Laughing Gull Foundation Announces $2 Million in Grants to Support LGBTQ+ Equality in the U.S. South
Grants will support partners as they build power, engage in direct action, community-led advocacy, and provide services and resources at a pivotal time for LGBTQ+ Southerners.
Durham, NC – The Laughing Gull Foundation (LGF) is proud to announce $1,950,000 in grants awarded in 2025 to 35 organizations dedicated to advancing justice for the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. South.
LGF has selected these nonprofit organizations because of their demonstrated commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ equality and their work to ensure all people can live authentically and safely, free from discrimination. For decades, our grantees and countless other groups across the country have built, led, and grown powerful movements and made remarkable progress towards equality, advocating for the freedom of all people to be themselves and pursue their dreams.
However, 2025 represents a critical inflection point. Following significant political shifts at the federal level and continued legislative attacks in many Southern states, LGBTQ+ communities, particularly transgender and gender expansive people, face a daunting and intensifying landscape of discriminatory policies, restrictions on healthcare access, and threats to basic civil rights. At the same time, grassroots organizing and community resilience have never been stronger, creating unprecedented opportunities for transformative change when appropriately resourced.
“In funding these organizations, LGF is supporting vital work to ensure all LGBTQ+ people feel seen, heard, and empowered. As we navigate this challenging political moment, LGF’s commitment to justice and equality remains unwavering, and we urge other funders to join us in backing LGBTQ+ supporting organizations on the frontlines of social progress. Working together, we will continue to shift power in the South and ensure grassroots groups have the resources they need to not just survive but thrive.”
– Dr. LaTonya Penny, LGF Chief Executive
LGF’s grantmaking approach is multifaceted, funding everything from direct services to direct action, from legal advocacy to cultural change work. Our current portfolio of grantee partners underscores our commitment to racial equity and includes organizations led by, serving, and empowering the diverse spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community in the South. This includes Black, Indigenous, Latine, and people of color; transgender and gender expansive people; immigrants; and people with disabilities—communities that face compounding marginalization and require focused support.
These grants reaffirm LGF’s dedication to supporting and uplifting organizations that are making significant strides in the fight for LGBTQ+ justice in the U.S. South. As federal protections crumble and state-level attacks intensify, Southern LGBTQ+ organizations are more critical than ever. Yet, despite more LGBTQ+ people living in the South than in any other region in the country, only 11 percent of total foundation support for LGBTQ+ communities and causes went to the region in recent years. If we want to create a more just and equitable future, we must pour more resources into this underfunded movement with sustained and increased investment.
“LGBTQ+ advocates in the South are at the forefront of transformative change, serving as both shield and sword. Our grantee partners are protecting their communities from harmful policies and violent threats while continuing to shift culture and promote a vision of what’s possible for LGBTQ+ people and families. They are leading the resistance to attacks designed to erase LGBTQ+ people from public life, restrict access to affirming healthcare, and undermine parental rights for LGBTQ+ families. Our grantees are creating the infrastructure, services, and safe spaces where LGBTQ+ people can be healthy, safe, and free. In this moment of both challenge and opportunity, we are honored to support these organizations as they champion freedom, dignity, and justice for all LGBTQ+ Southerners.”
– Hez Norton, LGF Senior Portfolio and Partnerships Director
Alongside providing direct, multi-year, general operating support to the following 35 grantees, LGF collaborates with other funders and funding networks to leverage resources and more robustly align and mobilize support for LGBTQ+ organizations that advance change.
LGF’s Board of Directors awarded grants to the following LGBTQ+ organizations in 2025:
ACLU of NC Legal Foundation – Raleigh, NC
Advocates for Trans Equality – New York, NY
Alliance for Full Acceptance – North Charleston, SC
Campaign for Southern Equality – Southern Regional
Campaign for Southern Equality’s Southern Equality Fund – Southern Regional
Comfrey Films – Durham, NC
El Centro Hispano – Durham, NC
Diversity Richmond – Richmond, VA
The Embodiment Institute – Southern Regional
Equality Federation Institute – Southern Regional
Equality North Carolina Foundation – Durham, NC
Equality Virginia – Virginia
Freedom Center for Social Justice – Charlotte, NC
Funders for LGBTQ Issues Out in the South Initiative – Southern Regional
*Healing in the Margins – Nashville, TN
Health Brigade – Richmond, VA
The Knights & Orchids Society – Selma, AL
Lavender Lodge – Lynchburg, VA
LGBT Center of Raleigh – Raleigh, NC
LGBTQ Center of Durham – Durham, NC
*MashUP – Nashville, TN
National Center for Lesbian Rights – National
National LGBTQ Task Force – Southern Regional
Nationz Foundation – Richmond, VA
Orange County Rape Crisis Center QTBIPOC Survivor Advocates Institute – Chapel Hill, NC
Pride Liberation Project – Fairfax, VA
Rainbow Collective for Change – Durham, NC
Side by Side – Richmond, VA
Siembra NC – Greensboro, NC
Southern Vision Alliance – Durham, NC
TAKE Birmingham – Birmingham, AL
Time Out Youth – Charlotte, NC
We Are Family – Charleston, SC
Western North Carolina Community Health Services – Asheville, NC
Youth OUTRight of Western North Carolina – Asheville, NC
* denotes new grantees
For more information on LGF’s LGBTQ+ Equality strategies, approaches, priorities, and impact, please click below.
