Funders for LGBTQ Issues is proud to introduce Luna Moreta Avila (she/her),our new Grantmakers United for Trans Communities (GUTC) Project Director!

We asked Luna some questions to get to know her better.

What do you do at Funders?

I’m the new Director of our Grantmakers United for Trans Communities program! I’ll be working towards shifting the philanthropic sector towards better supporting trans folks both within philanthropy and within our larger communities. I’ll be organizing foundations to sign onto our GUTC Pledge, a commitment towards long-term work towards equity for trans communities. I’ll also be running our GUTC Fellowship, which provides professional development and support for trans people within the philanthropic sector. 

What motivates you?

What motivates me most is that I genuinely believe that we’re capable of creating a world in which every person has a deep connection to their dignity and knows they belong within their families, communities, and greater society. We’re living through a moment when trans people, communities of color, and many other communities are being systemically dehumanized in the political sphere and the media. I am committed to living as the fully embodied human being that I am, and I hope my role at Funders can help trans communities and individuals have the resources and support to do the same.

Have you ever had to “unlearn” something in your professional life? What was it?

I think I’m always unlearning something in my professional life in a way that helps me better show up authentically to my work. A big one for me has been unlearning the idea that I have to shrink myself to fit into how other people believe I should be.  I’ve been told at times that I think too big, that I ask too many questions, and that I complicate things too much. And for a long time, I look those things at face value and tried to change them. But I’ve gotten to a space where I realize that these are incredible gifts that I have to be visionary in my work, and the right team of people will see those traits as an asset and not a deficit. Giving myself permission to be that full version of myself has opened up far better doors in my life than shrinking to fit expectations ever has!