Philanthropy OUTlook: LGBTQ Black Communities

Philanthropy OUTlook: LGBTQ Black Communities, produced in partnership with ABFE, offers an overview of the unique needs of LGBTQ Black communities, shares a snapshot of current philanthropic support, and offers key recommendations for funders looking to better support LGBTQ Black communities and Black-led organizations.

While grant dollars specifically focused on supporting LGBTQ Black communities have increased in recent years – reaching a record high in 2018 – the amount of support remains far too small, never exceeding more than 5 percent of all LGBTQ funding in the United States.

Key highlights of the infographic include:

• Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people make up an estimated 12% of the population of LGBT adults in the United States.
• Black trans women face incredible violence, yet Black trans and gender-nonconforming people collectively received <1% of all funding for LGBTQ issues in 2018.
• The top ten funders of Black LGBTQ communities accounted for 65 percent of all support between 2017-2018. The two largest funders are both pharmaceutical companies with grantmaking almost exclusively focused on HIV/AIDS.
• General advocacy efforts focused on Black LGBTQ communities was the most funded strategy area, while support for health and wellbeing received the greatest share of support by issue area.

Download the report above for more findings and specific recommendations for funders.