A new report indicates that foundations in the U.S. ponied up a record amount for grants supporting the LGBT community in 2011.
In Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Grantmaking by US Foundations, the groupFunders for LGBTQ Issues reports that funding grew by 27% and hit a high of $123 million. The organization says that bump “far outpaced” the overall increase in grantmaking, which was only 2.2%.
Other findings:
- LGBT grantmaking to international organizations increased by 50%, from $19 million to $28.5 million, accounting for nearly one-third of the total increase in LGBT funding.
- Grantmaking for trans groups rose by 63%, from $3 million to $5 million.
- Children and youth received 16% of all LGBT grant dollars, the largest of any sub-section.
“I am heartened to see this growing response to the urgent civil rights and livelihood needs of LGBTQ people both nationally and abroad,” says Funders president Ben Francisco Maulbeck, “We look forward to working with an increasingly diverse array of funders to expand LGBTQ funding even more, so that the scale of resources at our disposal is commensurate with the great challenges and opportunities before us.”
DB
This is great news. Hopefully we will soon after marriage and there will no longer be a need for gay-focused charities.