Funding and Capital Campaign Resources for LGBTQ+ Nonprofits

To celebrate Pride Month, we’ve assembled this list of resources for LGBTQ+ nonprofits.

Many funders specialize in LGBTQ+ issues, and grants can play a key role in capital campaigns — by providing seed funding to kick-start the campaign, offering matching funds to incentivize donors, serving as major or leadership gifts to set the tone, presenting challenge grants to create a sense of urgency, and lending credibility and endorsement from high-profile organizations.

Our thanks to all of the organizations cited below.

AFP’s List of LGBTQ+ Funders

AFP has compiled a list of LGBTQ+ foundations and LGBTQ+ friendly funders. We’ve provided some additional information about these organizations below.

LGBTQ+ FOUNDATIONS / FUNDERS

• Arcus Foundation (Global): Advances LGBT rights worldwide and conserves great apes and their habitats, primarily in Africa and Indonesia.
• Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice (Global): Funds lesbian-led LGBTQI racial, economic, and gender justice activism around the world with a focus on the Global South.
• Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (U.S): Raises funds for AIDS organizations nationwide through Broadway theater community events and initiatives.
• The Bryan McCarthy Foundation (Southwestern U.S): Provides financial aid to LGBTQ people in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah living with HIV/AIDS or other illnesses.
• David Bohnett Foundation (U.S. with LGBT focus): Funds LGBTQ causes, coding education for urban youth, and voting initiatives nationwide.
• Foundation for a Just Society (U.S): Promotes civil rights, LGBTQ equality and inclusion through grantmaking focused on the western U.S. states.
• Gill Foundation (U.S): The oldest national funder working to secure equal treatment of LGBTQ Americans through advocacy and policy change.
• Human Rights Campaign Foundation (U.S): Conducts LGBTQ research, training, and public education through its national headquarters in Washington D.C.
• Horizons Foundation (San Francisco Bay Area): Community foundation serving LGBTQ causes and equality initiatives in the greater San Francisco region.
• Kevin J. Mossier Foundation (U.S): Supports LGBTQ social justice and equality causes across the United States through grantmaking.
• Pride Foundation (Northwest U.S): Expands LGBTQ opportunities and legal equality in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
• Social Justice Fund (Northwestern U.S): Grassroots-focused funder of racial, economic and LGBTQ equality initiatives based in Seattle.

LIST OF LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS

• Gay Community Endowment Fund (Akron, OH) – A permanent endowment fund supporting LGBTQ causes and nonprofits in the Akron, Ohio area.
• Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center (GGF) (North Carolina) – An organization based in North Carolina that provides programming, resources and grantmaking to advance LGBTQ equality across the state.
• Equity Foundation (Portland, OR) – A community foundation focused on achieving full LGBTQ equality through grantmaking, scholarships and initiatives in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region.
• Stonewall Community Foundation (New York, NY) – A public foundation that provides grants and fosters philanthropy to support and empower LGBTQ communities, primarily in the New York City area and across the northeastern United States.
• South Florida LGBTQ+ Equity Fund (Miami, FL) – A fund under the Miami Foundation dedicated to promoting equity, justice and community empowerment for LGBTQ+ people in South Florida.
• Philadelphia Foundation (Philadelphia, PA) – A community foundation managing charitable funds and supporting LGBTQ non-profits as part of its grantmaking in the Philadelphia area.
• New York Community Trust (New York, NY) – One of the oldest and largest community foundations in the U.S., with a grantmaking focus area supporting LGBTQ causes and organizations across New York City.
• San Francisco Foundation (San Francisco, CA) – A major grantmaking foundation serving the Bay Area, with initiatives and funds devoted to advancing LGBTQ rights, equality and empowerment in the San Francisco community.

NON-LGBTQ+ FUNDERS WHO SUPPORT LGBTQ+ ISSUES & NONPROFITS

• Anita May Rosenstein Foundation
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• BW Bastian Foundation
• California Wellness Foundation
• Charles Haden Foundation
• Citi Foundation
• Cowles Charitable Trust
• David Geffen Foundation
• E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation
• Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund Fund
• Ford Foundation
• Google Grants
• Groundswell Fund
• Hill/Snowdon Foundation
• Johnson Family Foundation
• Lehman-Stamm Family Fund of the New Prospect Foundation
• MAC AIDS Foundation
• MacKenzie Scott
• Macy’s Foundation
• Open Society Foundation
• The Overbrook Foundation
• Paramount Pictures
• Showtime Networks, Inc.
• Starbucks Foundation
• Tides Foundation
• Until There’s A Cure Foundation
• Wells Fargo Foundation
• Wesley Mancini Foundation

Additional LGBTQ+ Fundraising Resources

Here are some additional resources from nonprofit websites around the web.

Bloomerang List of LGBTQ+ Funders

Bloomerang has also compiled a list of Funding and Grant Resources for Nonprofits Serving the LGBTQ+ Community

• See it here »

Inside Philanthropy List of LGBTQ+ Grants

Inside Philanthropy has compiled a list of LGBTQ grant funders, including funding trends for LGBTQ grants and a brief history of LGBTQ philanthropy (membership required)

• See it here »

Funders for LGBTQ Issues

Funders for LGBTQ Issues educates and organizes funders, and supports power-building to create an abundance of resources for the justice and liberation of all queer communities.

• Learn more about them here »

Horizons Foundation Fundraising Resources for LGBTQ Nonprofits

Horizons Foundation has compiled this list of resources and research for LGBTQ nonprofits serve to build capacity and power them to raise more funds to help advance our movement. It includes:

• Give OUT Day
• National LGBTQ Planned Giving Strategy
• LGBTQ Giving Project
• Silver Linings Toolkit

Funraise: 27 Fundraising Ideas to Be Proud of for LGBTQ+ Nonprofits

Our friends at Funraise have compiled an incredible list of twenty-seven fundraising ideas, examples, and tips.

• Check it out here »

LGBTQ+ Capital Campaign Stories

Here are a few capital campaign stories and campaign pages from LGBTQ+ nonprofits. You can use these as inspiration for your own campaign!

• L.A. LGBT Center
• Brave Trails
• Human Rights Alliance
• Resource Center
• Equality Community Center
• The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center
• Sheltering Dreams
• BlaqOut
• Spencer Pride
• Stonewall Columbus
• The Pride Center at Equality Park

Did we miss any resources that you think we should add? Or does your organization have a campaign story that we should highlight here? If so, let us know in the comments below!

Happy Pride Month!