Voluntary Dissolution
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [August 31, 2026]
Safe Bars Announces Voluntary Dissolution After 13 Years of Work to Make Hospitality Spaces Safer
Baltimore, Maryland — Safe Bars Inc., the nonprofit organization dedicated to helping alcohol-serving hospitality spaces become safer, more welcoming, and respectful environments, today announced that its Board of Directors voted last month to begin the voluntary dissolution of the organization.
Co-founded by Lauren Taylor in 2013, Safe Bars has trained hospitality staff, including bars, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and event venues, in active bystander intervention, de-escalation, and allyship skills designed to stop sexual aggression and other forms of gender-based violence in alcohol-serving spaces. Since our founding, Safe Bars has trained thousands of hospitality professionals and established 43 community chapters nationwide.
The decision to dissolve reflects the increasingly difficult financial climate facing nonprofit organizations, not a failure of the mission. Safe Bars leadership and the Board undertook a sustained effort to find a sustainable path forward, including exploring a partnership to carry the work forward, before concluding that a responsible, transparent wind-down was the right course.
The Board of Directors released the following statement: "Safe Bars was built by the establishments that opened their doors, the trainers who delivered this work session after session, and the chapter leaders and supporters who sustained it in their own communities. Those contributions outlast the organization itself, and the Board is deeply grateful for all who have supported or participated in Safe Bars programs over the past 13 years.”
Disposition of Safe Bars's training materials and curriculum is still being finalized. The Board's priority is ensuring the work can continue through chapters or other aligned organizations wherever possible. Those interested in continuing bystander intervention work locally are encouraged to connect with their regional Safe Bars chapter.
The Board is managing a responsible wind-down of the organization's remaining assets, outstanding obligations, and training materials in accordance with Safe Bars's bylaws and applicable nonprofit law.
For questions regarding the dissolution process, please contact: info@safebars.org