Mission Statement

We all seek acceptance, love, compassion, respect, concerned friends, a supportive community, and a moral and just society that promotes true global unity and equality for all. For many LGBTQQI, senior, disabled, low income individuals and their allies, this is hard to find, hard to believe in and hard to work toward. At Triangle, we light the way toward the goal through our training and seminar programs, we provide the support and helping hands to make the impossible seem possible through our community action and community outreach efforts, and we provide opportunities to begin building the just, equal, and diversity accepting world we all want tomorrow, by starting today.

History:

Matthew Shepard - Honorary Founding Member

The Triangle Martial Arts Association (TMAA) came to life on November 12, 1998 in the wake of the hate crime that resulted in the murder of 21-year-old Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. Matthew is officially recognized as our "Honorary Founding Member."

The initial intent of TMAA was to provide martial arts and self-defense instruction geared specifically toward the adult LGBTQQI community of San Francisco, while remaining open and welcoming to everyone. The early success of the program, and positive response from the community provided ample evidence of the organization's ability to expand its mission and goals beyond the LGBTQQI community, and beyond San Francisco.

TMAA presently focuses on encouraging the participation of all LGBTQQI, senior, and disabled individuals in several full-time instruction programs as well as self-contained seminars and outreach efforts.

On May 05, 2004, Triangle Martial Arts Association proudly became recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization.

Since its creation in 1998, TMAA has served over three hundred students in our full-time instruction programs, more than one hundred individual self-defense seminar participants, and has provided free seminars and outreach activities to over thirty Bay Area non-profit organizations working with LGBTQQI and youth clients.

Our Goals:

Triangle Martial Arts Association, Inc. is a community benefit non-profit organization whose primary goals are:

• To empower LGBTQQI, senior, low income, and disabled community members as well as their allies in fighting homophobia and prejudice, both physically and mentally.
• To address homophobia and stereotyping by creating opportunities and educating youths, adults, and our seniors in an environment supportive of equality and diversity in all of its forms.
• To foster self-confidence, promote physically and mentally healthy lifestyles, and encourage leadership and mentorship within our target communities
• To provide affordable, quality, and meaningful services by diversifying our funding sources, our staffing sources, and our client sources.  
• To supports other community benefit organizations that are providing services and benefit to the LGBTQQI, senior, disabled, and low income community members we serve.
• To empower LGBTQQI, senior, low income, and disabled community members as well as their allies in fighting homophobia and prejudice, both physically and mentally.
• To address homophobia and stereotyping by creating opportunities and educating youths, adults, and our seniors in an environment supportive of equality and diversity in all of its forms.
• To foster self-confidence, promote physically and mentally healthy lifestyles, and encourage leadership and mentorship within our target communities
• To provide affordable, quality, and meaningful services by diversifying our funding sources, our staffing sources, and our client sources.
• To supports other community benefit organizations that are providing services and benefit to the LGBTQQI, senior, disabled, and low income community members we serve.

We achieve these goals through a number of programs which are supported by foundation grants, individual donors, volunteer instructor and officer time, and student and seminar tuition fees.

Our Programs

TMAA currently supports and operates five programs designed to achieve its mission. Programs are listed in the order of their inception:

1. Martial Arts Program (MAP) is the primary vehicle used to provide full-time instructional and promotional training for students. MAP seeks to encourage black belt instructors from all martial arts disciplines to establish Triangle clubs across the US and around the world to propagate and further the goals of TMAA.
2. Instructor Training and Certification Program (ITCP) is designed to train and provide a quality curriculum for learning and continuing education as well as provide certification for martial arts instructors. All TMAA instructors must be TMAA-certified in order to conduct Triangle club martial arts classes or seminars.
3. Community Action Team (CAT) is designed as a vehicle through which students can give back to the community. CAT strives to recognize the efforts and special events of other non-profit organizations and offers support through direct action, sponsorship and promotion.
4. Community Outreach Program (COP) is designed to inform the greater self-defense and martial arts community of opportunities and benefits through martial arts demonstrations, community self-defense seminars, speeches and lectures, outreach activities, and specialized training programs.
5. Youth Empowerment Services (YES) targets middle school through college aged youth; this program offers martial arts and self-defense training and techniques focused on providing the tools, information, support, and encouragement necessary to develop independent, compassionate, thoughtful, and responsible leaders of tomorrow.
6. Tournament Operations & Personell Services (TOPS) establishes tournament and competitive opportunities for all Triangle students and maintains officials certification and training courses in support of these events.

Why Martial Arts?

We believe that training in the martial arts and participation in self-defense seminars increases self-confidence, promotes physical and mental well-being, encourages wellness and positive self-identity, limits the impacts of peer pressure, provides a stable environment for positive equality and diversity experiences, reduces violent tendencies, and promotes philosophical as well as physical concepts of balance and control in all aspects of life. In addition, training in a self-defense art provides techniques and strategies of protection for those who are often targets of abuse and violence.

DONATE TO TMAA NOW USING JUSTGIVE.ORG

http://www.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=11-3681180

or

If you prefer, you may still mail your check to our regional or national headquarters, or mail it to our International Headquarters at:

Po Box 111, 1800 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA

Verify our non-profit status, or the status of any other non-profit you support using

Simply click on the link below
http://www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsReport.do?gotoNext=
/reports/partners/guidestar/showDpLink.jsp&ein=11-3681180&partner=guidestar