Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender

Mission/Giving Statement: Third Wave Foundation is a feminist, activist foundation that works nationally to support young women and transgender youth ages 15 to 30. Through strategic grantmaking, leadership development, and philanthropic advocacy, it supports groups and individuals working towards gender, racial, economic, and social justice.

Grantmaking Program Areas: Reproductive Health & Justice

Types of Funding/Funding Restrictions: The Foundation funds projects which benefit, target, are devised by, and led by young women, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth activists, between the ages of 15 and 30. It especially looks for programs or organizations that focus on the needs of low-income communities, people with disabilities, immigrants, LGBTQ communities, and people of color. The Foundation does not fund national organizations, intermediaries or subsidiaries. Additional restrictions listed online.

Application Instructions: Email LOIs to program[at]thirdwavefoundation[dot]org.

Mission/Giving Statement: The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice works for social, racial and economic justice in the U.S. and interantionally. Its grantmaking and philanthropic advocacy programs help lesbians and allied communities challenge oppression and claim their human rights.

Grantmaking Program Areas: Emergency Fund; Movement Resource Fund

Grantmaking Program Area Descriptions:

Emergency Fund: Astraea’s Emergency Fund is a rapid-response grantmaking mechanism, providing timely support for organizations to address urgent and strategic political opportunities and crises affecting LGBTI communities.

Movement Resource Fund: Astraea’s Movement Resource Fund provides grants to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of LGBTI organizations to engage in movement building work. Grants are generally provided in three areas: Technical Assistance, Travel/Peer-to-Peer Learning and Historic Convenings.

Type of Funding/Funding Restrictions: Astraea makes US and International grants to both organizations and individuals. Although any organization that fits the funding criteria may apply, Astraea prioritizes its current grantee partners.

Application Instructions: Send one one page inquiries via email.

Mission/Giving Statement: Liberty Hill's strategy is to provide seed funding to emerging organizaions and to nurture organizations into maturity, to provide training for organizational impact and success, and to hilp build networks between organizaions that support movement building. 

Grantmaking Program Areas: Queer Youth Fund

Grantmaking Program Area Descriptions:

Queer Youth Fund: Makes multi-year grants to organizations located anywhere in the United States working to improve quality of life among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (GLTBQQ) youth. Youth are defined as 24 years old and younger. The Fund awards grants to innovative and effective leadership development programs or organizing projects that empower GLBTQQ youth to improve societal conditions affecting GLBTQQ youth and that make a long-term difference to their movement.

Application Instructions: LOI guidelines and application available online. Letters of Intent will not be accepted by fax or email.

Mission/ Giving Statement: The mission of the Taos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in the communities it serves by encouraging permanent charitable giving. To fulfill that mission, the Foundation creates permanent funds, prudently invests those funds, and makes grants from the investments to nonprofit organizations in Taos and western Colfax Counties.

Grantmaking Program Areas: Healthy Youth & Families; Creativity & Culture; Sustainable Environment; Strengthening Community; Field of Interest Grants

Grantmaking Program Area Descriptions:

Healthy Youth & Families: The grants in this focus area play an important role in assisting families with basic needs, education, medical care and mental health. The healthy youth and families grant making strengthens the connection between the personal and the social by providing a sense of belonging and a positive attachment to family, school, peers and the community.

Creativity & Culture: This area invests in key local institutions and nurtures local leadership and talent.

Sustainable Environment: The projects funded help sustain local land-based traditions and culture as well as increase public awareness of the overall benefits of land conservation.

Strengthening Community: Projects in this area emphasized the value of community, place, common interests and communion. The strengthening community grant making philosophy is to better prepare the communities we serve for the increasingly complex social problems we face. TCF believes that a strong community has avenues for strong communication, partnerships between sectors, community leadership, coalitions, and organized capacity-building for non-profits.

Field of Interest Grants: See website for Field of Interest Grant descriptions.

