JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The LGBTQ Community Fund has awarded $82,000 in grants to build a welcoming and inclusive community for LGBTQ individuals. The 2023 grantees include both long-time recipients of funding as community mainstays, as well as several grassroots organizations that are receiving funding for the first time.
“In the spirit of creating a safe and more inclusive Jacksonville for our local LGBTQ community, we began the process by convening our potential grantees to listen and learn from one another,” said Glenn Miller, chair of the grants panel that helps advise on LGBTQ Community Fund grants. “As we shared our challenges and opportunities, we understood that we were not alone in our work and felt a new level of support. We are all in this together.”
This year’s grantmaking includes:
- COLORS Community Center – $2,000 to support Glen’s Friends Phone Pal Project for LGBTQ Seniors
- Jacksonville Film Festival – $10,000 to support the LGBTQ Film Block, Panel and Party at the 2024 Jacksonville Film Festival to be held April 12 -14, 2024
- Jacksonville University – $10,000 to support the LGBTQ Safe Zone Training Program for faculty, Staff and Students
- The Lotus Flower Project – $5,000 to support Kamala’s Kloset, a gender affirming clothing closet resource for LGBTQ+ women
- The Queer Trans Project / Peace Development Fund – $5,000 to support the Queer Trans Project’s gender affirming clothing kits in Northeast Florida
- We Provide Hope – $5,000 to support the operation of Amber House for youth who identify as LGBTQ+
- Women’s Center of Jacksonville – $25,000 to support the Mental Health Counseling Project for the LGBTQ population
- Youth Crisis Center – $20,000 to support the House of Hope program’s gender-neutral emergency shelter designed for LGBTQ individuals ages 18-24 who are experiencing homelessness
About The LGBTQ Community Fund for Northeast Florida
The LGBTQ Community Fund for Northeast Florida, housed at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, has awarded about $1M since it began making grants in 2014—including substantial grants to organizations representing LGBTQ youth, LGBTQ elders and LGBTQ on-campus services—which were areas identified by research as significant opportunities for assistance. The Fund has also invested $168,000 in local research and convenings to improve the lives of those in the LGBTQ community. For more information: www.jaxcf.org/lgbtq
About The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (www.jaxcf.org), Florida’s oldest and largest community foundation, works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. The Foundation helps donors invest their philanthropic gifts wisely, helps nonprofits serve the region effectively, and brings people together to make the community a better place. Created in 1964, the Foundation manages assets of more than $630 million and has made more than $695 million in grants since inception.
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Contact: Stephanie Garry Garfunkel
VP, Strategic Communications
904-356-4483 | sgarfunkel@jaxcf.org