News

Funders for LGBTQ Issues applauds our members who have demonstrated their commitment to supporting underserved communities and promoting social justice by signing on to Philanthropy’s Promise. Philanthropy’s Promise is an initiative by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) celebrating foundations that intentionally seek to benefit marginalized communities and that invest heavily in advocacy and community organizing. Foundations that sign on to Philanthropy’s Promise commit to providing at least 50 percent of their grant dollars to underserved communities, including LGBT people, and to providing at least 25 percent of their funding to supporting social justice. Philanthropy’s Promise recently celebrated its […]

In honor of Spirit Day, which we observe to spotlight and support LGBTQ youth who are still bullied on a daily basis, we’re counting down the top ten grantmakers who fund education and safe schools for LGBTQ communities. In 2011, the top ten funders were: Pride Foundation ( $858,766) Ford Foundation ($665,000) Anonymous ($602,750) Point Foundation ($568,495) Open Society Foundation ($565,000) Gill Foundation ($479,200) Tides Foundation ( $382,587.00) William Penn Foundation ($330,000) Arcus Foundation ( $300,000) Wells Fargo Foundation ($181,100) Education and Safe Schools funding totaled $7.5 million or 6% of the $123 million awarded to LGBTQ issues in 2011. […]

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 […]

Between 2009 and 2011, foundation funding for LGBTQ issues in Oregon exploded, increasing from $920,000 to $3.9 million (that’s a nearly 325% increase!). During the same time period, foundation support for LGBTQ issues across the board increased by a more modest 32%. So how is Oregon attracting new funds? Who are these Oregon funders? The second question is easier to answer. Between 2009 and 2011, the top 10 funders of LGBTQ issues in Oregon were: Anonymous ($1,300,000) The Civil Marriage Collaborative/Proteus Fund ($1,100,000) Gill Foundation ($880,000) Ford Foundation ($500,000) Oregon Community Foundation ($422,000) Arcus Foundation ($375,000) Equity Foundation ($308,129) Pride […]