Bears San Diego is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in College Area that has anchored a body-positive social community for LGBTQIA+ individuals since its founding in October 1994. The organization's offices occupy Suite 5 at 4805 70th Street in the 92115 ZIP, roughly a mile south of SDSU. Annual programming includes the BearQuake weekend, a chili cookoff competition, and leather and bootblack title contests staged at Joan B. Kroc Theatre and other College Area venues, with event proceeds directed to charities. What began as a grassroots gathering of about 100 members grew into a federally recognized charitable organization when the IRS granted 501(c)(3) status in 2006. Beneficiary charities include Special Delivery San Diego, which prepares and delivers home-cooked meals to over 130 homebound individuals with critical illnesses five days a week, and 12-Steppers, Inc. at the Lambda Uptown Alano Club. The organization draws bears, cubs, otters, and allies united by shared values of respect and belonging rather than any single body type or gender expression. Board president Donnie Vella has led governance since 2019, overseeing a volunteer-driven structure in which title holders coordinate private and public events under a zero-tolerance safe-spaces policy. Bears San Diego also participates in Dining Out For Life and San Diego Pride, extending its charitable reach into the broader El Cajon Boulevard corridor alongside community clothing nonprofit Sharia's Closet. All operational costs—website hosting, parade banners, pamphlets, and merchandise—are funded through member-driven registration fees and Zeffy-managed fundraising campaigns launched in August 2025.