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News Release
 
HORIZONS FOUNDATION AWARDS $600,000 IN GRANTS TO NEARLY FORTY
ORGANIZATIONS IN SUPPORT OF LGBT ISSUES

$350,000 Dedicated to Increasing Support for Marriage Equality in Communities of Color

Contact:
Roger Doughty, Executive Director
415.398.2333 x102		 Date: September 1, 2010
For Immediate Release

 

grant participants

Horizons Foundation Executive Director and San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty Join with LGBT Community Leaders and Recipients at Press Conference Announcing $600,000 in Grant Funding

SAN FRANCISCO - Horizons Foundation today joined together with community leaders and supporters to announce nearly $600,000 in grants being awarded to non-profit organizations in support of LGBT issues in the Bay Area and throughout California. More than half of the grants – $350,000 – are being awarded as part of a new Horizons grant program, People of Color Creating Equality (POCCE), to focus on supporting organizations to help build bridges of support for same-sex marriage in communities of color.

“Horizons is proud to announce these grants that will support issues and programs important to the LGBT community,” said Roger Doughty, Executive Director of Horizons. “The grants begin to address longstanding issues and challenges to greater support for marriage equality in communities of color. We have a great deal of work to do, and it’s exciting to help these extraordinary nonprofits do some extraordinary work.”

San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty, along with representatives from grantee organizations, attended the event to express the importance of the grant program and to tell their personal stories related to marriage equality. This included several mothers of Latino LGBT youth with Somos Familia, which is receiving a $25,000 grant to work with BAYCAT studio to produce video storytelling with LGBT youth and their families in the Latino community.

“To hear these stories from the mothers about their sons and daughters is both heartbreaking and inspiring,” said Dufty. “Building support and understanding for marriage equality is so important and I applaud Horizons and all the organizations involved in these efforts for their dedication to the cause and helping change lives.”

Reverend Roland Stringfellow, of the Center for Lesbian/Gay Studies in Religious Ministry Center for Lesbian/Gay Studies in Religious Ministry, will receive $25,000 to help create curriculum that will be used for African-American faith community audiences to educate on theological rationales for marriage equality and the inclusion of LGBT members in their congregations.

He added, “It is our belief that when a path is created for understanding and hope, people will generally take it. To this end, we hope to provide a powerful resource for these churches to build bridges to their children, other relatives and significant loved ones.”

Asian Pacific Islander Equality Northern California and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) will receive a $40,000 grant to conduct research and develop effective messages on marriage equality in the Filipino American community. Vincent Pan, Executive Director of CAA said, "This funding is critical to our ongoing efforts on marriage equality, and will help us deepen our work to advance understanding and acceptance."

A total of nine organizations across California are receiving POCEE grants, each representing different populations and geographic areas. Additional POCCE grant recipients include: API Equality/APALC ($40,000, Los Angeles), the Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition ($40,00, Los Angeles), California Rural Legal Assistance ($50,000, Central Valley), Equality California Institute ($60,000, Los Angeles), HONOR Fund ($40,000, Los Angeles), and the ZUNA Institute ($30,000, Sacramento).

Each year, Horizons also awards grants through its Community Issues grants program. This year, the program is awarding $211,000 in grants to 30 organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. This represents a 5% increase in funding from 2009. The groups selected are based on applications received and represent a diverse array of organizations ranging from a performance group for queer people with disabilities to a community center providing mental health care for the East Bay LGBT community and a film documentary about Susan Sontag and support for Native American Aids programs. This year, organizations representing the nine counties of the Bay Area received $65,000 in grants; San Francisco-based organizations received $105,000; East Bay-based organizations received $36,000; and San Jose-based organizations received $5,000.

“Our Community Issues grants are an important cornerstone of support for organizations that really do so much work throughout the year in the LGBT community,” said Doughty. “As Horizons celebrates 30 years of service, these grant programs help us continue our mission of supporting LGBT issues, causes and people who rely on the programs and services provided by the organizations we help fund.”

A complete list and details of all 2010 grant recipients is available at www.horizonsfoundation.org.

This year Horizons celebrates its 30th anniversary. An anniversary gala will be held on October 2, 2010 in San Francisco to highlight 30 years of commitment and service to the LGBT community. Founded in 1980, Horizons was the world’s first community foundation focused exclusively on LGBT issues. Since the beginning, Horizons has provided more than $20 million in financial support to community organizations and causes in areas ranging from youth to elders, from LGBT arts and culture to civil rights advocacy. Horizons’ grantmaking is guided by 30 years of expertise and deeply informed by direct community participation.
A community foundation rooted in and dedicated to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, Horizons Foundation exists to mobilize and increase resources for the LGBT movement and organizations that secure the rights, meet the needs, and celebrate the lives of LGBT people; empower individual donors and promote giving as an integral part of a healthy, compassionate community; and steward a permanently endowed fund through which donors can make legacy gifts to ensure our community's capacity to meet the future needs of LGBT people.