News
December 18, 2017
This November, we were thrilled to welcome Alexander Lee to the Funders for LGBTQ Issues team as the inaugural Project Director of our newest initiative, Grantmakers United for Trans Communities or GUTC (pronounced “gutsy”). GUTC, an initiative born of the Trans Funding Working Group, aims to inspire a philanthropic culture that is inclusive and supportive of trans people through grantmaking and decision-making. The initiative will work to: Increase the scale and scope of philanthropic resources supporting the wellbeing of trans communities. Elevate the dialogue regarding trans funding, by providing information and research to the field of philanthropy, and […]
October 31, 2017
“Thirty-five years! I can’t believe it!” That was the reaction of Funders for LGBTQ Issues’ first Executive Director, Nancy Cunningham, when current President, Ben Francisco Maulbeck, invited her to the inaugural Pride in Philanthropy Awards, celebrating 35 years of Funders for LGBTQ Issues and honoring the philanthropic leadership that has brought us to this moment. When the organization was founded in 1982, we were a working group housed at National Network of Grantmakers (NNG) and foundation funding for LGBTQ issues totaled less than $250,000 annually. Today, Funders for LGBTQ Issues has nine staff and foundation funding for LGBTQ issues […]
October 6, 2017
This week, the Department of Justice mounted another attack on LGBTQ communities, first reversing guidance issued under the Obama administration that had extended workplace protections to transgender people and today issuing sweeping guidance endorsing a broad license to discriminate under the guise of “protecting religious liberty.” This administration is using “religious freedom” as a smokescreen to allow people (including government employees) and businesses to deny services to LGBTQ people and their families, people of color, women, and even people of diverse faiths. “There is a continued need for a bold philanthropic response to what can only be seen as […]
September 27, 2017
In 2014, Funders for LGBTQ Issues explored funding for LGBTQ immigrants and refugees in the report Pathways Forward. Immigration issues have evolved significantly since the release of that report. Just a few weeks ago, the Trump Administration announced plans to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. (See our statement on the DACA decision and its impact on an estimated 75,000 LGBT young undocumented immigrants here.) The administration has also continued to pursue a Muslim ban and a wall across the Mexican border. In this environment of extreme hostility towards immigrants, we hoped to highlight some […]