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May 2017
HEADLINES
  
Our recently released 2015 Tracking Report  noted that LGBTQ funding reached a record high of $160.7 million in 2015 - with notable increases in funding supporting trans communities, LGBTQ communities in the U.S. South, and efforts to address LGBTQ criminalization and criminal justice reform. In our annual 'Honor Roll,' we recognize funders who increased funding for LGBTQ communities by 25 percent or more in 2015. 
Click here to read more.     
 
 
Funders for LGBTQ Issues was featured in this May 22nd Inside Philanthropy article about LGBTQ funding in the age of Trump, including highlights from our most recent Tracking Report and a look at our ongoing efforts to engage funders in this challenging political climate. Click here to read more. 

 
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, June 14th - Thursday, June 15th (Orlando, FL) 
In collaboration with The Central Florida Foundation and The Contigo Fund, Funders for LGBTQ Issues invites you to join us for this upcoming symposium on the ongoing philanthropic response to the Pulse tragedy. Join local and national funders to honor the lives lost, reflect on lessons learned, and discuss emerging best practices for effective grantmaking in response to tragedies targeting marginalized communities. Click here to register.
Monday, Sep. 18th - Friday, Sep. 22nd (New Orleans, LA) 
The UNITY Summit will bring together over 500 partner members and sector allies to explore and examine philanthropic equity strategies. The summit will highlight how philanthropy can align its investments along the themes of ResistanceProtection, and EmpowermentClick here to learn more. Click here to register.
Wednesday, March 14th - Friday, March 16th (New Orleans, LA) 
Funding Forward 2018
We are pleased to announce that Funding Forward 2018 will take place from March 14th - 16th in New Orleans, Louisiana. Our annual gathering of grantmakers committed to LGBTQ issues promises to bring together more than 200 of the most influential people in LGBTQ philanthropy, so we hope to see you there!  Click here to learn more. Click here to register.
RESOURCES
Research, Resources, and Updates 
  • In case you missed it, be sure to check out our latest publication! The 2015 Tracking Report explores the scope and character of foundation funding for LGBTQ issues in the calendar year 2015. The report analyzes 5,267 grants from 334 foundations, making it the most comprehensive assessment of LGBTQ funding available.
  • Grantmakers for Southern Progress and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) released the first report in a new series, As the South Grows. The series aims to increase the amount and sustainability of funding to improve the quality of life and increase the power of marginalized communities in the South.  
  • New research from the Center for American Progress shows that LGBT people across the country continue to experience pervasive discrimination that negatively impacts all aspects of their lives, in both subtle and significant ways.  
  • Inside Philanthropy profiled the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF), two funders working collaboratively to support HIV/AIDS and LGBT organizations in the South.
  • Movement Advancement Project (MAP) partnered with SAGE to release a new report titled Understanding Issues Facing LGBT Older Adults. The report takes a comprehensive look at the experiences of LGBT elders and their resilience. The report was released with a supplemental video, "Aging as LGBT."
  • Earlier this month, The Cleveland Foundation presented the 2017 Homer C. Wadsworth Award to Phyllis "Seven" Harris, Executive Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland. The award is given annually to a local leader who has demonstrated creativity, innovation, risk-taking and good humor in a civic, volunteer, nonprofit or public sector role.
  • Member and former board chair of Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Cindy Rizzo, penned this piece last month reclaiming the often overlooked Day of Lesbian Visibility on April 26th.
  • Independent Sector released important new research on how current tax reform proposals would impact charitable giving. The report explores whether changes in tax policy could encourage more people to give more.
Requests for Proposals
  • Defending the Dream Fund 

