The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2024 grant funding, totaling over $100,000. These grants are awarded to organizations vital in supporting and advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community across Mississippi. This year’s grants reflect the Fund’s ongoing commitment to fostering inclusivity, equity, and empowerment for all LGBTQ Mississippians.
The 2024 grant recipients and their funded initiatives include:
1. Big House Books
Grant Amount: $6,000
Purpose: To purchase and distribute LGBTQ-specific books to incarcerated individuals across Mississippi, ensuring access to culturally relevant literature.
Service Region: Statewide
2. Coastal Family Health Center, Inc.
Grant Amount: $5,000
Purpose: To enhance healthcare services tailored to the LGBTQIA+ community in the southern region of Mississippi, improving access to quality, inclusive care.
Service Region: Coastal Counties
3. Five Horizons Health Services
Grant Amount: $5,000
Purpose: To support general operations and capacity building, allowing the organization to expand its impact in serving the LGBTQIA+ population.
Service Region: East
4. Harrison County Library System: Book Club
Grant Amount: $6,675
Purpose: To support the “Pride Without Prejudice Book Club,” the first LGBTQ+ book club in Harrison County, promoting inclusivity and representation in local literature.
Service Region: Coastal Counties
5. Capital City Pride
Grant Amount: $20,000
Purpose: To fund various initiatives that promote LGBTQ pride and awareness throughout Mississippi, enhancing community engagement and visibility.
Service Region: Statewide and Metro Area
6. Men in Action
Grant Amount: $3,000
Purpose: To support initiatives that engage and empower LGBTQ+ young men in the community, fostering leadership and advocacy.
Service Region: Capital Area
7. My Brother’s Keeper/We The Positive
Grant Amount: $11,000
Purpose: To support programs that address the health and well-being of LGBTQ individuals, particularly in underserved communities.
Service Region: Statewide
8. Pride of Tupelo
Grant Amount: $4,500
Purpose: To fund Pride events and activities in Tupelo, promoting visibility and celebration of the LGBTQ community in northern Mississippi.
Service Region: Tupelo
9. South Mississippi AIDS Task Force
Grant Amount: $2,400
Purpose: To provide essential services and support to individuals living with HIV/AIDS, with a focus on the LGBTQ community.
Service Region: South Coastal Counties
10. The Spectrum Center
Grant Amount: $15,000
Purpose: To support general operations, ensuring The Spectrum Center can continue providing safe spaces and essential resources for the LGBTQ community in Northern Mississippi.
Service Region: Pine Belt Area
11. Tupelo Mutual Aid Inc.
Grant Amount: $4,250
Purpose: To enhance planning and development efforts for mutual aid services that support the LGBTQ community in Tupelo, ensuring those in need have access to critical resources.
Service Region: Lee County
12. The University of Mississippi Foundation: LGBTQIA+ at UM
Grant Amount: $2,500
Purpose: To support LGBTQ initiatives at the University of Mississippi, fostering a more inclusive campus environment.
Service Region: University of MS LGBTQ+ students and community
13. Violet Valley Bookstore
Grant Amount: $13,960
Purpose: To support operations and expand LGBTQ literary resources in the region, ensuring access to inclusive books and materials.
Service Region: Statewide
14. Yoknapatawpha Arts Council
Grant Amount: $1,500
Purpose: To promote and support LGBTQ+ artists through various arts initiatives and programs.
Service Region: North Hills Region
Total grants for 2024-2025: $100,785
The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi is proud to support these organizations and their vital work within the community. Each grant reflects our ongoing dedication to ensuring that all LGBTQ Mississippians have the resources and support needed to thrive.
About the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi
The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi is committed to advancing equality and social justice for the LGBTQ community through strategic grantmaking, advocacy, and community engagement. Our mission is to empower organizations that work tirelessly to create a more inclusive and equitable society.
For more information, please contact:
LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi or visit us at our website at www.lgbtqfundms.org.
