Sadly, we don’t know how many LGBTQ people work in philanthropy. However, with our new Diversity Among Philanthropic Professionals (DAPP) Survey, we’re hoping to find out!

The DAPP Survey is an effort aimed at helping the philanthropic community better understand its workforce and leadership. For institutions seeking to reflect the communities they serve, sexual orientation and gender identity are important aspects of diversity. Like other minorities, LGBTQ people face disparities in economic status, health, and other outcomes, which makes it especially relevant to develop a better understanding of the demographic representation of LGBTQ people in the sector. Collecting data on the sexual orientation and gender identity of staff and boards will provide a baseline and a measure of progress toward diversity and inclusion for both individual institutions and the philanthropic sector as a whole.

While grantmakers have a number of resources to assess what issues, geographic areas, and populations are being supported by grant dollars, there is far less data on who works in the field of philanthropy. Moreover, there has never been a large-scale survey to assess how many LGBTQ people work in the field.

With the DAPP Survey, we’re asking grantmaking institutions to distribute a completely anonymized survey to their staff and board. The survey asks participants for basic demographic information, such as age, disability status, gender, LGBTQ identification, and race and ethnicity. It takes less than 5 minutes to complete and for all questions, there is an “I decline to state” or “skip this question” option for respondents.

While data on individual respondents and organizations will not be made public, each participating institution may receive an aggregate summary its demographics, provided we receive a statistically-significant number of responses and a sufficient number of responses to allow for anonymity. After the survey, and Funders for LGBTQ Issues will be available to participating institutions as a resource for assessing the findings and identifying potential next steps.

If you’re interested in learning more about the DAPP Survey, we invite you to join us for an informational webinar on Thursday February 8th at 1pm ET. The webinar will help to further explain the process and answer any questions you might have. Experts from DataArts, who will be administering the survey on our behalf to further ensure anonymity, will be leading the call.

The DAPP Survey will officially open on Thursday February 15th. If you’re ready to participate as an organization, please email Rebecca Wisotsky, Director of Philanthropic Outreach, at [email protected]. She will be able to help make sure your grantmaking institution is ready to participate! She is also available to available to answer any questions and send over any materials that may be helpful as you explore your institution’s participation in the survey.

We look forward to being able to answer “how many LGBTQ people work in philanthropy” in a few months time!

NOTE: This survey is only open to grantmaking institutions. The DAPP Survey is being undertaken by Funders for LGBTQ Issues, administered by DataArts, and funded by the Evelyn & Walter  Haas, Jr. Fund.