CHEER San Francisco

What CHEER San Francisco does

CHEER San Francisco is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization operating under the legal entity CHEER For Life Foundation, Inc. Founded in 1980 by Guy Andrade (originally as the Hayward Raw Rahs), the organization rebranded to its current name in 1996 and became a standalone nonprofit in 2004 after operating under the Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts. It self-describes as the world's first LGBTQ-identified cheerleading team and was named Official Cheer Team of the City and County of San Francisco in 2015.

The organization's core service is high-energy cheerleading and dance performance delivered by 50+ adult performing volunteers at corporate events, private parties, parades, pride celebrations, and community fundraisers. Performance fees, Spirit Bucket donations collected in-venue, Spirit Society recurring donor contributions, and corporate event sponsorships collectively fund the CHEER For Life Fund, which distributes grants to current and past beneficiary organizations including Huckleberry Youth Programs, Maitri – Compassionate Care, BAY Positives, Shanti Project, Spahr Center, Santa Cruz Diversity Center, Edgewood Center for Children and Families, and Golden Rainbow. The volunteer structure is divided between a Performing Volunteer squad (including the newer SPIRIT dance team) and Production Volunteers handling logistics. There is no proprietary technology stack or software product; the technical content consists of choreographed routines, stunts, and pom routines performed live.

Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led: bookings are accepted via Google Forms, marketing runs through organic social (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube) and visibility generated by high-profile appearances (Dreamforce keynote for Salesforce, SF Giants Victory Parade, San Francisco Pride). The organization has reported more than $350,000 raised for community beneficiaries cumulatively, with no operating revenue figure publicly disclosed. Pricing for event bookings is not publicly listed, though volunteers pay approximately $450 in uniform costs and $200 in seasonal participation dues.

Name

CHEER San Francisco

Legal name

CHEER For Life Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://cheersf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CHEER San Francisco is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers cheerleading and dance performances at corporate events, parades, and community fundraisers, raising funds through the CHEER For Life Foundation for beneficiaries serving people with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and other life-challenging conditions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Performance Entertainment Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Fundraisers & Charity Events (Gala/Walks excluded) (MPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Charitable cheerleading
• Live performance entertainment
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Corporate event performers
• Community event entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Performance Fees: Fees charged for corporate events, private parties, parades, and community performances. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, these fees are tax-deductible.
2. Spirit Bucket Donations: Collects donations from spectators at performances using Spirit Buckets, which fill the CHEER FOR LIFE Fund supporting beneficiary organizations.
3. Spirit Society Donor Program: Monthly or annual donations from Spirit Society members who amplify their support for the CHEER For Life Foundation and CHEER San Francisco program.
4. Event Sponsorships: Business partnerships and sponsorships from corporate sponsors looking to associate with the organization's events and community presence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CHEER San Francisco is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides high-energy cheerleading performance entertainment for corporate events, private parties, parades, Pride celebrations, and community fundraisers. Performances are fee-based and tax-deductible, with proceeds routed through the CHEER For Life Fund to support beneficiary organizations serving people living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and other life-challenging conditions.

Product overview

CHEER San Francisco is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) charitable organization that operates as a single unified charitable cheerleading program. The organization centers on performance entertainment services — providing high-energy cheerleading routines at corporate events, parades, pride celebrations, and community fundraisers. All fundraising flows through the CHEER For Life Fund, which distributes grants to beneficiary organizations. The volunteer structure includes Performing Volunteers (the main performance squad and the newer SPIRIT dance team) and Production Volunteers (behind-the-scenes coordination). The Spirit Society and Spirit Buckets programs facilitate ongoing donor engagement and event-based fundraising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Performance Entertainment Services
• Spirit Society Donor Program

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pride Cheerleading Association (PCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004CHEER San Francisco is a proud founding Member Team of the Pride Cheerleading Association (PCA). PCA unites, supports, and develops charitable cheerleading teams worldwide. CHEER SF serves as the only cheerleading team to have appeared at all nine Gay Games under PCA association.
• Lesbian and Gay Bands Association (LGBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000In 2000, CHEER SF became the first and only partner organization of the Lesbian and Gay Bands Association following more than 10 years of performing at national and international events with LGBA musicians.
• San Francisco LGBT CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate and community event performances at the SF LGBT Center
• Huckleberry Youth ProgramscoreOthersCurrent primary beneficiary supporting Bay Area youth with crisis services, counseling, and health education
• Maitri - Compassionate CarecoreOthersCurrent primary beneficiary providing residential care for people living with HIV/AIDS
• BAY PositivesminorOthersPast beneficiary providing services to those under 26 years of age living with HIV/AIDS
• Shanti ProjectminorOthersPast beneficiary - San Francisco nonprofit organization
• Spahr Center of Marin CountyminorOthersPast beneficiary in Marin County
• Santa Cruz Diversity CenterminorOthersBeneficiary for Santa Cruz Pride 2017
• Edgewood Center for Children and FamiliesminorOthersBeneficiary for Castro Street Fair 2017
• Golden Rainbow (Las Vegas)minorOthersLocal charity beneficiary at Sin City Classic 2019 competition

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CHEERSF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CHEERSanFrancisco
• Facebookfacebook.com/CHEERSanFrancisco
• Instagraminstagram.com/cheersf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cheersf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHEER San Francisco