The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer (LGBTQ+) Alliance Fund is pleased to announce that Tucson has been selected as the host city for the Funders of LGBTQ Issues annual conference, Funding Forward.
The Funding Forward 2019 conference will be held at the Westward Look Resort in Tucson, March 20-22, 2019. The conference aims to help funders to connect with one another, learn from each other, coordinate efforts, and maximize impact.
“Funders for LGBTQ Issues is thrilled to be coming back to the Southwest for Funding Forward 2019,” said Ben Francisco Maulbeck, President of Funders for LGBTQ Issues. “We are consistently impressed with the philanthropic community in the region and their desire to support a strong, intersectional LGBTQ movement. We can’t wait to be in Tucson strategizing about how to best resource policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, direct services, and movement building for the LGBTQ community in the Southwest and throughout the nation.”
Funders for LGBTQ Issues seeks to engage funders from across the country with this annual conference Funding Forward and in the past has welcomed more than 200 attendees representing approximately 80 foundations in any given year. Each year Funding Forward travels to a different region to expose national funders to a new place and its specific cultural context, while also engaging local funders in LGBTQ issues.
“We are excited to work with the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund and the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona to bring Funding Forward 2019 to Tucson to engage grantmakers both familiar with our work and those that are new to LGBTQ funding on the most pressing issues of the day,” said Kristina Wertz, Funding Forward Vice President of Engagement and Philanthropic Outreach.
Tucson is a great place for Funding Forward 2019 as a cultural hub for LGBTQ people in a state and region with many urgent issues facing LGBTQ communities ranging from immigration issues and state-level policy threats to extreme poverty and alarming health disparities. This year’s gathering promises to delve into some of the most pressing challenges facing LGBTQ communities. It will also highlight an impressive array of diverse leaders and organizations working to improve the wellbeing of LGBTQ people everywhere.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund and the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is proud to bring this conference to our region, working in partnership with other regional Community Foundations the Arizona Community Foundation and Santa Fe Community Foundation to bring awareness to the pressing issues facing our communities in the southwest.
To register or learn more about the Funding Forward 2019 conference and Funders for LGBTQ Issues, please visit: https://lgbtfunders.org/events/funding-forward-2019.