News

We all come from somewhere – and whether we have fond memories of our childhood communities or couldn’t wait to get out, in most cases we know our hometown LGBTQ communities could benefit from greater resources. In 2013, foundations invested more than $55 million in local and statewide groups working to improve the lives of LGBTQ people. Do you know who the top LGBTQ funder was in your hometown state or in the state you currently call home? Taken as a whole, some interesting facts about the top LGBTQ funder in each state include: In 22 states, the top funder […]

Did you know, that out of the more than $4 billion awarded by community foundations annually, only $5 million goes to LGBTQ issues? In other words, for every $100 awarded by community foundations, less than 14 cents goes to LGBTQ issues. Community foundations play a vital role in supporting LGBTQ organizations by increasing local investment in and awareness of LGBTQ issues. For quite some time now, community foundations have steadily accounted for 5 percent of all LGBTQ funding, however, there are strong indications that community foundations may be steadily increasing their investments in LGBTQ communities. In 2013, the Cleveland Foundation […]

Greetings from Durham, North Carolina! As the Project Director for the Out in the South Initiative I have had a great time getting to know many of you over the past two months. I’m excited about the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of LGBTQ Southerners through this work. As a young person growing up in rural southern Louisiana, I could not have imagined the possibilities before me to be able to support in the communities I care so much about. I’m grateful for this opportunity and appreciate the thoughtful work that preceded me. As I’ve been […]

In honor of the Pope’s visit to the United States, we decided to explore LGBTQ funding for religious issues. LGBTQ funding for religion runs the gamut from funding to foster welcoming and affirming faith–based communities, to funding to support the work of multi-faith LGBTQ and ally coalitions and leaders, to funding that supports advocacy efforts to push back harmful religious exemptions legislation. LGBTQ funders have supported work across many faith and spiritual traditions, with the majority of funding focused on groups based in Christian, Jewish, and some Muslim communities. In the last decade, more than $36 million has been awarded […]