    The Hill-Snowdon Foundation, in partnership with the General Service Foundation, is launching the Defending the Dream Fund to provide expedited resources to grassroots organizing groups that are working to protect targeted communities in the Trump era and defend the core principles of equity and justice. The Fund will make grants of up to $10,000 and will accept requests for funding during the second application period from July 31st to September 1st. Requests will be reviewed within 5-7 weeks of each deadline.
  • EJAF supports organizations working with people who are most affected by HIV in the Americas, defined as the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Interested parties should submit an online letter of inquiry (LOI) form by 5 PM Eastern Standard Time on June 30, 2017. EJAF will contact all applicants by the end of August with information about whether a full proposal will be invited and any follow-up.
  • GAPA Foundation is accepting applications for the 2017 Scholarship and Grant cycles. Scholarships provide financial assistance to API LGBTQ students who are in the process of applying or are currently attending a post-secondary institution. GAPA Foundation is also seeking proposals for their Community Grants, which provide core funding to under-resourced and/or underrepresented local community organizations and projects. Both applications are due by June 30th.
  • The Out in the South Fund is a collaborative fund devoted to increasing funding for LGBTQ communities in the South over the long term. The Out in the South Fund seeks proposals from LGBTQ-focused funds based in the U.S. South. By "LGBTQ-focused funds," we mean efforts to raise money and give out grants to LGBTQ community groups and organizations. The fund will award two types of grants, planning grants and matching grants. The deadline for submissions is July 7th, 2017.
  • Pride Foundation Community Grants Program seeks to fund proposed ideas, projects, and strategies from community organizations that work to enhance the lives of and address the needs of LGBTQ youth, adults, and families that are positively impacting local communities in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and/or Washington. The Foundation is hosting several 30-minute Q & A sessions about the application and process. The application cycle opens  May 1, 2017.
  • The Southern Equality Fund is a project of the Campaign for Southern Equality, an advocacy organization working for full lived and legal equality for LGBTQ Southerners. The fund is accepting and reviewing applications on an ongoing basis for projects based in the South that promote equality, safety, and/or visibility of Southern LGBT* people. Groups and organizations in the South with annual budgets that do not exceed $50,000 are invited to apply online.
  • Stonewall Community Foundation is accepting proposals to fund organizations in the New York area that are struggling to respond to the demand for advocacy, support, and services in the face of shifting political realities. One-year grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded in July 2017. An informational call will be held on Wednesday, April 26th at 2:00 p.m. EST to answer questions related to this Request for Proposals. Completed proposals must be received by noon on Wednesday, June 7th, 2017. The Foundation is also accepting proposals for the 2017 Quarter Share grants cycle. A one-year general operating support grant of $14,000 will be made to an organization in New York City that is engaging in projects that work with broader communities to create change on the local level. For more on eligibility and how to apply, view the application materials here. Completed proposals are due by no later than noon on July 11th, 2017.
Recent Grant Announcements
  • 2017 Pride Foundation Scholars
    Pride Foundation announced scholarships to 108 students from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington totaling $438,000. Recipients are leaders in the LGBTQ community and they either currently live or grew up in the Northwest. The press and members of the public can meet these inspiring students at local events taking place around the region. 
  • Communities Against Hate Initiative Funds HMI: New Jersey
    Open Society Foundation's Communities Against Hate Initiative recently awarded a grant to Hetrick-Martin Institute: New Jersey to increase and expand support and resources for LGBT youth who have been victims of hate crimes in Northern New Jersey.
  • Third Wave Fund Awards over $100,000 Since Election
    Since November, the Mobilize Power Fund for rapid response at Third Wave Fund has received a 4-fold increase in emergency grant requests and has awarded over $100,000 in awards. Read more information about this urgent grant making here.
 
LGBTQ PEOPLE IN PHILANTHROPY
People on the Move in LGBTQ Philanthropy



  Sean Kosofsky , the first full-time Executive Director of the  Tyler Clementi Foundation will leave the organization later this summer. Best of luck on your next steps, Sean! 

Andy Lane

After ten years of exemplary leadership, Andy Lane has stepped down from his role as executive director of the Johnson Family Foundation. During his tenure at JFF, Andy Lane served six years as a board member of Funders for LGBTQ Issues, including two years as chair, during which he led the organization through a major leadership transition. He also provided leadership for the boards of the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and the Paul Rapoport Foundation.Thank you, Andy, for your invaluable service to our movement and best of luck on your future endeavors!

