User's Groups On Fund Raising And Procuring Facilities?

crlf asks: "I've been trying to book rooms for my Toronto LUG from our local university for months and am beginning to realize that many institutions do not really care to host groups like LUGs for free. We are on our way to incorporating ourselves as an NPO, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice as to which kind of locations would freely take us in and what kinds of other events LUGs around the world organize as social and fund-raising events."