Stonewall Community Foundation’s Post

Today, on #TransgenderDayofVisibility, we honor the progress made towards ensuring that transgender community members can live in safety and dignity, and acknowledge the considerable work that remains on the path to equality. Last year, a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills limited the rights and freedoms of trans people in the U.S. and continue to pose a direct threat to their safety today. Just as each of us has a role to play in protecting trans community members, funders must commit to investing in organizations that defend their rights and livelihood. We recently joined Funders for LGBTQ Issues to deepen our understanding of this work. In this opinion piece, the collaborative's Executive Director, M. Saida Agostini Bostic, and Elizabeth Barajas-Román from Women's Funding Network offer funders a roadmap to supporting these organizations. They powerfully state: "These investments are more important than ever and should be replicated by women’s funds across the country—and all foundations that value equal rights and justice." Learn more about how funders can help create a world where trans people live safely, freely and authentically:

#LGBTQCommunityFund #ChicagoCommunityTrust "The LGBTQ Community Fund is #accepting #applications for its #2023GrantCycle sbeginning on Monday, #August7, 2023. Grant awards will range from $10,000 to $50,000. The #focus #areas of this year’s grant making are Housing, Health, and Mental Health. #Priority will be given to proposals that address #intersectionality and #focus #on #serving #historically #marginalized #groups #within the #LGBTQ #community, including older adults, people living with disabilities, youth, trans and gender non-conforming people, People of Color, and women/femmes."

🌈 One of the country’s largest LGBTQ funders, The Gill Foundation, is giving $4.3 million to democracy nonprofits in the lead-up to the 2024 election. This is the latest example of a key, cause-focused philanthropy embracing broader civic engagement work. 🔍 Dawn Wolfe reports on this significant move and the impact it aims to have on our democratic processes. Check out the full article on Inside Philanthropy for more details! #LGBTQ #ProDemocracy #SocialImpact #GillFoundation #InsidePhilanthropy #CivicEngagement #DemocracyReform #SocialJustice #InclusiveDemocracy #EquitableSociety #SystemicChange

Hetrick-Martin Institute has been very fortunate to be the recipient of the confident investment of several Social Service Funders looking to advance their missions addressing mental health and overall wellness, education, workforce development, homelessness and so much more. This investment in our community of care that centers queer and trans BIPOC youth AND STAFF is vital to our ability to continue to respond to the dramatically increasing need we face every day. With the ongoing and alarming hate targeting our community, especially young people - I am making a call to push harder, stretch more. According to a report by Funders for LGBTQ Issues; In 2021, funders moved just $0.28 to LGBTQ nonprofits for every $100 U.S. philanthropy spent overall. Meanwhile, trans-serving nonprofits received only four cents for every $100 moved by U.S. funders. This is not a sufficient investment in a community that represents nearly half of homeless teens in the country, is 3 times as likely to have considered suicide, and is being attacked daily with more than 400 anti LGBTQIA bills across the country. The volatility of our political landscape is putting further strain and concerns for sustainability considering our industries heavy reliance on public funding. As mentioned in this article, a reduction in the investment in our community in recent years is DISPROVING the adage that "high tides raise all ships", unless we move fast we will leave our community behind. #philanthropy #lgbtqia #lgbtqiayouth

As #Pride month comes to a close, this blog post from Center for Effective Philanthropy written by Kevin Bolduc and Elizabeth Kelley Sohn highlights the experiences of LGBTQ grantees and how funders can commit to implementing safe approaches that invite LGBTQ grantees to be visible, to understanding their needs, and to closing the gap in their experiences as grantees. "Part protest, part commemoration, and part celebration, Pride Month joyfully invites us all to see the rich and diverse lives of queer folks — and to recognize that as far as we’ve come (at least here in the U.S.), we still have a long way to go to achieve a world in which LGBTQ people are fully seen, safe, loved, and liberated.1 Philanthropy has a role in achieving that goal, but it, too, has a long way to go in better supporting LGBTQ communities. Right now, most funders don’t consider themselves to be LGBTQ focused funders. That might be because, according to the most recent tracking report from Funders for LGBTQ Issues, LGBTQ communities and issues are specifically targeted for only a small fraction of philanthropic giving. The reality, however, is that nearly every funder is building relationships with queer grantees and often supporting organizations led by LGBTQ people, whether they know it or not. And, for any funder that focuses on historically marginalized populations or has intentionally centered equity as a value in their grantmaking, the experiences of queer populations should be part of the conversation. Each aspect of our identities affects our experience, and often the challenges facing marginalized groups can compound one another. So, every funder should be concerned that LGBTQ identified grant recipients have significantly less positive experiences with and perceptions of their funders than their straight peers do — at least as measured through response to CEP’s Grantee Perception Report (GPR) surveys."

To secure full equality for #LGBTQ Americans, we must have a functioning #democracy. As The Gill Foundation evaluated our grant-making entering 2024, it was clear that protecting democratic institutions and strengthening civic engagement were critical prerequisites to advancing our mission. Alongside our network of OutGivers, this year we’ve already directed $4.3 million to nonpartisan efforts to expand #voter participation, fortify democratic institutions, counter disinformation, and protect LGTBQ rights in 2025 and beyond. These investments complement our core grant-making, which remains focused on protecting as many LGBTQ Americans as possible, as quickly as possible. We continue to invest in advancing administrative protections, resourcing litigation efforts, supporting state equality organizations, and reshaping the national narrative around the LGBTQ community, particularly #transgender youth. Our country is at a critical juncture. But I believe together we will protect our democracy and continue our march toward full #equality.

