Who is the top LGBTQ funder in your state?
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 was not specifically devoted to funding LGBTQ issues, in most cases a local community foundation or health funder based in the state.
- Eight of the top ten funders supporting LGBTQ issues in the United States show up as a top funder of at least one state.
- Seven funders are the top funder for more than one state: Elton John AIDS Foundation; Ford Foundation; Gill Foundation; Laughing Gull Foundation; Pride Foundation; Proteus Fund – Civil Marriage Collaborative; Tides Foundation.
- In four states the top funder invested $1 million or more: The California Endowment in California; the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation in Maryland; the H. van Ameringen Foundation in New York; and Pride Foundation in Washington.
- Two funders tied for being the top funder in the most states: both Tides and the Proteus Fund’s Civil Marriage Collaborative were the top funder in seven states each. Both funders invested in public education campaigns in several states to advance the freedom to marry, nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, and other policy reforms to advance equality for LGBTQ people.
See the full list in the table below, and find out who the top LGBTQ funder in your state is!
