The Carl Brandon Society is happy and excited to announce that the independent program we’ve been the fiscal agent for so many years, Con or Bust, is now officially a separate non-profit corporation! Support for the Con or Bust cause while it was under our aegis has been overwhelming, and we hope you continue to donate funds, auction items, memberships, and other helpful things now that it’s out on its own.
Con or Bust, whose mission is to increase the presence of POC at science fiction conventions by providing the financial means to attend them, began as a gleam in Kate Nepveu’s eye. Seeking an alternative to operating out of her personal checking account, she asked us to be the program’s fiscal sponsors. This meant that we accepted donations on its behalf and disbursed its grants. The CBS and Con or Bust missions are very much aligned, and for a long time we absorbed all the costs (PayPal fees, postage, etc.) of running the program. But with time it has become clear that Con or Bust can hold its own. We’re proud to have been involved in this stage of its growth, and look forward to all of us benefiting from its work for many years to come.
Meanwhile, we’ve stepped up our efforts in other areas: we’ll be presenting two Octavia E. Butler Scholarships this summer, and announcing four literary award winners this fall, with another four to be chosen and announced by January 2017. We’ve just completed the final IRS documents in our quest for nonprofit status reinstatement. Details about these efforts and accomplishments are forthcoming soon. Additional new programs are under consideration; we’ll keep you posted on those, too.
Thank you for helping us change the world!
-The Carl Brandon Society Steering Committee