LGBTQ FUND PROVIDES GRANTS TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

The LGBTQ Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham announced a record $67,00  in grants awarded to 13 area nonprofits. Since 2016, the LGBTQ Fund has provided more than $260,000 to support programs in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, and Walker counties. This year the fund awarded grants that focused on:

  • Strengthening the infrastructure of organizations led by or serving LGBTQ persons
  • Supporting the provision of services to LGBTQ youth, individuals and families
  • Providing educational opportunities that highlight the needs of the LGBTQ community
  • Advancing collaboration between LGBTQ organizations and other community organizations
  • Supporting nonprofit partners advocating on public policy and social justice issues that intersect with LGBTQ concerns

Established in 2016, the LGBTQ Fund is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. The Fund is stewarded by the Community Foundation and guided by the LGBTQ Fund Advisory Committee. The 2022 grantees were selected by the LGBTQ Fund’s Grants Committee which conducts in-depth reviews of all grant applicants, including  site visits with those applicants. LGBTQ Fund Grants Committee members include: Katherine Bland*, Sydney Duncan, Suzanne Durham, Cynthia Lamar-Hart, Gina Mallisham, Jonathan Porter, Guin Robinson (chair), Brett Shaffer, Lindsey Tanner, George Taylor, Ty Williams and Amanda Wilson.

Organizations receiving funds this year:

  • AIDS Alabama – $6,000 to form a Youth Action Committee in collaboration with One Roof to elevate the voices of those with lived experience in designing a Continuum of Care plan to end youth homelessness.
  • AIDS Alabama: Alabama Latino AIDS Coalition (ALAC) – $5,000 to host the 2nd annual LGBTQ Latinx conference for empowerment, leadership, LGBTQ+ advocacy and wellness for individuals and families.
  • AlaQuest Collaborative for Education – $5,000 to educate and empower LGBTQ+ persons to serve as leaders in positive social change.  Scholarships will be provided to LGBTQ+ Anytown delegates and a staff intern, lifting visibility of LGBTQ+ people, encouraging self-confidence, and supporting an inclusive society.
  • Birmingham Aids Outreach (BAO) – $5,000 to provide monthly mental health support through regular self-care, health and wellness workshops for youth and young adults at the Magic City Acceptance Center.
  • Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Collective (BBRTC) – $6,000 to support the cost of a production elevating the work of queer BIPOC artists in its 4th year of bringing high-quality mainstage performances to the community.
  • Great Heights, Inc. dba Creative Wellness Institute – $6,000 to provide access to mental health counseling services with licensed practitioners to LGBTQ+ individuals, children, couples and families on a sliding fee scale through the FamilyCare Initiative.
  • Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama – $3,500 to foster collaboration with organizations directly serving the LGBTQ+ community with the goal of becoming a more visible ally of the Hispanic LGBTQ+ community.
  • Innovation Depot – $4,000 to provide business and startup support specific to LGBBTQ+ small business owners, entrepreneurs, founders and the entrepre-curious through a conference structured to create a sense of belonging and empower founders with the tools they need to succeed.
  • Invisible Histories Project – $4,000 to record and preserve the stories of 10 local Black LGBTQ+ leaders, entertainers and community members through the Dream in Color project which will include interviews, donated archival materials and a documentary film.
  • Magic City Acceptance Academy – $10,000 to build a curriculum promoting civic engagement for junior and senior students.  The Bland Civic Engagement Initiative will work to give young people the skills they need to advocate for change and social justice through 4 defined constructs:  Civic Action, Civic Commitment, Civic Skill-building and Social Cohesion.
  • Teach for America Alabama – $5,000 to equip teachers with resources and strategies to support individuals in schools who identify as LGBTQ+, creating inclusive classrooms, assisting schools/communities/families in supporting students, and building a cadre of allies.
  • Unitarian Universalist Church for Southside Faith Communities – $2,500 NEW to further the interfaith clergy group’s tangible support for trans children and their families, demonstrating that persons of faith affirm and welcome LGBTQ+ persons wholly and unequivocally.
  • University of Montevallo – $5,000 to provide emergency monetary assistance to students in unexpected financial hardship as a result of their LGBTQ+ identity.  The Safe Zone Fund will be administered through UM Counseling Services and the CARE Team’s confidential intervention procedures.

Click here for more information about the LGBTQ Fund or to make a gift.

*It is with great sadness that we report the death of LGBTQ Fund Advisory Committee member and LGBTQ Fund Grants Chair Katherine Bland on July 4, 2022.  One of Katherine’s greatest joys was the LGBTQ Fund Grants Committee.  Although her participation was limited this year, she was able to make the motion to approve this slate of grants.  Katherine was one of the Community Foundation’s biggest fans and a tireless ambassador for the LGBTQ Fund.  At her death, she requested that memorial contributions be directed to the Fund.  Read more about Katherine and her legacy of leadership.