The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi at the Community Foundation for Mississippi (CFM) announced 2025 annual funding commitments today totaling more than $133,000. The total supports multiple nonprofit organizations with programs serving LGBTQ Mississippians around the state in alignment with the 2024 Mississippi LGBTQ+ Statewide Needs Assessment. The Fund’s Grants Review Committee, chaired by Brandi Westbrook, used information from the Needs Assessment and from proposals submitted by applicants to make funding recommendations.
2025 Grant Recipients include:
Big House Books (Statewide Region Population Specific): Provides a diverse range of LGBTQ material to incarcerated readers and will create an inventory of available paperback books.
Five Horizons Health Services (East Mississippi Region): Five Horizons Health Services strives to promote a healthy, compassionate, and educated community through Medical Care, Prevention Education, Supportive Services, Advocacy, and Research, seeking to meet the medical needs of the community through general care, specialized HIV care, and culturally relevant services.
Grace House (Awakening Love) (Central Region): Offers advocacy, support groups, and connections to housing, food, clothing, medical care, legal assistance, etc. to transgender individuals.
Harrison County Library System (Pride without Prejudice Book Club) (Southern Region): Operates the Pride without Prejudice Book Club, an inclusive book club focused primarily on Southern LGBTQ authors.
Mississippi Center for Police and Sheriffs (Central Region): Programming includes providing housing, food, job training, case management, and other supportive services to members of the LGBTQ communities who are housing insecure in the rural area of Warren County, MS.
Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Central Region): Dedicated to creating a violence-free Mississippi through advocacy, awareness, and support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Strengthening Safe Access: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Domestic Violence Services is an initiative designed to support LGBTQ+ survivors of abuse.
My Brother’s Keeper (We the Positive) (Northern Region): Uplifts all Mississippians living with HIV while promoting a stigma-free environment for all LGBTQ persons in Mississippi.
South MS AIDS Task Force (Southern Region): Provides educational outreach regarding the prevention and transmission of HIV/AIDS and provides effective services to those impacted by the disease.
The Spectrum Center (Pinebelt Region): Advocates for and secures full inclusion and empowerment for the LGBTQ community in the Pine Belt of Mississippi through the provision of resources, community support, and direct action.
TRANS Program (Statewide Region): The TRANS Program is a mobile, statewide, grassroots nonprofit, and comprehensive program led by Transgender/Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) people. Missioned to serve TGNC people, the program focuses on strategies to improve understanding of TGNC people, expand ally-ship, reduce discrimination, increase protections, and ensure that TGNC people are presented with opportunities to thrive and have their needs met.
Tupelo Mutual Aid Project (Northern Region): The Trans Outreach Committee is dedicated to supporting the well-being and empowerment of the transgender community. A fundamental aspect of this support involves providing access to resources that affirm individuals’ gender identities and promote overall health.
The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi at the Community Foundation for Mississippi pools funds to support LGBTQ organizations across the state that address the needs of LGBTQ Mississippians. This is made possible through donations and community support. As the state’s first and only grant-making fund focused on supporting organizations that improve the quality of life for LGBTQ Mississippians, the fund at CFM works as a pipeline fueling and enhancing the work of LGBTQ-focused organizations by professional stewardship of funds and other resources from outside donors.
The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi envisions a state where all LGBTQ Mississippians live safely, openly, and without isolation, prejudice, and discrimination. The fund develops and invests resources to support efforts that address the needs of LGBTQ Mississippians. This cycle’s funds also include plans for an updated statewide Needs Assessment of LGBTQ organizations and adults.
Community members are also encouraged to contribute to the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi through CFM’s website, found here.
2025-2026 Grant Opportunity Application Guide
Funding is available to support planning, research, and general operations
that address priority needs* of LGBTQ Mississippians as they strive to live safely, openly and
without alienation, isolation, prejudice and/or discrimination.
Eligible applicants must be in Mississippi or provide services that have a positive direct impact on Mississippi’s LGBTQ population, must perform eligible activities, and must be one or more of the following: nonprofit organizations, units of local government, research centers, public and private institutions of higher learning, and federally recognized Indian tribes. For more information regarding eligible applicants please see the Request For Proposal (RFP) Guidelines.
*The 2024 LGBTQ Statewide Needs Assessment is available on the Resources page.