It only took 53 donors to spark a brand new funding stream for local LGBTQ+ nonprofits.
In just six months, those neighbors’ gifts to the Fund for Queer Causes, a queer-advised fund housed at Arlington Community Foundation, have already powered $6,000 in unrestricted grants to three small, local nonprofits: Safe Space NOVA, 360 Health X, and Trans Maryland. Each one is queer-led, deeply rooted in the community, and often overlooked in traditional philanthropy.
Each dollar donated to the fund goes further because it’s pooled: one donation, through one trusted platform, supports multiple organizations already vetted by an all-queer advisory committee. And because the fund is held at Arlington Community Foundation, donors know their gifts are stewarded by an established local institution.
The need is urgent. Nationally, LGBTQ+ nonprofits receive less than 0.17% of charitable giving. Locally, many are under heightened social and political pressure and facing cuts to the funding streams they once relied on.
The first six months show what’s possible with just 53 donors. The next milestone? 100 donors by fall: a goal that would allow the fund to expand its reach and help even more local LGBTQ+ nonprofits survive, thrive, and keep LGBTQ+ joy alive!
Learn more and donate at arlcf.org/queercauses or using the button below, and follow @fundforqueercauses on Instagram for grant updates and daily doses of local LGBTQ+ news, events, and needs.