Is your #foundation is working to alleviate social problems like #poverty and #homelessness? If you're not making #grants to #LGBTQ-serving and led nonprofits you may well be making those issues *worse,* not better. For Inside Philanthropy, here are some things I've known since my first years as a journalist at Pride Source Media. From the piece: If you’re a social service funder making grants to [conservative faith-based] groups ... you’re actively working against your mission unless you’re OK with leaving LGBTQ people in need on the sidelines at best, and making their lives even harder at worst. Or as Ralph, a 42-year-old cisgender gay man in L.A., said in a recent study of LGBTQ poverty by the Williams Institute, "There's been a few times where I've, opportunities came up for, like, housing, [but] it's been, like, a Christian home or something like that, where they're not really OK with homosexuality. Being a gay man, no, I couldn't have gone into that place." Seeing as “housing first” has been a guiding mantra for anti-homelessness philanthropy for some time, it’s troubling to think that a potential beneficiary had to remain unhoused because he was actively discriminated against by nonprofit groups charged with providing that housing. With thanks to Alexander Lee of Funders for LGBTQ Issues for the original inspiration, and Michelle Dominguez, M.Ed. and Sean Kosofsky, MPA "The Nonprofit Fixer" for their input. The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law #funders #philanthropy #lgbtqcommunity #nonprofits

BREAKING: Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives has proposed cutting non-profit community project funding. Not allowing non-profits to apply for these U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants will create an almost $1 billion shortfall for community programs across the country. Join Equitas Health, Human Service Chamber of Franklin County, The Center for Community Solutions, and others, and tell the US House Committee on Appropriations that these cuts will hurt our communities. To take action, call (202)-225-2771. To learn more, click the link below. https://lnkd.in/eX7W2_Xg #LGBT #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #LGBTQIAPlus #Federal #Government #GovernmentAffairs #PublicPolicy #PublicAffairs #CurrentAffairs #Funding #Appropriations #Revenue #Housing #UrbanDevelopment #Grants #Congress #DC #Washington #NonProfit #Community #CommunityDevelopment #CommunityEngagement #Resources #SocialServices #CommunitySupport #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #DEI #DiversityEquityInclusion #DEIB #DiversityEquityInclusionBelonging

Help Us Connect with LGBTQ Non-Profits for a Community Capacity Needs Assessment! 🌈 For my internship this summer, I'm working on an important project under the guidance of John Pachankis: conducting a community capacity needs assessment focused on LGBTQ non-profits in the Tri-State Area (NY, NJ, CT). To make this project a success, I need your help! If you know of any LGBTQ non-profits in the Tri-State Area, I would love to hear your recommendations on community stakeholders and organizations I can interview for this project! Your input will help us identify crucial organizations and understand the needs and gaps in services for the LGBTQ community. 📍 What We Need: Names and contact information for community stakeholders at LGBTQ non-profits in NY, NJ, or CT. Your suggestions will directly contribute to a publicly accessible report and help shape future collaborations, ensuring we make a meaningful impact together. Please share your recommendations in the comments below, message me directly, or fill out this quick form: https://lnkd.in/e-uuHXMZ Additionally, feel free to pass this along to others or share within your own networks! Thank you for your support in helping us understand the needs of LGBTQ organizations in the Tri-State Area! #LGBTQ #NonProfits #CommunityHealth #NeedsAssessment #YSPH #Collaboration #SupportLocal #TriStateArea #NonProfitOrganizations #CommunitySupport #LGBTQSupport #LGBTQCommunity #NYNonprofits #NJNonprofits #CTNonprofits #NonProfitWork #StudentEngagement

As Pride Month concludes, this recent article from Kevin Bolduc and and Elizabeth Kelley Sohn highlights critical issues in LGBTQ philanthropy: Center for Effective Philanthropy's research reveals LGBTQ grantees have less positive experiences with funders compared to their peers. Key findings include: 📊 Only 11% of surveyed grantees identify as LGBTQ 📊 LGBTQ grantees report lower ratings for funders' understanding of their work and contexts 📊 LGBTQ grantees have less positive relationships with funders YouthTruth, an initiative of Center for Effective Philanthropy, agrees that as philanthropists and leaders, we must step up to counter regressive movements and ensure LGBTQ individuals are seen, safe, and supported in all aspects of society. Read more from our own call to action for funders here–https://lnkd.in/gCcc_niF. As Jimmy Simpson, Jr. and Jennifer de Forest found, the cry from students is very clear: 🔊 Value our history! Value our identities! Value our lives! So, what can #funders do? 🎯 Implement safe approaches to increase LGBTQ grantee visibility 🎯 Understand and address the unique needs of LGBTQ grantees 🎯 Support initiatives that amplify LGBTQ youth voices in schools 🎯 Invest in schools as incubators for an inclusive civic society What steps is your organization taking to better support LGBTQ communities? Let's discuss in the comments! #Pride #Philanthropy #LGBTQ #InclusiveGiving #YouthEmpowerment