The LGBTQ Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham announced recipients of funding for this year’s grant cycle. Since its founding in 2014, the LGBTQ Fund has provided more than $471,250.00 through its grant cycle to support programs in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, and Walker Counties. This year’s grant recipients are as follows:

• AIDS Alabama – $8,000 in support of the local chapter of the Positive Women’s Network, a nationwide community that supports women living with HIV and ensures their involvement at every level of policy and decision-making.
• Alabama Equality – $7,500 in support of statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy and education efforts, through which they provide training, public education, and grassroots engagement opportunities to shift narratives and build lasting support for equality in Alabama.
• Birmingham AIDS Outreach – $9,000 for general operations support for Magic City Acceptance Center, to supplement fundraising, as well as combat general inflation and future product tariff increases.
• Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Company (fiscal sponsor: National Performance Network) – $7,000 for general operations support, including expansion of the Theatre Lab youth initiative, development of the upcoming Southern Takeover event, and support of their flagship production “Freakzshow.”
• Birmingham Corps – $6,000 for the implementation of the LGBTQ+ Career Advancement Series, a ten-week workforce readiness initiative serving LGBTQ+ individuals in Jefferson County.
• Great Heights dba Creative Wellness Institute – $8,500 to enhance the Family Care Initiative, which alleviates the financial burden of therapy for those in emotionally and financially overwhelming situations with a sliding scale fee structure, specifically supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
• LGBTQ+ Ministries of The Episcopal Church in Alabama – $7,000 to support the 3rd Annual LGBTQ+ Retreat at Camp McDowell, securing a nationally recognized queer theologian or thought leader to serve as a keynote speaker, and establishing a scholarship fund for participants facing financial hardship.
• Sandpiper Advisory Group (fiscal sponsor: Our HOV Foundation, Incorporated) – $7,200 to support the launch and management of the “Good News” campaign, which facilitates LGBTQ-led storytelling by hosting healing workshops, curating community-submitted stories, and designing and sharing the content across social platforms.
• TechBirmingham Foundation – $6,000 to further expand the reach, accessibility, and impact of the Rainbow Ventures Summit, Alabama’s only annual entrepreneurship event focused specifically on uplifting LGBTQ+ founders, small business owners, and aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Terrific New Theatre – $3,000 in support of three LGBTQ+ affirming shows in their upcoming 2025-2026 season, including “The Book Club Play,” “Ripcord,” and “The Recipe Box.”
• The University of Alabama at Birmingham – $8,000 in support of AdvanceSGM, an innovative training program for predoctoral students focused on addressing LGBTQ+ health inequities in the Deep South.
• Virginia Samford Theatre – $3,000 in support of two LGBTQ+ affirming shows in their upcoming 2025-2026 season, including “Carole Cook Died for My Sins” by Birmingham native Mason McCulley, and “Rent.”

About the LGBTQ Fund
Founded in 2014, the LGBTQ Fund is managed by the Community Foundation and guided by the LGBTQ Fund Advisory Committee. The mission of the Fund is to cultivate one community that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning individuals and families with the belief that all people should be treated with equal respect and dignity in a welcoming and affirming community. The 2025 grantees were selected by the LGBTQ Fund’s Grants Committee which conducts in-depth reviews of all grant applicants, including site visits with new applicants.