GRANTMAKING
LGBTQ+ EQUALITY
We envision a U.S. South where LGBTQ+ people can safely and authentically pursue full lives, free of discrimination. To achieve this, LGF employs multiple strategies and invests in everything from direct services to direct action. We recognize that racism pervades the LGBTQ+ community just as it does every aspect of American culture and life. Therefore, LGF prioritizes support for solutions that are led by and center Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities
We support visionaries who are shaping a better future and advancing freedom
OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE LGBTQ+ EQUALITY IN THE SOUTH
The South is home to a plethora of resilient, visionary, and inspired communities including more LGBTQ people living here than in any other region of the United States.
LGBTQ+ supporting organizations are primed for resourcing from progressive foundations, such as LGF and its regranting partners. Year after year, they face waves of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and a rise of hate and far-right movements. This challenging context exemplifies the need to invest in Southern LGBTQ+ communities.
In 2013, the Foundation Funding for LGBTQ Issues in the U.S. South report from Funders for LGBTQ Issues found that the U.S. South received nearly 1/10th of LGBTQ+ foundation support when compared to other regions. Since that time, through initiatives driven by a collective of funders including LGF, funding for LGBTQ+ issues in the South has more than quintupled – yet the region continues to lag in funding per LGBTQ+ adult.
Current Grantees
Our Funding Priorities
Community organizing
Building the leadership capability and civic engagement capacity of people and organizations to address deep-seated problems with organizing that are rooted in an intersectional analysis.
Direct service
Providing LGBTQ+ communities with physical space and services to meet their unique and varied needs, including operating a community center, providing housing for adults and youth experiencing homelessness, case management services, physical and mental health services, food, mutual aid, and gender-affirming clothing, etc.
Policy advocacy
Working with communities, policymakers, and legislators to increase education and change policies that negatively impact LGBTQ+ communities. Specifically, working on anti-discrimination protections in every state and at the federal level.
Our Approach
Relationships move at the speed of trust: our grantmaking focuses on developing authentic, not transactional relationships. Our approach focuses on:
Multiple, Inclusive Strategies
We support what works for LGBTQ+ communities, including direct service, policy advocacy, community organizing, and changing hearts and minds.
Prioritizing Equity & Communities
We prioritize funding for groups that have Black, Indigenous, and people of color leadership at all levels of the organizational structure and hold clear accountability structures to communities.
Building Capacity
We support capacity building by funding our grantee partners to engage in work such as leadership coaching, board development, racial equity, fundraising, and peer learning.
Aligning Funding Partners to Strengthen Networks
We collaborate with other funders to increase funding access and support intermediary grantmakers to reach emerging organizations representing impacted frontline communities in the South.
Investing Regionally in the South/Southeast
We prioritize NC and VA based organizations and we fund work that supports the entire U.S. Southeast.
OUR IMPACT
LATEST NEWS
2024 LGBTQ+ Equality Grant Announcement
Laughing Gull Foundation Announces $1.9 Million in Grants to Support LGBTQ+ Equality in the U.S. South Grants will support…
2023 LGBTQ Grant Announcement
Laughing Gull Foundation Announces $1.9 Million in Grants to Organizations Advancing Justice for LGBTQ+ Southerners Durham, NC – The…
2022 LGBTQ Grant Announcement
Laughing Gull Foundation Announces $1.9 Million in Grants to Organizations Advancing Justice for LGBTQ Southerners Durham, NC – The…
Introduce Yourself
If your organization is focused on the US South and your work is aligned with any of our funding priorities (see above), you are welcome to send us a brief (no more than one page) introduction outlining your work.
We know your time is valuable, so we discourage you from reaching out to us about opportunities that don’t fall within our funding strategies and guidelines. For this reason, we aim to be as transparent as possible about what we do and don’t support.
