Deadline: 15 July 2020
The Astraea Foundation has announced an annual open call for small-budget LGBTQI groups doing community organizing work, in partnership with the Funding Queerly Giving Circle.
Astraea’s U.S. Fund supports organizations led by LGBTQ people of color working to advance racial and economic justice.
The Foundation’s anti-criminalization funding supports LGBTQ groups led by people most affected by systems of oppression–people of color, youth and sex workers–who are fighting laws, policies and practices that criminalize LGBTQ people’s lives, dignity and livelihoods. This includes work on policing and prison abolition. Deeply tied to criminalization, their migrant justice strategy bolsters LGBTQ migrant organizing to build a strong base of LGBTQ migrant leaders and allies, fight harsh immigration enforcement policies, and increase visibility of the impact of the criminalization of LGBTQ immigrants.
The Funding Queerly Giving Circle is a group of young donors who believe that small-budget LGBTQI groups lack the funding resources they need to organize, build power and leadership, and make positive sustainable change.
Priorities
Specifically Funding Queerly supports groups that:
- Have an annual organizational budget of $250,000 or less.
- Have 501©3 IRS status, have a fiscal sponsor, or be working towards a fiscal sponsorship.
- Have active participation and leadership from the communities most affected by issues that the group works on
- A strong commitment and progressive community organizing approach to efforts that promote social, racial, economic, and gender justice for all LGBTQI+ people.
- The community served and leadership of the organization identify as one or more of the following: Trans/GNC, Intersex, Black/African-American, people of color/people of the global majority, indigenous/Native American, poor/low-income/working class, and rural.
- The organization is led by and serves LGBTQI+ communities that are historically under-resourced (e.g. elders, youth, immigrants, people with disabilities, sex workers, incarcerated people, etc.) with limited access to traditional funding streams.
- Commitment to incorporating Healing Justice Practices into core organizing work.
Funding Information
- The Funding Queerly grants range from $10,000 – $20,000, the average grant size is $10,000.
- Organizations can apply for general support or project support.
Funding Queerly Does Not Fund:
- Organizations with no leadership of LGBTQI people.
- Organizations with no involvement of lesbians or transgender people.
- Private business or profit-making efforts (including business development).
- Individual projects (e.g. graduate research, fellowships, etc.).
- Projects that are sponsored by a university, college, or other academic institution.
- Groups whose sole purpose is to provide charity to individuals, direct social service projects, research projects, or one-time events that are not linked to ongoing social change organizing strategies.
- Efforts that endorse candidates for public office (incl. political parties and election campaigns).
- Capital campaigns, endowments, or deficit financing.
- Organizations with budgets of over $250,000 US.
- Organizations or projects serving the general population without a particular emphasis or approach to working with the LGBTQI+ community.
- Organizations with strong leadership from only one individual.
- Academic research or one-time events not linked to ongoing social change strategies.
Eligibility Criteria
The current Letter of Interest process is open only to groups based or working in the United States.
For more information, visit https://www.astraeafoundation.org/apply/us-fund/