OITS news

In 2013, we launched what has since become known as our Out in the South Initiative with the goal of increasing funding for LGBTQ communities throughout the US South. In 2014 we released Out in the South, Part One: Foundation Funding for LGBTQ Issues in the U.S. South, the first report that looked specifically at philanthropic support for LGBTQ communities in the South. In 2015, we hired our Out in the South Project Director, Chantelle Fisher-Borne, and continued our networking and outreach efforts throughout the region. Earlier this month we announced the first round of Out in the South Fund […]

(New York, NY – September 30, 2014) Funders for LGBTQ Issues has released a new report entitled Out in the South, Part Two: LGBTQ Community Assets in the U.S. South. The report finds that not only is the U.S. South home to more LGBT adults than any other region, it is also home to an impressive array of more than 750 LGBTQ community assets.   Out in the South, Part Two (2014) assesses the state of the LGBTQ movement in the U.S.South, based on a comprehensive scan of the region’s LGBTQ community assets, a survey of more than 200 organizers […]

As part of Funders for LGBTQ Issues’ overall strategy to engage more philanthropic resources for LGBTQ communities in the U.S. South, the organization is conducting a landscape scan of current work in the South. The overall purpose is to create a picture of current work, build momentum for future funding and illustrate the range of opportunities for investment. The project will include a broad capacity audit of nonprofit organizations and other entities serving LGBTQ communities in 14 states as well as an in-depth analysis of the field. The final report will lift up current capabilities and promising practices already making […]

In 2011 we saw a record-breaking $123 million in grants awarded to LGBTQ issues. However, the U.S. South saw less than $4 million of that historic sum. In fact, the U.S. South barely saw 3% of the year’s LGBTQ funding despite the fact that over a third of the U.S. population lives in the 13 states of the South (as defined by Grantmakers for Southern Progress). With an estimated 11 million “out” LGBTQ people living in the U.S., foundation funding for LGBTQ issues averages out to $11.20 per LGBTQ person. In the U.S. South, there are an estimated 3,438,872 million […]