About
Threats to the LGBTQ community have increased across the globe in recent years–including a rise in national legislation to block access to gender-affirming care for trans youth and the continuous stigma, discrimination, and violence experienced by LGBTQ people and their families. Funders for LGBTQ Issues conducts timely and impactful research projects that support our programs and initiatives, as well as inform our members and create increased avenues for transformative changes in LGBTQ grantmaking across the United States.
The foundation of the research portfolio at Funders for LGBTQ Issues is the annual Resource Tracking Report. This report monitors philanthropic support for LGBTQ communities and causes in the United States and identifies trends, gaps, and opportunities to increase strategic grantmaking to advance the liberation of queer communities across the country.
The 20th iteration of this project, entitled: 2022 Resource Tracking Report: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Grantmaking by U.S. Foundations was published on June 24, 2024, and provides an analysis of grantmaking data from the calendar year 2022.
Data from Funders for LGBTQ Issues Resource Tracking Report also helps produce specialty reports, articles, blogs, infographics, and other analyses that provide a deep dive on LGBTQ-specific funding based on particular issue areas, populations, and geographic areas.
A full catalog of past research projects can be found below. This catalog also includes previous versions of the Global Resources Report, an international tracking report now led by the Global Philanthropy Project (GPP).
Research Team
Sammy Luffy
Director of Research
Alyssa Lawther
Senior Research Officer
As Funders for LGBTQ Issues continue to shape our research strategy going forward, please contact [email protected] with any questions, suggestions for new projects, or ideas for further collaboration.
Research Focus
For inclusion in the Resource Tracking Report, Funders for LGBTQ Issues considers whether there is sufficient evidence to suggest that 50% or more of the support provided through a grant was for LGBTQ+ communities and issues. Any one or more of the following can be considered sufficient evidence that a grant specifically supported LGBTQ+ communities and issues:
- If the submitting foundation indicated that all their grantmaking was LGBTQ-specific.
- If the individual grant entry indicated that it was awarded for the specific purpose of supporting LGBTQ communities or issues (through the grant description or the selection of LGBTQ population categories in the direct submission template).
- If the grant was awarded to an organization whose mission was solely focused on LGBTQ communities or issues.
Submitting highly detailed grant descriptions along with complete grant-level data (e.g., grantee name, total award amount, type of support, LGBTQ population of focus, and geographic focus) helps ensure that our reporting is as accurate and impactful as possible.
Methodology
For many years, Funders for LGBTQ Issues has relied on grant-level data submitted directly by grantmakers, as well as publicly available data, including from foundation annual reports, grant databases like CANDID, and 990 forms from the IRS to develop various research publications in addition to the annual Resource Tracking Report. These include specialty reports, articles, infographics, blogs, and new online tools.
Funders for LGBTQ Issues continues to review and update the methodologies we use to produce informative and impactful research publications that meet the needs of LGBTQ communities in the current moment. With increased quality and quantity of data, Funders for LGBTQ Issues is able to improve reporting on the true nature of grantmaking for LGBTQ communities and causes in the United States, as well as inform strategic philanthropic organizing initiatives to create avenues for transformative changes in LGBTQ grantmaking.
Data Collection & Security
To produce the Resource Tracking Report each year, we conduct a data collection campaign to gather detailed information on funding awarded by U.S. based foundations for LGBTQ communities and causes nationally. Our forthcoming report will document investments in LGBTQ communities and issues from U.S. based foundations in the calendar year 2023.
The data we receive directly from foundations are invaluable not only for Funders for LGBTQ Issues’ annual Resource Tracking Report but also for our other research projects and the biennial Global Resources Report produced by Global Philanthropy Project (GPP).
We will share more instructions for how to submit data for the 2023 Resource Tracking Report when we open the call for data this fall.
Data Security Policy
While expanding the research portfolio, Funders for LGBTQ Issues recognized the importance of developing a transparent data security policy to help grantmakers understand how Funders for LGBTQ Issues will use and protect their data, as well as allow members of the public to understand what data are available to them. This policy will be shared publicly in the coming weeks.