What a summer of growth! We’re delighted to have recently welcomed two new staff to Funders for LGBTQ Issues.

Our New Project Director of the Out in the South Initiative!

Chantelle Fisher-Borne joined the staff as our new Project Director for the Out in the South Initiative, a philanthropic initiative of local and national funders committed to creating a more robust, inclusive conversation among Southerners and foundations to empower LGBTQ communities in the South to shape their own lives and futures.

Chantelle joins Funders after almost two decades working in the nonprofit sector addressing a diverse range of issues, including public health, affordable housing, and homelessness. Most recently, she worked in the philanthropic sector as a consultant providing support to funders concerned about issues of poverty and economic justice.

Additionally, she has been active in efforts to build strong networks of LGBTQ affirming faith leaders in North Carolina, where she lives, and support nonprofit organizations to build their capacity to address institutionalized racism. In recent years, she and her wife were also the lead plaintiffs for North Carolina’s lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on adoption and marriage rights for same sex couples.

“Chantelle has an amazing track record of bringing people together to improve the lives of her fellow Southerners. Her values come through in everything she does and have led her to work on tough issues in the South, like poverty, religious-based bigotry, and homelessness.” says Kristina Wertz, Director of Engagement. “She’s smart, creative and a downright good time to work with – we’re thrilled to add her to our team.”

Over the next few months, Chantelle is looking forward to making connections with funders and movement leaders throughout the South, including organizing a road trip to Atlanta (GA), Montgomery (AL), Birmingham (AL), Jackson (MS), Hattiesburg (MS), and New Orleans (LA) in anticipation of the launch of the Out in the South pooled fund in the fall.

Our New Executive Associate & Philanthropic Outreach Coordinator!

In addition to Chantelle, we’re excited to welcome Rebecca Wisotsky as our first Executive Associate & Philanthropic Outreach Coordinator, a new position that will expand Funders’ philanthropic outreach efforts.

Rebecca has a strong commitment to social justice and has over a decade of experience working in national and grassroots organizations and foundations. Rebecca was the consultant who organized the most recent Funding Forward conference in Atlanta – our biggest and most successful conference to date.

Previously, she was the Executive Coordinator at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice where she supported fundraising and grant-making strategy and helped to improve systems for internal management and operations. She was also a Program Coordinator at the Audre Lorde Project, where she managed the innovative 3rd Space Support Program, a community empowerment and wellness program for LGBTTSGNC people of color in New York.

“We have an ambitious goal to increase funding for LGBTQ communities to $200 million by 2017. Rebecca is the perfect person to help us get there. She brings a wealth of expertise in LGBTQ fundraising and community organizing. She’s sharp, strategic, and wholeheartedly committed to LGBTQ communities,” says Ben Francisco Maulbeck, President. “We couldn’t be happier to have her join the staff and help implement our bold strategy to increase grantmaking for LGBTQ issues.”

Over the next few months, Rebecca will significantly expand our ability to coordinate outreach to new funders to increase the number of foundations supporting LGBTQ issues. She is already hard at work developing and implementing systems for supporting board members, staff, members, and other allies to act as ambassadors for LGBTQ issues when reaching out to peer funders.