Join Us for a Special Reading of Sons of Levi – Support the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi with a $10 Suggested Donation at the Door
In 2018, the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi carried out a comprehensive, statewide needs assessment of LGBTQ+ Mississippians. The timely and important findings and outcomes of the needs assessment have informed the funding of grant dollars since the very first round of grant-making in 2020. Some notable findings from the 2018 needs assessment are presented below. Since 2020, the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi has provided nearly $450k in funds to 30 LGBTQ (and LGBTQ-adjacent) organizations across the state! This funding has supported direct health and mental health services, programming and events, emergency services and housing, and training and educational opportunities, among other things.
This year, 5 years later, the LGBTQ Fund is supporting a second, follow-up statewide needs assessment. It is noteworthy that the LGBTQ Fund places such focus on data-driven decisions and strategy. This needs assessment will inform funding priorities and direction for future funding periods.
While the 2018 needs assessment provided a vivid snapshot of the lives of LGBTQ+ Mississippians, the state and our community’s needs have changed. We’ve seen some Mississippi LGBTQ+ organizations dissolve and new organizations form during this time. Laws and policies in the state have changed. The climate toward our community has changed. So where do we stand now, and where do we go from here?
Help us shape the future of our LGBTQ+ communities in Mississippi by sharing your experiences. Please consider taking ~10-15 minutes of your time to respond to our survey. The survey asks about experiences and perspectives across multiple life domains: health and mental health, work, school, religion and the church, neighborhoods and communities, and legal and justice. Your responses are anonymous and confidential.
You can access the survey by scanning or saving the photo and tapping the QR code in the image below… or go to the link below!
Please be sure to share our survey with your queer family and friends who live in or have lived in MS within the previous 5 years!!
LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi at the Community Foundation for Mississippi (CFM) announces 2023 Grant Recipients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10/10/2023 The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi at the Community Foundation for Mississippi (CFM) announced 2023 annual funding commitments totaling close to $132,000. The total included $98,187 for ten programs serving LGBTQ Mississippians around the state, $10,500 to update the statewide LGBTQ needs assessment, $8,100 to sponsor LGBTQ events in the state and $15,000 for small micro-grants and training provided by the Campaign for Southern Equality. The Fund’s Grants Review Committee, chaired by Michael Martella, used information from the current needs assessment and from proposals submitted by prospective grantees to make funding recommendations.
2023 Grant Recipients include:
Big House Books (Jackson, MS) – Provides a diverse range of LGBTQ material to incarcerated
readers and will create an inventory of available paperback books.
Delta State University’s PRIDE Alliance (Cleveland, MS) – Provides monthly social gatherings, hosts a multitude of LGBTQ cultural and educational events, and provides monetary supplements for students to engage in further conferences or queer events to further social justice.
Growing Up Knowing (Jackson, MS) – Development and implementation of comprehensive Sex Education for High School Students.
Gulf Coast Equality (Gulfport, MS) – Develop a mental health outreach program to create training materials and presentations, develop resources for mental health providers, and establish workshops to increase awareness of the specific mental health needs of our LGBTQ community.
LGBTQIA Emergency Fund of North MS (Regional) – Provides emergency help and crisis referral services to individuals in counties in Northwest Mississippi.
My Brother’s Keeper/We the Positive (Ridgeland, MS) – Uplifts all Mississippians living with HIV while promoting a stigma-free environment for all LGBTQ persons in Mississippi.
Pride Resource Center (Tupelo, MS) – Provides a safe place to meet while offering support, education, and a variety of programs for the LGBTQ community. Also provides information on safe and welcoming resources in North Mississippi.
South MS AIDS Task Force (Biloxi, MS) – Provides educational outreach regarding the prevention and transmission of HIV/AIDS and provides effective services to those impacted by the disease.
The Spectrum Center (Hattiesburg, MS) – 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) – 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.
