Grace Cathedral

For over fifteen years, the Rainbow World Fund (RWF) World Tree of Hope has stood as a symbol of global unity to promote peace, love and humanitarianism. For the first eleven years, the tree was displayed at San Francisco City Hall, and for the past four years Grace Cathedral has been honored to host the Tree with the message that we are all one human family.

The RWF World Tree of Hope is a gift to the San Francisco Bay Area and the world from the LGBT community and is the largest origami holiday tree in the world, standing over 23 feet tall and decorated with over 17,000 origami cranes and stars, each hand folded and inscribed with wishes for the future of the world. The cranes are not mere decorations in a holiday display; they are representations of hopes and dreams, which is why it is so fitting that the Tree is displayed at Grace Cathedral. The wishes come from people of all ages, all faiths and all walks of life, from world leaders such as Barack Obama to school children, from San Francisco to Sir Lanka. These wishes make the RWF World Tree of Hope a powerful expression of people coming together to create a better world. 

Founded in 2000, Rainbow World Fund is the world’s first and only all-volunteer, LGBTQ-based humanitarian aid organization. RWF works to help people affected by natural disasters, hunger, poverty, disease, oppression and war by raising awareness in, and funds from, the LGBTQ community to support both LGBT and non-LGBTQ people locally and around the world. RWF’s core values — empowerment, sustainability, peacemaking, and measurable impact — and mission — to promote peace, unity and hope by leading the LGBTQ movement in participating in humanitarian relief efforts — align perfectly with those of Grace Cathedral.