Posted on January 21, 2013

Growth in LGBTQ Funding in 2011 Outpaced Growth in Overall Foundation Grantmaking, Report Finds

Foundation support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities grew by 27 percent, to $123 million, in 2011, a new report from Funders for LGBTQ Issues finds.

According to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Grantmaking by U.S. Foundations (2011) (22 pages, PDF), the growth in giving to LGBTQ communities outpaced the 2.2 percent increase in overall foundation giving and pushed LGBTQ funding to more than 0.25 percent of all giving by U.S. foundations for the first time in history. "This increase in foundation giving is a sign of the growing momentum for equality regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity," said Funders for LGBTQ Issues president Ben Francisco Maulbeck. "LGBT-focused funders like the Arcus Foundation are growing in number and size, and more and more mainstream funders like American Jewish World Service are integrating LGBTQ communities into their grantmaking strategies."

The report also found that giving to international LGBTQ organizations grew by 50 percent in 2011, to $28.5 million from $19 million, representing nearly a third of the increase in funding to LGBTQ causes and organizations; that giving to transgender communities increased by 63 percent, to $5 million from $3 million; and that children and youth topped the list of LGTBQ funding priorities, receiving 16 percent of all LGBTQ grant dollars.

"I am heartened to see this growing response to the urgent civil rights and livelihood needs of LGBTQ people both nationally and abroad," said 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."