Russell Roybal

Russell Roybal will be leaving The LGBTQ Task Force later this summer to join the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Congrats on this exciting move and good luck, Russell! 

Jobs in LGBTQ Philanthropy

California Community Foundation
(Los Angeles, CA)

California Community Foundation
(Los Angeles, CA)

MacArthur Foundation
(Chicago, IL)

MacArthur Foundation
(Chicago, IL)

Astraea Foundation
(New York, NY)

Alliance for Justice 
(Washington, DC)

MacArthur Foundation
(Chicago, IL)

  Office Manager
Leeway Foundation
(Philadelphia, PA)

  Project Manager, Social Change Data Commons
California Community Foundation
(Los Angeles, CA)

Funders for LGBTQ Issues works to increase the scale and impact of philanthropic resources aimed at enhancing the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities, promoting equity, and advancing racial, economic and gender justice

Board of Directors:

Chair  Rebecca Fox (Wellspring Advisors)  · Vice Chair Brandie Balken (Gill Foundation) · Treasurer Kristine Stallone (American Jewish World Service) · Secretary Beatriz "Bia" Vieira (Philanthropic Consultant) ·  Karina Claudio Betancourt  (Open Society Foundations)
 
·  Alfredo Cruz (Foundation for Louisiana)  ·  Gabriel Foster  (Trans Justice Funding Project)  ·  Matthew "Matty" Hart (Global Philanthropy Project and The Calamus Foundation, DE) ·  Surina Khan (The Women's Foundation of California)  ·  Rickke Manazala (Borealis Philanthropy)  · Jason McGill (Arcus) · Rye Young (Third Wave Fund)
Institutional Members

11th Hour Project -  American Jewish World Service -  Andrus Family Foundation -  Anonymous -  Arcus Foundation -  Arizona Community Foundation -  Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice -  The David Bohnett Foundation -  Borealis Philanthropy Boston Foundation -  The Calamus Foundation (Delaware) -  The California Endowment -  The California Wellness Foundation -  Jeff Chartrand Advised Fund - Civil Rights Defenders -  The Cleveland Foundation - Community  Foundation for Northeast Florida - Community  Foundation Santa Cruz County -  Con Alma Health Foundation -  Cream City Foundation -  Elton John AIDS Foundation -  Equity Foundation -  Ford Foundation -  Foundation For The Carolinas - Foundation for a Just Society -  Foundation for Louisiana -  Freeman Foundation -  Gilead Sciences -  Gill Foundation -  Gilmour-Jirgens Foundation -  Groundswell Fund -  Guilford Green Foundation -  Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund -  The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation -  Horizons Foundation -  Johnson Family Foundation -  Kicking Assets Fund -  John Larsen Foundation -  Laughing Gull Foundation -  Levi Strauss Foundation -  M.A.C. AIDS Fund -  The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation -  Amy Mandel and Katina Rodis Fund -  Marguerite Casey Foundation -  Mukti Fund -  New Venture Fund -  New York Women's Foundation -  North Star Fund -  Northwest Area Foundation -  Our Fund, Inc. -  Overbrook Foundation -  The Palette Fund -  Pfund Foundation -  Polk Bros. Foundation -  Pride Foundation -  Proteus Fund, Inc. - Richmond Memorial Health Foundation -  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation -  Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors -  Rosenberg Foundation -  San Diego Human Dignity Foundation -  San Francisco AIDS Foundation -  Santa Fe Community Foundation -  Small Change Foundation -  Stonewall Community Foundation -  Dwight Stuart Youth Fund -  H. van Ameringen Foundation -  Vermont Community Foundation -  Washington AIDS Partnership -  Wells Fargo Bank -  Wild Geese Foundation -  Third Wave Fund -  Tides Foundation -  Trans Justice Funding Project -  Women's Foundation of California

Have a content idea for Q Notes?  Contact Andrew Wallace at andrew@lgbtfunders.org or 212.475.2930.




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