Can club culture transcend its hedonistic reputation? For Rise Nights, the party-focused fundraising arm of the Berlin-based non-profit Rise Foundation, the answer is a resounding yes. Founded in 2018, Rise Foundation provides aid to homeless communities in Berlin, and began Rise Nights at the end of 2022, after two colleagues saw the potential in bridging the gap between nightlife and community organisation. In 2023, the party series raised €5,200. This year, they’re hoping to match the number with their biggest event yet: a collaboration with Renate, one of Berlin’s most popular clubs.
What began as one blissful night with about 30 friends at Repeat Bar in Kreuzberg has since grown exponentially.
The co-founding colleagues in question are Genevieve Ataro, wellness professional, DJ and promoter, and Genevieve Brady, director of Rise Foundation. In 2022, the Genevieves, both music lovers and volunteers at Rise Foundation, rallied their circle of DJs, artists, musicians and organisers to kick off the first ever party-based fundraiser.
What began as one blissful night with about 30 friends at Repeat Bar in Kreuzberg has since grown exponentially. “Growing up in the club scene, there’s always an aspect of empathy and taking care of each other. I’ve always seen that,” says Ataro. “Rise Foundation was looking for a new way to fundraise, and one night [we just went for it]. The vibe was amazing, and people kept asking what’s next.”
Since then, they’ve hosted about seven small events a year prioritising up and coming DJ talents and have collaborated with Berlin staples, like Fitzroy Club and Lakeside Film Festival. Moving forward, the team hopes to transition to two large events, like the upcoming Renate rave, each year.
The small, volunteer-based team at Rise Nights only works with musicians and venues willing to participate free of charge. This allows them to donate 100% of the profits from each event to Rise Foundation, which buys and distributes supplies to those experiencing homelessness in Berlin, such as food, sleeping bags, socks and hygiene items. In addition to direct outreach with these basic needs, volunteers engage with the homeless population, mostly in Kreuzberg and Neukölln, by “listening to [their stories] and struggles and giving them a voice, essentially,” says Brady.
Amid local budget cuts and the government growing ever reliant on grassroots organisations to solve its structural problems, both Ataro and Brady are frustrated with the lack of attention to and misunderstanding of those with living difficulties. “When you work with homeless people for a long time, it makes [you] realise how close any one of us is to homelessness. Really, what it comes down to is pure luck,” says Brady.
If you fancy yourself a benevolent basshead, be sure to turn up at Renate x Rise Foundation on August 8 to support Berlin’s most vulnerable. Renate will be hosting a line up curated by Rise Nights including PJ Bridger, Appleblim, Limo D, Maximum Tilt and Marie Modori. Busy that night? Head to the Rise Foundation website to make a donation, or sign up to volunteer.
- Renate, Alt-Stralau 70, Friedrichshain, August 8 (from 11pm), tickets available here. Follow @rise_nights and @risefoundationberlin on Instagram, or visit the Rise Foundation website for information on how to volunteer or donate.
