Backing the People Who Build

Why The Payment HQ is proud to support The Doan Foundation and San Diego's next generation of creatives

We spend our days helping small businesses get paid. It's the part of running a business that should be simple, and too often isn't. The more we do this work, the clearer it becomes: the hurdle a small business owner faces trying to accept their first payment isn’t so different from the hurdle a young artist faces trying to make a living from their craft.

Both have something real to offer. Both deserve a real shot at turning what they're building into a living.

That belief is why we’re proud to stand behind The Doan Foundation.

The Doan Foundation

Founded in 2022, The Doan Foundation is a San Diego nonprofit working to open doors for young people who are too often left outside of them: underserved and justice-impacted youth, and artists whose stories deserve to be heard.

Their work is hands-on and local: scholarships that help students pursue an education in the arts; direct grants that put money in working artists' hands through their Roots & Resilience program; and youth programs that use creativity to build confidence and direction.

One of the initiatives we admire the most is their Creative Futures Lab, a program that teaches emerging artists the business behind their craft: how to build a brand, price their work, and actually earn a living from what they create. That’s a mission we understand deeply. Helping people get paid for their work is the whole reason we exist.

The Foundation's founder and president, Dennis Doan, made history in 2024 as the first Southeast Asian to serve as an Arts and Culture Commissioner for the City of San Diego. It says something about what drives the organization at every level: access, representation, and opportunity for communities that have gone without.

Why We're Involved

Charles Bayani founded The Payment HQ to be in the corner of the people who are finding a way to build a career out of their passion. So supporting an organization that shows up for underserved creatives isn't a stretch for us. It's the same mission, in a different room.

This year, we’re a proud Platinum sponsor of the Doan Gala IV, the Foundation’s annual celebration of arts, culture, and community, taking place July 25 in San Diego. Part of what we’ve put in goes directly toward a scholarship for a young creative pursuing their education in the year ahead.

It's a small thing next to the size of the dream it supports, but it's exactly the kind of thing we want to be part of.

The Bigger Picture

A city like ours is stronger when the people building it, behind a counter or behind a canvas, have someone in their corner. That's the company we're trying to be. Not just a payments company, but a partner to the people betting on themselves.

If that’s you, whether you’re running a shop, launching a brand, or chasing something you haven’t quite named yet, we’re glad to be in your corner.

To learn more about The Doan Foundation and the Doan Gala IV, visit their website.