The Biden Foundation and YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) have announced a joint three-year effort to foster LGBTQ inclusion and equity at YMCA locations nationwide which is driven by a shared commitment to ensuring all people are treated with dignity and respect. This new initiative is funded by the Gill Foundation and the David Bohnett Foundation.
This collaboration will first establish a pilot cohort of Ys that will develop and implement locally focused strategies designed to engage and support LGBTQ individuals and their families. These strategies may include staff training; member outreach and engagement; program innovation for LGBTQ youth, adults, seniors and families; and community collaborations. In following years, the best practices and tools developed by the cohort will be scaled to reach Ys nationwide.
Executive Director of the Biden Foundation, Louisa Terrell said, “The Biden Foundation is committed to changing our culture so that everyone, including LGBTQ people, feels supported and affirmed. We could not ask for better partners in this work than YMCA of the USA, with its history, reach, and impact in communities across America. The Gill Foundation, which has supported innovative strategies to advance LGBTQ equal treatment for decades; and the David Bohnett Foundation, which has invested significant resources in supporting and empowering local LGBTQ communities are equally powerful partners in this work.”
This effort is part of the Y’s longstanding commitment to engage and serve all segments of society, build bridges between communities and advance social inclusion and equity for all. Y-USA is the national resource office for the 2,700 YMCAs serving more than 13 million adults and 9 million children annually in 10,000 communities nationwide.