Cashing Out Documentary Filmmaker, Matt Nadel, Partners with the National AIDS Memorial to support the AIDS Memorial Quilt Preservation and Outreach Efforts

Preserve a Piece of History! Support the Preservation of the 37 year old AIDS Memorial Quilt!

The National AIDS Memorial is partnering with award-winning documentary filmmaker, Matt Nadel, to launch a national campaign to support the AIDS Memorial Quilt via screenings of Nadel's new film, Cashing Out, across the country.

All donations will support the current operations and long term preservation of the AIDS Memorial Quilt for future generations across the world.

"I have long felt that the making of quilts is one of the greatest American art forms, because quilts not only give comfort and warmth, but also say so much about heritage and family traditions that give meaning to our lives. I don't think any blanket in history has given so much comfort to so many as the AIDS Memorial Quilt."

--Coretta Scott King

Thank you for your support and love of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

National AIDS Memorial Team and Scott Page, Chair, 'The Quilt Can Be A Comforter' Campaign

*Please be sure to designate your donation to The Quilt Can Be A Comforter Campaign in the drop down menu after clicking on the donate button above.

About the Chair of The Quilt Can Be A Comforter Campaign: Scott Page

Scott played a pivotal role in supporting individuals suffering from AIDS during the 1980s and 1990s. When his partner was dying and their financial resources were dwindling, Scott became a pioneer in engineering a new concept that converted existing life insurance into immediate cash. Through his enthusiastic efforts, Scott helped raise awareness about the financial burdens and social injustice faced by an AIDS diagnosis and worked tirelessly to secure funding from private investors. His initiatives not only provided vital resources but also fostered a sense of community and dignity for thousands of individuals and allowed them to live their final days with respect and the funds necessary to fight for their lives.

Working with the National AIDS Memorial to educate and advocate for the historical significance of the AIDS Quilt is both an honor and a privilege. The Quilt stands as a powerful testament to the lives lost to AIDS by celebrating their stories and preserving their legacies. Collaborating with the Memorial is a unique opportunity to engage with communities, share important narratives, and inspire future generations to understand the impact of the epidemic. This work not only pays tribute to those who suffered but also empowers ongoing advocacy for health equity and dignity for all. Being part of this mission is a meaningful way to contribute to a vital chapter in history and to honor the resilience of individuals and communities affected by AIDS.

About Cashing Out Documentary

At the height of the AIDS crisis, a controversial industry gave hope to thousands of dying, destitute queer people. The "viatical settlement industry" allowed terminally ill patients to sell their life insurance policies for quick cash, allowing them to live—and die—with dignity. From its origins in gay activist circles to its transformation into a billion-dollar industry, CASHING OUT traces the rise and fall of this morally complex business, and spotlights one of its earliest investors: the filmmaker's father.

About the Filmmaker: Matt Nadel

Matt Nadel is a GLAAD Award-nominated documentary filmmaker focused on gender and sexuality, justice, and history. His work has been distributed by outlets like the New York Times, The New Yorker, and PBS.

Before Cashing Out, Matt directed CANS Can’t Stand (The New Yorker 2023), which follows a group of Black trans women fighting to repeal Louisiana’s controversial Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) law, which has been used to criminalize LGBTQ+ Louisianians for 40 years. After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, CANS Can’t Stand won awards at film festivals across the country, was featured on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and inspired the Louisiana Senate to create a task force to study the discriminatory impact of the CANS law.

Matt is now the New York Public Library's Duberman Visiting Fellow in LGBT Studies. Before directing his own films, he was an associate producer at NBC News Studios.

About the AIDS Memorial Quilt

The AIDS Memorial Quilt (“the Quilt”) is an epic, 54-ton tapestry that includes over 50,000 panels dedicated to more than 110,000 individuals who died from AIDS.

○ Displayed for the first time on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in 1987 - it covered a space larger than a football field and included 1,920 panels

○ The largest community folk art project in the world, the Quilt increases HIV/AIDS awareness and engages individuals and communities to fight against HIV/AIDS + take action to advance health and social justice

○ The Quilt is recognized under the Save America’s Treasures Program Act as an American Treasure

○ Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and is the preeminent global symbol for the human response to AIDS

○ The last display of the entire AIDS Memorial Quilt was in October of 1996 when the Quilt covered the entire National Mall in Washington, D.C. with an estimated 1.2 million people coming to view it. The Clintons and Gores attended the display, marking the first visit by a sitting president of the United States

○ The Quilt travels to more than 500 communities annually, directly touching an estimated 1.5M+ people

○ The Quilt includes panels (3’x6’) from every U.S. state, most U.S. territories, and 50 countries

○ More than 20 million people have viewed its panels at thousands of displays over the past 37 years

About the National AIDS Memorial

The vision of the National AIDS Memorial is that never again will a community be harmed because of fear, silence, discrimination, or stigma. Imparting the history and lessons of AIDS is at the core of our work, and through our iconic AIDS Memorials and inspiring programs, we seek to ensure that the story of AIDS, and the AIDS Movement, is known by current and future generations; that they stay engaged in the fight against HIV; be inspired to advance health, racial, and social justice efforts; and embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

The National AIDS Memorial is the steward of our nation's two most notable AIDS Memorials: The 10-acre National AIDS Memorial Grove (“the Grove”) and the 54-ton AIDS Memorial Quilt (“the Quilt”), both created and located in San Francisco.

Both memorials were created by hundreds of thousands of grieving loved ones and through their respective storytelling qualities, reveal the humanity behind the statistics, invoke compassion, and dispel discrimination and stigma. There are no more powerful visual reminders of the toll AIDS has taken than the National AIDS Memorial Grove and the AIDS Memorial Quilt — they are both profoundly powerful prevention tools, which convey the enormity of loss caused by the AIDS pandemic.

Support our work here. Thank you for your support!

In community,

National AIDS Memorial Team

The Quilt Can Be A Comforter Campaign

By National AIDS Memorial

The Quilt Can Be A Comforter Campaign

Thank you for your gift to support our beloved AIDS Memorial Quilt!