News

This week, the MacArthur Foundation announced its 2013 class of MacArthur Fellows—sometimes referred to as the “Genius Awards”—providing no-strings-attached stipends of $625,000 each to 24 individuals with exceptional records of creativity and achievement. Among this year’s fellows is Tarell Alvin McCraney, a gay African American playwright whose work explores the complexities of gay and Black identities and experiences. McCraney is an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and his work is known for its unusual conventions, such as characters speaking their stage directions and expressing their feeling directly to audience members. His plays includes Wig Out!, set in the […]

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. In recent years, retailers have sought to spur holiday shopping immediately following turkey day with huge retail sales on Friday (Black Friday), small business efforts on Saturday (Small Business Saturday), and big online discounts on Monday (Cyber Monday). But maybe it’s time to encourage people to not only shop, but also to give. That’s where #GivingTuesday comes in. After a day of giving thanks, and three days of getting deals, why not encourage a day to give back? Tuesday, December 3rd will mark the second annual #GivingTuesday, a special call to action that creates […]

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is excited to introduce our community to our three newest board members: Matty Hart, Kristine Stallone, and Nathaniel (Toby) Thompkins. All three will add a unique and valued perspective to our work going forward. Matty is currently the president of the board of directors of the Calamus Foundation and a founder and principle of the Lafayette Practice in Paris. As a representative of Calamus, he has participated in several funding collaboratives, including the Civil Marriage Collaborative, and currently is the Senior Strategist of Europe for Funders Concerned About AIDS. His prior experience includes founding a social […]

(New York, NY – December 16, 2013) Funders for LGBTQ Issues has released the 2012 Tracking Report: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Grantmaking by U.S. Foundations. This year’s report finds that domestic foundation funding for LGBTQ issues exceeded $100 million for the first time while overall LGBTQ funding was largely stable in 2012.   The 2012 Tracking Report (2013) is the most comprehensive study of its kind, capturing data on 4,068 grants awarded by 399 foundations in order to identify gaps, trends, and opportunities in LGBTQ philanthropy.   The report finds that foundation funding of LGBTQ issues totaled $121.4 […]