Funders for LGBTQ Issues

Our work doesn’t start on Inauguration Day – groups are already reporting an uptick in digital and physical threats to security, coupled with the very real emotional labor of holding space for communities. For our movements to be successful, they need infrastructure support now to ensure their fiscal and operational practices are ready for heightened scrutiny. https://lnkd.in/e9CsDQvF

There's one thing left on your bucket list for 2024, and it's to get your ticket to Funding Forward! Registration for Funding Forward 2025 is open, and early bird pricing is only available until December 31, 2024. Join us at Funding Forward to organize, strategize, and be fabulous 🌈 ✨ https://lnkd.in/ePC4k5mx

Contigo Fund released their Strategic Plan for 2024-2027, which lays out their vision and commitments to grow the progressive resistance for social justice and build the power of Queer communities of color in Central Florida and beyond. Read their report: l.ead.me/contigo-report

Our network welcomed 15 new members in 2024! Our work is not possible without our members, and we are excited to continue growing this vibrant community, which now comprises over 100 foundations and philanthropic institutions that collectively award more than $1 billion annually, including over $200 million dedicated specifically to LGBTQ communities. Explore our membership program: https://lnkd.in/dff4rWbX

Invest in intermediaries – intermediaries are often our best and strongest philanthropic tool to ensure quick and nimble funding for our movements. Movements have already called for an increase in agile resources to fund travel for healthcare, relocation to less hostile areas, etc. Working with intermediaries is a critical part of this strategy. https://lnkd.in/e9CsDQvF

Our movements are only as well as our people - how are you taking care of your staff, how well are the leaders and staff of the organizations you fund? Right now is the time to work with both your grantees as well as your institution’s human resources and operations to ensure that you are not only resourcing insurance benefits, but actively building resources for gender affirming and reproductive health care, along with funds for relocation, travel for affirming health care and other supports. https://lnkd.in/e9CsDQvF

We’re excited to feature Ms. Foundation for Women in this month’s Member Spotlight. For over 40 years, Ms. Foundation has provided grants and capacity-building support to the LGBTQ+ community. In 1984, Ms. Foundation gave Funders for LGBTQ Issues (then named Working Group on Funding Lesbian and Gay Issues) our first grant ever to research philanthropic support for lesbian issues. The following year, the Working Group published the findings and released a report to approximately 5,000 funders and nonprofit organizations. https://lnkd.in/ehUBA8AP

Don’t obey in advance - fascism relies on people voluntarily ceding power. We advise institutions to do the difficult work of scenario planning with your teams and lawyers to imagine what it can look like to practice your mission and vision boldly, even in the face of expected attacks on grantees and the philanthropic sector. https://lnkd.in/e9CsDQvF

Data and research play a crucial role in driving sector-wide change, especially amid rising global threats to LGBTQ rights. Donating to Funders for LGBTQ Issues supports our research work which identifies trends, gaps, and opportunities to increase strategic grantmaking to advance the liberation of queer communities across the United States. https://lnkd.in/eWiFRmnJ #GivingTuesday

We recently launched Queer & Trans People in Emergent Space (QTPIES), a peer support and network-building space for queer and trans folks working in philanthropy. Your donation this #GivingTuesday is an investment in initiatives like QTPIES, which are vital communities for LGBTQ+ philanthropic professionals with connection, empowerment, and authenticity at their core. https://lnkd.in/eWiFRmnJ