Funding Forward 2021 will be held as a fully virtual conference from May 5th – May 7th, 2021.

Our team is looking forward to delivering timely and critical conversations with leading funders and LGBTQ movement leaders in an engaging, interactive format. We hope you will join us!

Schedule

Current Month

05may12:00 pm1:30 pmMoving Money, Building Movements: How Funders Can Meet the Challenges of this TimeWelcome & Plenary12:00 pm - 1:30 pm(GMT-04:00) Sponsored By: Borealis Philanthropy, Foundation for a Just Society, and Marguerite Casey Foundation

05may1:30 pm2:15 pmNetworking & Community BuildingBreak1:30 pm - 2:15 pm(GMT-04:00)

05may2:15 pm3:45 pm"The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House" - Lessons learned from moving money to movement work in the SouthConcurrent Session2:15 pm - 3:45 pm(GMT-04:00) Sponsored By: Out in the South and Grantmakers for Southern Progress

05may2:15 pm3:45 pmMore than a Game: Challenging the Conservative Rights Strategy to Use Sports to Stop Trans and GNC People from ThrivingConcurrent Session2:15 pm - 3:45 pm(GMT-04:00) Sponsored By: Wellspring Philanthropic Fund

05may3:45 pm4:15 pmNetworking & Community BuildingEmerging Practitioner Social Hour3:45 pm - 4:15 pm(GMT-04:00) Sponsored By: Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP)

Current Month

06may12:00 pm1:30 pmBlack Trans Brilliance: Black Trans Community Moving Money in Times of CrisisWelcome & Plenary12:00 pm - 1:30 pm(GMT-04:00) Sponsored By: Funders for LGBTQ Issues and the Black Trans Fund at The Groundswell Fund

06may1:30 pm1:45 pmBreak1:30 pm - 1:45 pm(GMT-04:00)

06may1:45 pm3:15 pmLGBTQ Immigration: Border and BeyondConcurrent Session1:45 pm - 3:15 pm(GMT-04:00)

06may1:45 pm3:15 pmGame Changer: The Power of LGBTQ Civic EngagementConcurrent Session1:45 pm - 3:15 pm(GMT-04:00)

06may3:15 pm3:45 pmNetworking & Community Building3:15 pm - 3:45 pm(GMT-04:00)

Current Month

07may12:00 pm12:15 pmOpening Remarks: The State of LGBTQ PhilanthropyWelcome & Plenary12:00 pm - 12:15 pm(GMT-04:00)

07may12:00 pm1:30 pmThe F Word: Why feminist approaches led by queer & trans women of color is the key to winWelcome & Plenary12:00 pm - 1:30 pm(GMT-04:00)

07may1:30 pm2:15 pmNetworking & Community BuildingBreak1:30 pm - 2:15 pm(GMT-04:00)

07may2:15 pm3:45 pmCreating Community is a Threat to Power - Sex Workers Leading MovementsConcurrent Session2:15 pm - 3:45 pm(GMT-04:00)

07may2:15 pm3:45 pmOpen Workshop spaceConcurrent Session2:15 pm - 3:45 pm(GMT-04:00)

07may2:30 pm3:30 pmFunder Briefing on The Equality ActAffiliated Program2:30 pm - 3:30 pm(GMT-04:00) Sponsored By: American Unity Fund, Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Ford Foundation, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Gill Foundation, Horizons Foundation, Overbrook Foundation, Pride Foundation

07may3:45 pm4:45 pmVirtual Afterparty!3:45 pm - 4:45 pm(GMT-04:00)

Planning Committee

jennie-agmi

Jennifer Agmi

Senior Program Officer

The Libra Foundation

Glo-Ross

Glo Ross

U.S. Social Justice Program Officer

Arcus Foundation

luc-a-r

Luc Athayde-Rizzaro

Grant Making Support Officer

Open Society Foundations

Dani Martinez_Photo by Sandra Dahdah Survival Media Agency_web

Dani Martinez

Program Director, Transforming Movements Fund

Borealis Philanthropy

jayes-green-1

Jonathan Jayes-Green

Vice President of Programs

Marguerite Casey Foundation

AppelbaumKaren

Karen Appelbaum

Operations Director

Northwest Area Foundation

marco-a-q

Marco Antonio Quiroga

Program Director

Contigo Fund

Christopher-Cuevas

Christopher Cuevas

Program Officer

Laughing Gull Foundation

Wynston-Sanders

Wynston Sanders

Organizer, Southern Equality Fund

Campaign for Southern Equality

Bre-headshot-300x300

Bré Rivera

Program Fellow

Black Trans Fund

FAQ

Funding Forward is the annual gathering of grantmakers committed to LGBTQ issues organized by the affinity group Funders for LGBTQ Issues.

Funding Forward provides an exciting opportunity for funders to

  • connect with one another
  • learn from each other
  • coordinate efforts
  • and maximize impact

Due to ongoing public health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Funding Forward 2021 will be delivered as a fully virtual conference from May 5th – 7th, 2021. The majority of Funding Forward conversations and events will take place live with select content available for viewing by conference attendees following the live events.

We hope to return to hosting Funding Forward as an in-person event in 2022.

We have adapted this year’s virtual program to encourage dynamic, engaging, and interactive sessions. We will also offer specific time and virtual meeting spaces for unstructured networking with Funding Forward attendees who are committed to LGBTQ issues.

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is a national network of foundations and corporations working to increase funding for LGBTQ communities.

We provide three key services for the field, as we:

  1. Connect and create spaces for LGBTQ funders to coordinate their efforts, learn from each other, and maximize their impact
  2. Expand the scale and reach philanthropic resources for LGBTQ communities and social justice by building relationships with a wide range of foundations, corporations, and other partners
  3. Provide up-to-the-minute information, research, and resources on LGBTQ grantmaking for the benefit of funders and the broader LGBTQ movement

Registration is open to representatives from any grantmaking entity or philanthropic infrastructure organization (i.e., board members, staff, grant advisory committee members, etc.). If you have a specific question about your own eligibility please contact Marvin Webb, Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration at [email protected].

Funding Forward offers rich content on LGBTQ issues as they relate to a range of grantmaking priorities, including children & youth, criminal justice reform, economic opportunity, education, health, immigrant rights, racial equity, and reproductive and gender justice. If you need assistance making the case to your institution how the conference programming will help substantively advance your grantmaking priorities, please reach out to Rebecca Wisotsky at [email protected].

The registration fee for Funding Forward is as follows:

Member Fee: $250
Non-member Fee: $350

Visit this page to learn more about becoming a member of Funders for LGBTQ Issues.

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is a social justice organization committed to making Funding Forward accessible to all eligible and interested parties regardless of their economic means. While we currently have no formal scholarship program, if you would like to attend but financial circumstances make your attendance difficult please email us and we’ll see what we can do.