The Parachute Fund provides grants to members of the Bay Area dance community facing HIV/AIDS or other life-threatening illnesses. Since its inception (1987), the Parachute Fund has distributed close to $100,000 to those in need. Requests may be made for essential or non-essential items. Up to $500 possible per request, and $1,500 in a calendar year. An application for support can be submitted on behalf of the recepient. However, the recipient or legal guardian must accept the funds and the responsibility for their use. We hold all application information in strict confidence. There is no application deadline. The Parachute Fund takes its name from a poem found among the possessions of choreographer Joah Lowe, who died of AIDS. When you try at the rip cord And the parachute does not open And there beneath you lie endless forests And it is plain that you will not be saved And there is no longer anything to cling to No longer anyone to be met on the way Spread your arms softly, like a bird And enfolding space, fly. There is no way back, no time to go balmy And only one solution: the simplest For the first time to compose yourself And to fall with the universal void in your embrace. -Yevgeny Vinokurov

To apply, send the materials listed below to: Dancers' Group Attn: Parachute Fund 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94103 Please provide: A brief letter that describes the applicant's participation in the Bay Area dance community. The amount of financial need ($500 maximum per request), and the intended use for funds (example: help with dance class tuition, rehearsal space, alternative medicines, rent, etc.). The applicant's address and social security number. The applicant's medical diagnosis. Written statement from physician confirming the diagnosis. Questions: Contact Wayne Hazzard at 415-920-9181 or wayne@dancersgroup.org