We are pleased to announce the newest members of the Funders for LGBTQ Issues Board of Directors. The six new members of our board were identified by the Nominations and Governance Committee of the board and voted into office unanimously. The new class represents perspectives from a range of philanthropic institutions and funding strategies, but each new member shares a deep commitment and practice of working within and outside of philanthropy to support LGBTQ communities. Under the leadership of our president, Saida Agostini-Bostic, and our board chair, Rickke Mananzalla, our board recruitment has prioritized new members who have deep roots in social justice movements and have experience funding local and national trans and gender non-conforming communities of color.

These new members also bring a wealth of leadership in and connection to pathbreaking movement organizations working to advance justice and wellbeing for LGBTQ people, women, people of color, and immigrant communities in the United States. They will join the board at an exciting moment of change for the network, adding their voice and perspective to our next strategic planning cycle, taking place throughout 2022.

“We are overjoyed to welcome our new board members. Their wisdom and deep roots in movement will help us move more boldly and rigorously in our mission work,” said Saida Agostini-Bostic. “This year, Funders will not only celebrate its 40th anniversary but also embark on strategic planning. We are privileged to have such a wonderful group of thought partners as we build our path forward.”

Please join us in extending a welcome and huge thanks to Ana Conner, Desiree Flores, Aldita Gallardo, Jonathan Jayes-Green, Cathy K. K. Kapua, and Bré Rivera. You can learn more about these inspiring leaders below. 

Ana Connor

(they/she)

Ana Conner is a Co-Director of Third Wave Fund, an activist fund that resources youth-led, intersectional gender justice movements. Previously, they worked in Development at Borealis Philanthropy, supporting the Transforming Movements Fund, Black-led Movement Fund, and Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. Through her organizing with FIERCE, Ana convened queer and trans youth of color across the U.S. to talk about gentrification, policing, and ending violence. They became passionate about resourcing communities, organizations, and movements while participating in the Miss Major Jay Toole Giving Circle. They currently serve as Secretary on the Transgender Law Center Board and the Hope Steven Community Garden Board. They received a B.A. from New York University in Gender & Sexuality Studies and American Studies.

Desiree Flores

(she/her)

Desiree Flores is the Deputy Director of the General Service Foundation, a private grantmaking family foundation that supports grassroots organizations that advance racial and gender justice. Desiree brings 20 years of grantmaking and program development experience funding social justice movements at the local, state, and national level. Previously, she was the Program Director of the U.S. Social Justice at the Arcus Foundation, a global LGBTQ philanthropy amplifying policy and cultural change determined by LGBTQ people. Desiree formerly served as the Director of Board Affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and was a longtime Program Officer at the Ms. Foundation for Women promoting gender and racial justice movements. They received a B.A. from UCLA and a Masters in Public Administration from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Aldita Gallardo

(she/they/ella)

Aldita Gallardo is an organizer, facilitator, and resource mobilizer based in Oakland, California, on unceded Ohlone Land. Currently, she serves as Program Officer for the Fund for Trans Generations, a donor collaborative at Borealis Philanthropy that resources emerging trans-led organizations in the United States. As an alumna of Grantmakers United for Trans Communities Leadership Fellowship, Justice Funders’ Harmony Initiative, and Funders for Justice’s Fellowship, Aldita is committed to equity and shifting practices in philanthropy. Aldita has been organizing at the intersections of racial, gender, and economic justice for over a decade and believes participatory grantmaking can be a democratizing process that allows funders to share power. Recently, Aldita serves as Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of El/La Para TransLatinas, a translatina-led organization that builds the collective power of transgender immigrant women in San Francisco. Aldita received a B.A. at Northwestern University in Sociology.

Jonathan Jayes-Green

(they/them)

Jonathan Jayes-Green (they/them) is an organizer, strategist, communicator and believer in a free and just world. Jonathan until most recently managed Marguerite Casey Foundation’s $30M core grantmaking portfolios and lead the programmatic and grants management teams as the Vice President of Programs. Their work centered on ensuring the Foundation utilized its full weight to back the leadership of local organizers shifting the balance of power in their communities towards communities who have been previously excluded and exploited. Previously, Jonathan served as the National Latinx Outreach Director for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. Jonathan has dedicated their life to the broader fight for racial, social and economic justice. Jonathan is a frequent political commentator on MSNBC. They are also the Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the UndocuBlack Network (UBN), a national organizing and advocacy organization at the intersection of racial justice and immigration. UndocuBlack has become a prominent leader challenging the narrative of who is undocumented, pushing for legislative solutions and countering the criminalization of Black migrants and the global impacts of anti-Blackness.

In addition to Jonathan’s work at Marguerite Casey Foundation, their philanthropic work extends to serving on the Board of Hispanics in Philanthropy, Funders for LGBT Issues and serving as an external advisor to the MacArthur Foundation’s initiative to move an additional $80M towards Racial and Ethnic Justice in 2021. Jonathan received an Associate’s from Montgomery College (MD) and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Goucher College.

Cathy K. K. Kapua

(she/her)

Cathy K. K. Kapua, B.P.A., has worked with the transgender community in Hawai’i since 2003, starting as a Peer Educator at Kulia Na Mamo, then eventually moving on to become the Transgender Service Manager at the Hawai’i Health & Harm Reduction Center. Cathy expanded her social justice advocacy work joining the Trans Justice Funding Project in 2020 as their Deputy Director helping to move resources to grassroots trans-led programs across the U.S. and its territories. Cathy has been successful in advocating for transgender laws and policies throughout the U.S., but mainly prides herself on being a role model for young transgender women in Hawai’i. Cathy received a B.S. at the University of Hawai’i-West O’ahu in Public Administration.

Bré Rivera

(she/her)

Bré Rivera is a Black trans femme who has dedicated over 20 years of movement building for Black trans communities. Along with being a multi-published researcher and writer, Bré is a co-creator of The Femme Queen Chronicle, a series about the lives of Black trans women in Detroit. In 2020, Bré launched the Black Trans Fund (BTF), the first fund centering joy and liberatory practices in Black transgender and gender-expansive communities where Black trans leaders drive the mission and vision, create programming, and make thoughtful grants. During its inaugural year, BTF moved $500,000 to Black trans communities. Previously, Bré was the Founder and Executive Director of Trans Sistas of Color Project-Detroit, the first Black trans-led organization in Michigan. Bré serves as a board member for Positive Women’s Network-USA, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, Third Wave Fund, and Grantmakers for Girls of Color.