In 2021 Funders for LGBTQ Issues worked to advance our mission to increase resources for LGBTQ communities and be a champion for transformational philanthropy. Whether securing new pledges from foundations ready to show up for trans communities through the GUTC initiative or welcoming new members with trainings and resources, we worked to offer new possibility models to our sector that reimagine how philanthropy can invest in liberation. Here are just a few of our 2021 accomplishments:
- We welcomed the fourth president of Funders for LGBTQ Issues! Saida Agostini-Bostic joined the team in August 2021 and got right to work meeting our members and partners.
- Grantmakers United for Trans Communities (GUTC) celebrated the two-year anniversary of the GUTC Pledge Campaign. Since its launch in 2019, over 50 foundations signed on to the GUTC Pledge, committing to four key commitments that help define what it means for funders to support transgender people.
- The Out in the South Fund, now in its sixth grantmaking cycle, awarded $695,000 to 12 LGBTQ funds and allied grantmaking organizations throughout the South. The fund has distributed over $3 million to date.
- We hosted a Funding Forward 2021, a fully virtual conference bringing together nearly 200 donors and movement leaders over three days of live programming.
- As a key partner for CHANGE Philanthropy’s 2021 Unity Summit, we hosted or co-hosted virtual events with our sector partners and participants from across progressive philanthropy.
- We also welcomed nine new members in 2021. Our new members are a diverse group and include Excelerate Foundation, Fetzer Institute, Funders for Reproductive Equity, JP Morgan Chase, Kataly Foundation, Leonard Litz Foundation, Stupski Foundation, Transgender Strategy Center, and the Visibility Impact Fund.
Thank you to all our members and supporters for making this work possible in 2021!