
It's been a truly difficult year with trans rights continually assaulted by the federal government and many states throughout the US. The Joy Who Lived festival counters those attitudes and creates spaces where transness is joyously welcomed and affirmed.
Joy is resilience and resistance. Hope is what equips us to face injustice and hostility.
The Joy Who Lived festival is a lot of work, and we need YOUR help to do it! Your donation helps us with venue costs, tech, and so many behind the scenes parts of the festival. The more of those costs we can cover, the more we can give directly to the artists. Can you donate to get us to our goal?
If you'd like to consider a sponsorship opportunity, please contact producers@joywholived.com
FAQ
Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes! Joy Who Lived is a program of Trans Stories, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
What is Trans Stories?
Trans Stories is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides production support for transgender/nonbinary theater artists, including securing venues and facilitating streaming services, promotion, accessibility, artistic consultations and collaborator matchmaking for festival shows and events; Trans Stories also hosts trans-led workshops in writing and performance. Our biggest program the Joy Who Lived Festival, an annual festival that takes place in LA but is also streamed all over the world, that highlights transgender/nonbinary theater.
What are the different ways I can donate?
Our donation site which takes all major credit and debit cards, ACH/bank transfer, digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and PayPal
Text JOYWHOLIVED to 44-321 to get a link to the donation site on your mobile device
Checks should be payable to Trans Stories. Email producer@joywholived.com for the address to mail your check to.
If you are interested in sponsoring the Joy Who Lived festival, please email producer@joywholived.com to be connected to a person who can help.
If you are interested in an In Kind donation to the festival please email producer@joywholived.com
Where does my donation go?
Your support helps us pay for venues ($20,000), tech ($5,000), streaming ($14,000), marketing ($5,000), educational programs ($1,000), accessibility and more.
Can I do my own fundraising for Joy Who Lived? What if I want to start a campaign of my own?
You can create your own fundraiser on our donation site! On the donation site (https://secure.givelively.org/donate/trans-stories/joy-who-lived-2026), you will see a button under the picture that says “I want to Fundraise for this.” Click this to create a personal campaign, which can be customized if you wish. All donations made using this personal campaign go to the larger Joy Who Lived campaign. Once you have created your personal donation page, you can share the link through email, social media, carrier pigeon, or any other ways you can think of!
What if I’m interested in sponsoring all or part of the festival? Are there benefits for sponsorship?
We do have different levels of sponsorship with various benefits. Please email producer@joywholived.com to be connected to the person handling sponsorships.
Can I give Monthly? Why is it good to give Monthly?
Yes, monthly donations are great! You can choose monthly when you check out during the donation process.
Monthly donations give us the sustainability we need to maintain all our programs throughout the year. The Joy Who Lived festival is our biggest program, but we also do workshops throughout the year. And knowing how much is coming in each month can help us plan better for next year’s festival.
What is your Tax ID #?
Trans Stories’ Tax ID # is 33-4458047.
What if I want to volunteer?
Please email producer@joywholived.com to be connected with the Volunteer Coordinator.