Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues coordinated and moderated a panel on increasing support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people of color efforts at the Applied Research Center’s 2008 Facing Race conference in Oakland, California, held November 13-15.

For Ellen Gurzinsky, moderator of the panel and program director at Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues, these kinds of workshops heighten awareness about how sexuality and gender identity play out in the racial justice sphere—where LGBTQ communities of color have long been powerful agents for change.

“It’s a historic moment for our country and an opportunity for us—as racial justice activists and LGBTQ people—to invest in LGBTQ communities of color as they forge the necessary alliances and offer the cutting-edge political analysis that addresses the multiplicity of our lives,” said Gurzinsky.

The panel included Jewelle Gomez, director of grants and community initiatives at Horizons Foundation; Madeleine Lim, executive director of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project; Andrea Shorter, co-chair of the Bayard LGBT Rustin Coalition; and Robert Espinoza, director of research at Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues.

Panelists spoke about the challenges of accessing and allocating foundation dollars, as well as how LGBTQ people of color organizations have articulated strategies for change—despite limited foundation support, according to the research presentation offered by Espinoza on the panel discussion.

Approximately 40 activists from around the country attended the workshop discussion, and more than 900 activists from around the country took part in the entire conference.

Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues also served as a proud sponsor of Facing Race.

The mission of Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues is to seek equality and rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and communities by mobilizing philanthropic resources that advance racial, economic and gender justice. To learn more, please visit http://lgbtqfunders.wpengine.com.