JACKSONVILLE, FL, May 16, 2024 – The LGBTQ Community Fund, a field of interest fund at The Community Foundation, has awarded $67,500 in grants to promote a welcoming and inclusive community for local LGBTQ individuals.
The focus of the 2024 grants is general program support for organizations serving the LGBTQ community, an approach that allows the nonprofits maximum flexibility to direct funds where they are needed most. This year, five organizations received funds for the first time. The grantees serve people in Duval, Nassau and St. Johns Counties.
Established a decade ago, the LGBTQ Community Fund has now made a total of $1.1 million in grants since its inception as a collective giving initiative of The Community Foundation in 2014. Since then, donors have also worked to build the fund’s endowment, which now provides significant support for annual grantmaking, and ensures the funding will continue in perpetuity.
“We’re excited to expand our grants outside of Duval County this year, and we’re proud to be responsive to the needs of LGBTQ-serving organizations by offering this flexible support,” said Janet Allen, program director at The Community Foundation. “We’re grateful to the volunteer leaders from the LGBTQ community who helped us select this year’s grantees, and to the donors who made these grants possible through their support for the LGBTQ Community Fund endowment.”
This year's grants are as follows:
Equality Florida Institute - $10,000 – The state’s largest civil rights organization dedicated to LGBTQ people provides parental education and support in Northeast Florida.
Jax River City Pride - $10,000 – The nonprofit organizes events such as the Jax River City Pride Parade and Festival in October.
Southern Legal Counsel - $10,000 – As a Florida public interest law firm, SLC’s work includes a focus on the challenges of the LGBTQ community.
Betty Griffin Center - $5,000 – The St. Johns County domestic violence shelter serves LGBTQ survivors among other vulnerable populations.
CampOUT Florida Corporation - $5,000 – The organization provides the largest summer camp for LGBTQ+ youth and allies and fosters a love of Florida’s natural beauty.
Fernandina Beach Pride - $5,000 – The nonprofit organizes LGBTQ-friendly events, including its annual parade, in Nassau County.
PFLAG Jacksonville - $5,000 – PFLAG works to create a caring, just and affirming world for LGBTQ people with a focus on resources for parents and families.
Stonewall Sports - $5,000 - The Jacksonville chapter of Stonewall Sports serves more than 3,000 residents of Northeast Florida through inclusive sports leagues, including kickball, volleyball, dodgeball and billiards.
Transcending Adolescence - $5,000 – The organization provides summer camp experiences for transgender youth.
Unspoken Treasure Society - $5,000 – The organization provides employment, housing, and suicide prevention services for transgender people.
House of Prism - $2,500 – The St. Augustine-based LGBTQIA+ resource center works to improve the self-worth, opportunity and safety of its clients.
About The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (www.jaxcf.org), Florida’s oldest and largest community foundation, works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. The Foundation helps donors invest their philanthropic gifts wisely, helps nonprofits serve the region effectively, and helps people come together to make the community a better place. Now in its 60th year, the Foundation manages more than $650 million in assets as of 12/31/2023 and has made more than $750 million in grants since inception.
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Contact: Stephanie Garry Garfunkel
VP, Strategic Communications
904-224-7208| sgarfunkel@jaxcf.org