The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer (LGBTQ+) Alliance Fund, an initiative of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA), is pleased to announce that $103,500 in grants have been awarded to 12 regional nonprofits to provide innovative programs that benefit the LGBTQ+ community in Southern Arizona.
This is the largest annual grant distribution in the Alliance Fund’s 23-year history and a 25% increase from last year. In addition, for the first time ever, the Fund is also extending two years of funding to its 2022 grantees.
The average amount granted to each organization has also grown significantly. Over the last five years, the average grant has more than doubled from $4,064 in 2017 to $8,625 in 2022.
“We are ecstatic to invest in our newest grantees committed to LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion in Southern Arizona,” said Kent Burbank, Chair of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund Advisory Board. “Thanks to the generosity of our loyal donors, we’re transforming our grantmaking by awarding larger grants and transitioning to multi-year funding. This momentum will allow us to better meet the needs of our grantees and ensure that they have additional resources needed to create meaningful change.”
The recipients of the 2022 LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund Community Grants are:
- BICAS
- Grant made possible by the Kent Burbank & Vicente Talanquer Endowment Fund
- Chicanos Por La Causa
- Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
- Grant made possible by the Douglas Noffsinger & Roger Funk Endowment Fund
- Old Pueblo Community Services
- Grant made possible by Anne Maley Schaffner & Tim Schaffner
- Our Family Services
- Grant made possible by the Kristen Birner & Colette Barajas (KrisCo LLC) Endowment Fund
- Pima Council on Aging
- Grant made possible by Suzi Calhoun & Janey Katz
- Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation
- Grant made possible by the Noel Matkin–Jim Sincox Tribute Endowment Fund
- Southern Arizona Gender Alliance
- Grant made possible by the Sylvia Stan Mulka Endowment Fund
- Southern Arizona Senior Pride
- Grant made possible by Don & Bobbie VandeGriff
- Splinter Art and Community Fund
- Tucson Alliance for Housing Justice
- Grant made possible by the Kathy Altman & Ivy Schwartz Endowment Fund
- Tucson LGBT Chamber of Commerce Foundation
“The investment we’re making in our grantees comes at a critical time as LGBTQ+ rights are under attack in legislatures throughout our Nation, including in Arizona,” said Andrés Cano, Director of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund. “We believe in the potential of our region’s queer communities, and that’s why we’re committed to funding the programs that are unleashing potential and empowering our LGBTQ+ loved ones to be who they are.”
The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund was created in 1999 by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona with support from donors, community members, and the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership. To date, the Alliance Fund has awarded 219 grants to 75 organizations, totaling $1,131,957.
Learn more about the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund here.
The CPLC Nahui Ollin Wellness Program (NOWP) is based on the premise La Cultura Cura, “Culture Heals.” The program involves teens from low-income Latinx and Indigenous communities in Tucson, AZ, in exploring their cultural identity in an inclusive, culturally responsive context. The goal of NOWP is to develop youth leaders who identify the needs and goals of their community, recognize, and address systemic racism and drive equitable and sustainable community change. Specifically, NOWP’s Cozamayotl “Rainbow” Wellness program which serves the LGBTQ+ community, has been a component of NOWP since 2019 and continues to focus on the expansion of safe and inclusive environments and curricula.
— Diedre Ramirez, Nahui Ollin Wellness Program Coordinator, Chicanos por la Causa
The investment from the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund will allow SAAF to provide safe, affirming, and positive programming for LGBTQIA+ youth. We will be able to support youth in developing positive relationships, a sense of safety and well-being, and empowerment over their health.
— Monique Vallery, Director of Development, SAAF
This grant provides the initial support we need to formally launch our loan fund! Given the rapid increase in displacement and rising housing prices, having capital that can be quickly mobilized will help our community to deepen roots and stability in Southern AZ.
— Raye Winch, Director of Policy and Strategic Planning, Tucson Alliance for Housing Justice
Funding from the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund supports PCOA’s suite of Visibility Matters trainings, which offers education to providers in the aging network about how to better serve LGBTQI+ older adults. We are deeply grateful to the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund for their long partnership and investment in this valuable and needed step toward health equity for our community and beyond.
— Lana Baldwin, Vice President of Philanthropy & Communications, Pima Council on Aging
The Alliance Fund’s mission is critical to our community because it serves LGBTQ+ individuals in every realm—including immigration. The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project serves many LGBTQ+ immigrants and asylum-seekers. We want to do our best to better serve our LGBTQ+ clients. Thanks to the Alliance Fund's support, we can ensure immigrants fleeing harm and life threatening conditions have a shot at winning their legal case and are welcomed with dignity, respect, understanding, and knowledge.
— Gabriela Corrales, Director of Philanthropy, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
Our Family Services is thrilled to continue our long running partnership with the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund. This grant allows us to provide critically needed housing and casework support for some of our region’s most vulnerable people. As we strive to provide safe and supportive housing for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness , this multi-year grant is invaluable and allows us to better plan for the future. From all of us here at Our Family, thank you for your support, and for all that you do for Southern Arizona. Together we can build a socially and economically just community where everyone has access to a safe, affordable, and stable home.
— Jared Hatchell, Grant Writer, Our Family Services
It would be impossible to overstate the degree to which the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund operates as a catalyst, change agent, collaborator, and cheerleader for Southern Arizona’s diverse communities, their many organizations, and the thousands of people they serve. We at Senior Pride are honored to be recipients of a generous Alliance Fund grant. These funds will support us in continuing and improving our service to the older LGBTQI+ community.
— Keith Ashley, Associate Director, Southern Arizona Senior Pride
