Dear Pride Family,
Throughout the 1970s, grant-giving from the first LGBTQ+ foundations were directed to health-related LGBTQ+ non profit organizations that focused on counseling, alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitation services. Spurred by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, financial support for our community in the 1980s shifted towards policy-oriented initiatives focused on supporting educational, advocacy and community building efforts to destigmatize HIV/AIDS and increase civil rights protections against discrimination and violence towards LGBTQ+ people in all sectors of society. Even still, funding to LGBTQ+-serving organizations throughout the 1980s was a novel concept – and not at all a priority of some of the largest charitable giving organizations at that time.
The greatest shift in foundations becoming a critical source of funding with the specific aim of raising visibility of LGBTQ+ issues in the philanthropic sector came in the 1990s with the establishment of the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership – an effort that raised more than $9 million for LGBTQ+ causes between 1994 and 2005.
Locally, San Diego Pride was at the forefront of creating a model of fundraising that would not only support our own events and programs – but created an innovative plan to utilize funding raised through our annual Parade and Festival to be returned to the LGBTQ+ community.
We were/are so lucky to have had the vision and dedication to community brought forth by people like Christine Kehoe, Joseph Mayer, Barbra Blake, Tim Williams and Neil Good to develop and launch what would eventually become the first disbursement of Pride Community Grants in 1994.
Since that first year, San Diego Pride has distributed $3 million to LGBTQ+-serving organizations locally, nationally, and globally making it one of the most philanthropic Pride organizations in the world. These grants are not only important to organizations and communities that receive them – they are also part of the legacy of San Diego Pride that so many people have had a hand in crafting over the years.
This year, we will be distributing nearly $200,000 to 44 LGBTQ+-serving organizations of which 25 are local organizations, 10 are national, and 9 are international. What’s more, this year’s distribution of Pride Community Grants exceeds current statistics on grant-giving for transgender folks with 19% of funding going to trans-led organizations and 28% benefiting organizations that explicitly serve trans communities.
All 44 Pride Community Grantees vary widely in terms of mission, but they all align with the mission, vision, values of San Diego Pride. Here is a glimpse into the breadth, beauty, and diversity of some of our grantees this year – all of whom are first-time recipients of the Pride Community Grant:
The Queer SOL Collective, San Diego, California
Mission: A sanctuary for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. A place of safety, discovery, healing, celebration, integration, and wellness. A mission anchored in engaging communities on the land and introducing Indigenous methodologies that activate and restore the symbiotic relationships between the individual, the land, and the collective.
GenPride, Seattle, Washington
Mission: The mission of GenPride is to advocate for Seattle-King County older LGBTQIA+ adults’ unique needs through programs and services that cultivate well-being and belonging.
Sisters 4 Sisters, Montserrado, Liberia
Mission: Sisters 4 Sisters is a feminist women-led organization working to empower women and girls in Liberia by advocating for their rights, amplifying their voices, and promoting their inclusion.
Learn more about all of the Pride Community Grantees here.
With Pride,
Nicole Verdés
Pronouns: they/she
Grant Writer
San Diego Pride raises funds primarily through festival ticket and beverage sales, and through sponsorships, and exhibitor fees. These funds support San Diego Pride’s community philanthropy which has distributed more than $2.5 million in advancement of its mission to foster pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally.