Type of Funding/ Funding Restrictions: Taos Community Foundation awards grants with an overall philanthropic strategy and intentionality to be responsive to the needs of the area. Effective grant making promotes social capital and supports the value of community. The Foundation's funding seeks to impact systemic change, and increase opportunities for people to overcome economic, political and social barriers. The Foundation funds in Taos County and Western Colfax County.

Application Instructions: Grant application instructions available online.

Mission/Giving Statement: The Santa Fe Community Foundation improves the quality of life for people in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico, now and future generations by: 1) Building and managing endowment funds in order to award grants; 2) Helping nonprofits operate more effectively; 3) Convening area residents to discuss issues of critical importance to the community; 4) Providing leadership for key community initiatives. 

Grantmaking Program Areas:

Community Grants Program (Arts; Economic Opportunity; Education; Environment; Health & Human Services); Lesbian & Gay Community Funding Partnership; Native American Advised Endowment; Future Santa Fe Fund

Grantmaking Program Area Descriptions:

Arts: Arts education programs; Art as a tool to engage young people in learning and lead to success in other subjects; Outreach to youth artists and audiences; Access to the arts for people who otherwise wouldn’t have that opportunity; and Arts projects that build community.

Economic Opportunity: Engaging the community in issues that affect them; Increase community involvement in civic dialogue and action; Improve neighborhood pride; Engage in activities that influence public policy to strengthen communities (research, analysis, public education, advocacy); Increasing social and economic justice (the right to education and work, access to health care, food, clothing, and housing); Locally based economic development; Integrating immigrants into the community; Inclusiveness and anti-discrimination; and Affordable housing.

Education: Improve youth and adult literacy and comprehension; Improving public education; Ensuring young children enter school ready to learn; Parenting education and promotion of family involvement in education; Increase participation in after-school and out-of-school learning; Increase high school graduation rates.

Environment: Improve and protect air and water quality; Increase access to renewable energy; Increase land conserved for farming and open space; Increase youth an adult knowledge and actions that protect the natural environment; Preserve historical and cultural uses of land and water; Address environmental health and justice concerns.

Health & Human Services: Increased access to quality affordable healthcare; Provide for basic needs of food and shelter; Prevent and reduce chronic illnesses; Care for vulnerable populations, including the elderly, people with disabilities; the Homeless and caregivers; Preventing teen pregnancy and suicide; Providing behavioral health services, including substance abuse prevention and treatment; and Domestic violence and other violence prevention.

See website for additional Grantmaking Program Area descriptions.

Type of Funding/Funding Restrictions: SFCF accepts general operating requests. Organizations must be at least three years old and serve residents in one or more of the counties within their geographic funding focus. SFCF does not fund: Organizations that discriminate; Capital campaigns; Debt retirement; Endowments; Membership or affiliation campaigns, dinners, or special events; Grants that further political or religious doctrine; Individuals; Scholarships, sponsorships; Individual medical procedures; Private schools or Government agencies (unless the program benefits the greater community); Re-granting programs; Retroactive funding of projects.

Application Instructions: Registration for the Foundation's Pre-Proposal Workshops and grant application instructions are available online.

Mission/ Giving Statement: The New Mexico Community Foundation (NMCF) is a statewide endowment building and grant-making organization that serves and invests in New Mexico’s communities and their greatest asset . . . people. As a steward of community resources, we support a quality of life that reflects the diverse values, traditions, beauty and dreams of New Mexico. Building community wealth and relationships, maximizing community capacity and self-reliance are at the heart of our work.

Grantmaking Program Areas: The Rural Livilihoods Initiative; The Strengthening New Mexico Families Initiative; SPARK (early childhood); Kellogg Youth Initiative; New Mexico AIDS Partnership Fund

Grantmaking Program Area Descriptions:

The Rural Livlihoods Initiative: The Rural Livelihoods Initiative builds on the assets of rural communities throughout the state by funding sustainable, community-based economic development projects.

SPARK: NMCF’s NM SPARK – Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids – fosters family engagement, early childhood and elementary school collaboration and best practices.

