If you feel unwell or test positive for COVID-19 at any point while in Houston, or during the three days after you leave Funding Forward, please notify our Event Team as soon as you receive the result.

Email [email protected] with the subject line “Feeling Unwell” and please include details on when you started feeling unwell and/or tested positive. Your personal information will be kept confidential.

Do not attend the remaining sessions in-person. We recommend monitoring your symptoms closely and seeking medical care if necessary.

You can read our full COVID-19 and General Care Protocol here.

More details will be added closer to the event. If you have questions about COVID-19 or the General Care Protocol, please contact the Funding Forward Event Support team at [email protected].

• Funding Forward will be using Universal Masking meaning all attendees are directed  to wear a mask during all indoor components of the event unless they are actively presenting, eating or drinking. Social distancing will be advised when meals or refreshments are served, and additional dining space will be available outside the meeting room. Presenters may remove masks while speaking but must ensure a minimum six-foot distance from others.
• All attendees are recommended to be fully vaccinated BUT are not required to show proof of vaccination when they pick up their registration badge. FLGBTQI strongly recommends all attendees receive the most recent booster shot as well.
• Funders will require in-house COVID-19 testing on arrival in order to receive your name badge. We encourage you to test before traveling, as you will not be admitted to the conference with a positive test. We will provide additional tests to participants as needed.
• Stay home when appropriate: If you have tested positive for COVID-19, are waiting for COVID-19 test results, have COVID-19 symptoms, feel sick or unwell, or have had close contact with a person who has tested positive for or who has symptoms of COVID-19, please do not attend. FLGBTQI recognizes that COVID-19 is not the only immunocompromising threat and that a negative COVID-19 test does not necessarily equate to wellness. FLGBTQI acknowledges that the individual can only determine wellness, and our staff and contractors will not police or monitor attendees throughout the conference. Please be aware of shifts in your wellness throughout your time in Funding Forward for yourself and the well-being of other attendees. Please check in with conference organizers to see how we can further support you if you are unable to attend.
• We will follow all federal, state, and local laws, rules, and recommendations to lessen and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus; however, we cannot guarantee that attendees will not be exposed to the virus. Attending this event, attendees voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and other illnesses.
• Individuals not in compliance with all consent and wellness protocols, without communication to conference staff, may be asked to leave the conference. 

FLGTBQI will institute the following health and safety protocols to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and illness at our in-person conference:

• FLGBTQI recommends that all conference participants, speakers, vendors, and FLGBTQI staff have up-to-date vaccinations and boosters for COVID-19 upon or before arrival at the conference venue.
• Conference organizers will modify room layouts for conference sessions for physical distancing and limited seating per table.
• We will work with our host hotel to ensure all conference rooms are cleaned and sanitized before and after breakout and general sessions. 
• Following The People’s CDC recommendations for Safer In-Person gatherings, we will direct all conference participants, speakers, vendors, and Funders’ staff to wear a mask** during the all indoor components of the event except when actively presenting, eating or drinking. Due to differing abilities in wearing masks for long periods, if you cannot keep a mask on for health reasons, please distance yourself from others and communicate to the conference staff so we are aware of your needs.
• Attendees are encouraged to bring their own masks. We recommend N-95, KN-95, or multi-layered surgical masks rather than cloth face coverings. FLGBTQI will provide masks for all conference attendees who need them.
• We ask that attendees notify conference organizers when they find insufficient PPE supplies.
• We will provide reminders, signage, and verbal announcements before and after sessions to enforce mask wearing. Should you feel uncomfortable by the atmosphere of the conference for any reason, we ask that you find a conference staff representative to help mediate and problem-solve.
• Closer to the event, Funders will share details on what to do if you feel ill and/or test positive for COVID while attending the event.

All attendees, including staff and volunteers, are directed to wear masks during all indoor components of the event regardless of vaccination status, negative COVID test, or self-determined wellness.

If a particular county’s transmission rate increases substantially, Funders for LGBTQ Issues reserves the right to implement additional requirements (e.g., limiting capacity, enforcing social distancing).

Each vendor will be responsible for ensuring its staff’s compliance. We will inform vendors, hotel staff, and other third parties (e.g., anyone directly performing services during an in-person event) with existing contracts of our COVID-19 safety protocols for events and inquire how they align with their safety protocols.

Unless otherwise provided, masking requirements do not apply to outdoor events.  Masks remain a requirement for outdoor events when attendees cannot practice social distancing.     

Masks make it more difficult for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to understand speech or sign language because they obscure the lips and part of the face. If persons who are deaf or hard of hearing request an accommodation, we’ll take steps to ensure clear, effective communication and determine remedies on a case-by-case basis. Alternatives may include written communication, windowed masks, or closed captioning. CDC does not recommend using face shields as a mask substitute because of concerns about their efficacy.