The Out in the South Program is turning 10!
To celebrate Funders for LGBTQ Issues partnered with OTS Fund grantees on an interactive anniversary project analyzing U.S.-based grantmakers that support LGBTQ communities and causes at the state and regional level. Explore the LGBTQ Philanthropic Landscape in the U.S. South: Reflecting on Ten Years of the Out in the South Program.
Note: For data security, this resource is protected by a password!
Interactive Map
This project provides an analysis of U.S.-based grantmakers that support LGBTQ communities and causes across the South. In order to explore this interactive map of OTS states, as well as lists of grantmakers, reach out to our team to request a password.
History & Context
According to national survey data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2020 and 2021, 13.9 million, or 5.6 percent, of the total adult population in the U.S. identify as LGBT. The South is the region with the highest percentage of queer adults in the country with 35.9 percent, compared to 24.5 percent of adults in the West, 21.1 percent of adults in the Midwest, and 18.5 percent of adults in the Northeast.
Even though more LGBTQ people live in the South than in any other region in the country, only 11 percent of total U.S.-based foundation support for domestic LGBTQ communities and causes was geographically focused on the region in 2022. Historically, foundation support focused on LGBTQ communities and causes in the South totaled between three and four percent of all LGBTQ funding in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
To reverse the history of insufficient philanthropic support for LGBTQ communities in the region, a group of members of Funders for LGBTQ Issues came together in 2013 to develop strategies to bring more resources to the South; one of which was the Out in the South (OTS) Program. Over the past decade, the goal of OTS has been to enact a paradigm shift to transform the philanthropic landscape of the region. This transformation aims to acknowledge and embrace the integral role that intermediary funders and programs play in fostering a robust and sustainable ecosystem of LGBTQ movement organizations necessary to meet the needs of LGBTQ people, their families, and communities in the South.
About the Out in the South Program
For ten years, Out in the South has sought to transform philanthropy in the U.S. South by ensuring that LGBTQ people and families are recognized as integral to every community in the region. The Program engages three key strategies to achieve its goal:
1.
A Funder Network of Southern and national funders committed to increasing investment in Southern LGBTQ communities.
2.
The OTS Fund, a collaborative fund that awards general operating support grants to catalyze locally-driven Southern funds committed to building the capacity of LGBTQ movement work in the region.
3.
Trainings & Technical Assistance that supports grantmakers seeking to strengthen their capacity to invest in LGBTQ movement work in the South, increases national foundations’ understanding of the U.S. South, and deepens Southern grantmakers’ LGBTQ cultural competency.
Through the OTS Fund, the Program has had a significant impact on LGBTQ movements; with the Fund distributing over $4.3 million since 2015 to support locally-driven Southern funds that are best suited to address the needs of LGBTQ communities in the region.
OTS has also played a vital role in building the capacity of LGBTQ organizations in the South. OTS has offered training, technical assistance, and networking opportunities to help organizations strengthen their infrastructure, develop sustainable funding models, and advocate effectively for their communities.
The work of OTS has been particularly notable in light of the challenges faced by LGBTQ people within the region and across the country, including escalating legal attacks on LGBTQ rights and higher rates of poverty among LGBTQ people than non-LGBTQ people. LGBTQ people also experience lower rates of homeownership and higher rates of homelessness than non-LGBTQ people due to stigma and discrimination across the life course.
The Program’s efforts have contributed to creating a more just and equitable society for LGBTQ people in the South and has served as a template for landscape analyses and the implementation of similar funds focused on supporting intermediaries in other regions. The successes of OTS to date are a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of supporting LGBTQ movements in the South. This Program has made a tangible difference in the lives of LGBTQ people in the region and has contributed to a more inclusive and just society for all.
There were 12 grantees in the 2024 OTS Fund Grantee Cohort. Four OTS Fund grantees operate at the regional level, while the other 8 focus on supporting LGBTQ communities and causes in an individual state, as outlined in the table below:
| OTS Fund Grantees | State(s) covered |
| Contigo Fund | Florida |
| Appalachian Community Fund | Regional |
| AR+ Collaborative (2023 Grantee) | Arkansas |
| Black Belt Community Foundation | Alabama |
| Campaign for Southern Equality/Southern Equality Fund | Regional |
| CoThinkk | North Carolina |
| María Fund | Puerto Rico |
| LGBT Fund of Mississippi | Mississippi |
| LGBTQ Fund of Greater Birmingham | Alabama |
| Southern Power Fund | Regional |
| Southern Vision Alliance (including Queer Mobilization Fund) | Regional |
| LGBT Fund at Spartanburg County Foundation | South Carolina |
| Texas Pride Community Foundation | Texas |
Since its inception, OTS has witnessed a remarkable growth in funding allocated to LGBTQ communities and causes in the South, with philanthropic support for Southern LGBTQ communities increasing from $4.8 million in 2012 to over $32 million in 2021. Unfortunately, we have recently seen this number stagnate. The 2022 Resource Tracking Report indicated that U.S.-based foundations awarded $28.5 million to support LGBTQ communities and causes in the Southeastern region in 2022, which was a 12 percent decrease in targeted funding for that region from the previous year.
Based on research collected to date through prior Resource Tracking Reports, there are gaps in the data about which U.S.-based foundations are supporting LGBTQ communities and causes across the Southern region, as well as what issues, strategies, and populations this funding supports. To begin to fill one of these gaps and increase our understanding of LGBTQ philanthropy in the region, Funders for LGBTQ Issues partnered with OTS Fund grantees starting in Summer 2024 to collect more information about which grantmakers are supporting LGBTQ communities and causes in the South.
The overall increase in funding for LGBTQ communities and causes in the South since 2012 has enabled OTS Fund grantees to expand their reach, deepen their impact, and address pressing needs within their communities. The funding has supported a wide range of initiatives, including family advocacy and support, policy work, healthcare and social services, education and youth development, event sponsorships, and arts and cultural programming.
By bringing more funders to the table, investing in locally-driven Southern funds, and helping grantmakers increase their cultural competency, OTS works to reverse the historical trend of underinvestment in LGBTQ communities in the U.S. South. Continuing to support these efforts will be even more vital given the outcomes of the November 2024 elections, which saw anti-LGBTQ candidates elected to positions across the U.S. government. During the first few months in office, the Trump administration has continued to be vehemently anti-LGBTQ by signing executive orders to erase transgender, gender nonconforming, and intersex people from public life by limiting federal government recognition to only two sexes, “male” and “female,” and banning access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
To build on the progress OTS has made over the past ten years and continue to advocate for increased funding for LGBTQ communities and causes across the South, Funders for LGBTQ Issues is committed to continuing to collect and report on LGBTQ philanthropy through the annual Resource Tracking Report and specialty reports.