Kellogg Youth Initiative: NMCF’s Youth Initiative strengthens systems that serve children and youth while building the field’s capacity for positive youth development and youth civic participation in New Mexico. Managed by NMCF’s Youth Initiative, School Based Health Centers (SBHC) grants aim to improve access, provide funding for renovation and medical equipment, increase behavioral health services, including screening, referral and treatment to address youth suicide, increase funding for teen pregnancy prevention, treatment and education, and provide support towards workforce improvements, project management, technical assistaince and on-going training to SBHCs.

Application Instructions: While NMCF does not accept unsolicited proposals, NMCF welcomes receiving its General Information Organization Profile Form. Form is available online.

Mission/ Giving Statement: The Funding Exchange is a national membership organization of publicly supported, regionally based community foundations. It is a unique partnership of activists and donors dedicated to building a permanent institutional and financial base to support progressive social change through fundraising for local, national, and international grantmaking programs.

Grantmaking Program Areas: OUT Fund; Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media; Saguaro Fund

Grantmaking Program Area Descriptions:

OUT Fund: Supports radical organizing projects working to fight injustice, end oppression and build community among lesbians, gay men, Two Spirit, bisexuals, trans, queer, questioning and intersex people.

Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media: Supports media activism and grassroots organizing by funding the pre-production and distribution of social issue film and video projects and the production and distribution of radio projects.

Saguaro Fund: Supports organizing projects that primarily serve and are led by communities of color. Saguaro Fund priorities include leadership development, networking, alliance-building, and multi-issue organizing that makes connections across divisions.

Application Instructions: Grant application instructions online.

Mission/ Giving Statement: The Ford Foundation is a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide. Our goals for more than half a century have been to: Strengthen democratic values; Reduce poverty and injustice; promote international cooperation; and Advance human achievement.

Grantmaking Program Areas: Democracy, Rights & Justice Program (Democratic and Accountable Government - Human Rights - Social Justice Philanthropy); Economic Opportunity and Assets Program (Economic Fairness - Metropolitan Opportunity - Sustainable Development); Education, Creativity and Free Expression Program (Educational Opportunity and Scholarship - Freedom of Expression - Sexuality and Reproductive Health and Rights)

Grantmaking Program Area Descriptions:

Democratic and Accountable Government:  Increasing Civic and Political Participation; Strengthening Civil Society; Promoting Electoral Reform and Democratic Participation; Promoting Transparent, Effective and Accountable Government; Reforming Global Financial Governance

Human Rights: Advancing Racial Justice and Minority Rights; Protecting Women's Rights; Protecting Immigrant and Migrant Rights; Reforming Civil and Criminal Justice Systems; Reducing HIV/AIDS Discrimination and Exclusion; Strengthening Human Rights Worldwide; Advancing Economic and Social Rights

Social Justice Philanthropy: Mobilizing Philanthropic Resources for Social Justice

Economic Fairness: Ensuring Good Jobs and Access to Services; Promoting the Next-Generation Workforce Strategies; Building Economic Security Over a Lifetime; Improving Access to Financial Services; Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Poor Families

Metropolitan Opportunity: Expanding Access to Quality Housing; Promoting Metropolitan Land Use Innovation; Connecting People to Opportunity

Sustainable Development: Expanding Community Rights Over Natural Resources; Climate Change Responses That Strengthen Rural Communities

Educational Opportunity and Scholarship: Transforming Secondary Education; Advancing Higher Education Access and Success; Building Knowledge for Social Justice

Freedom of Expression: Supporting Diverse Arts Spaces; Advancing Public Service Media; Advancing Media Rights and Access; Religion in the Public Sphere

Sexuality and Reproductive Health and Rights: Supporting Sexuality Research; Promoting Reproductive Rights and the Right to Sexual Health; Policies and Programs for Adolexcent Sexual and Reproductive Health; Sexuality and Reproductive Health Education

Type of Funding/ Funding Restrictions: The Foundation does not award undergraduate scholarships or make grants for personal needs or business assistance. Other areas frequently inquired about, but not funded, include: Health care; Vehicle purchase; Student loan repayment; Scientific inventions; After-school programs; Athletic leagues; Orphanages; or Elder care.

Application Instructions: Grant inquiry instructions available online.