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 first and only grant-making fund in the state 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. The funds distributed this cycle also include plans for an updated statewide needs assessment of LGBTQ organizations and adults.
More information about the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi at the Community Foundation for Mississippi, including past grantees, is available at lgbtqfundms.org.
LGBTQ Fund featured in WJTVhttps://www.wjtv.com/video/lgbtq-fund-of-mississippi-awards-57k-in-statewide-grants/6771830/
LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi Awards Over $50,000 in Second Round of Statewide Grants
JACKSON, Miss. – July 1, 2021 – The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi, a field of interest fund at The Community Foundation for Mississippi, has awarded its second round of grants and sponsorships, totaling $57,300 for 8 organizations. Entirely focused on supporting organizations that improve the quality of life for LGBTQ+ Mississippians, the Fund is the first of its kind in the state.
“Our second round of grantmaking is a milestone for our organization, because it cements for our grantee organizations and for LGBTQ Mississippians everywhere in the state that The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi is a committed partner that will support exciting work,” said Justin Lofton, Vice Chair of the LGBTQ Fund of MS.
The Fund identifies emerging needs and provides financial support that enhances the work of organizations addressing issues important to LGBTQ Mississippians. The Fund developed its priorities through a comprehensive statewide needs assessment conducted by doctoral students at Mississippi State University, surfacing the challenges and opportunities that Mississippi’s LGBTQ+ citizens encounter in their daily lives.
“LGBTQ people are treated as second class citizens in Mississippi, and some of them are disowned by their families and lack access to resources. Those circumstances may cause them to become homeless. I think this work is important because it will contribute to the most disadvantaged. It will set them on a path to improving their own lives and bringing in some mode of stability, so that they can become independent,” said Deroll Barrett, of Youth Improvement Services, one of this year’s grantee organizations.
The twelve-month grants range from $3,500 to $15,000. The organizations and programs funded by the second round of grants are:
The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi is also a sponsor of the LGBTQ Author’s Panel at the Mississippi Book Festival that will be held August 21, 2021 at the Mississippi State Capitol building in Jackson. In addition to the panel, look for book signings and on-site booksellers. Learn more at https://msbookfestival.com.
“Continuing this work is vital to making Mississippi a more welcoming place where all of our own citizens can be free to prosper. We’re proud to be able to support these fantastic organizations from across the state, and we look forward to future funding rounds!” said Sammy Moon, founding donor at the LGBTQ Fund.
Tax-deductible gifts to the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi can be made through the website at www.lgbtqfundms.org or mailed to P.O. Box 55903, Jackson, MS 39296.
MSSC Announces Inaugural GSACon
The Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition, a nonprofit working to make schools safer and
inclusive for LGBTQ youth, today announced the launch of its inaugural Gender and Sexuality Alliance
Conference (GSACon) that will provide students with an opportunity to connect with other LGBTQ teens
and learn about the expansive network of resources for LGBTQ Mississippians.
Mississippi is one of 30 states without laws prohibiting discrimination against students based on both
sexual orientation and gender identity and lacks policies on treatment of transgender, nonbinary, and
gender-nonconforming students. Given Mississippi’s history of LGBTQ discrimination, GSAs have emerged
as more than just safe spaces for LGBTQ students but also have become vehicles for deep social change
related to gender, public policy, and educational justice.
“At a time when LGBTQ teens are under tremendous attack by their own elected officials, community and resource sharing is more important than ever. We are excited and hopeful for the impact MSSC’s first-ever conference for teens will have on the future of this state,” said the conference organizer, Jack Hoda.
Throughout the conference students will hear from a variety of speakers. The GSACon will feature
speakers from the Human Rights Campaign, The Future Perfect Project, Teens P.A.C.T., and the National
GSA Network.
“As the only organization in our state working to support and protect the rights of LGBTQ students, our
organization’s work is timely and necessary. A paradigm shift is only possible when we build the capacity
of LGBTQ students to use their voices as weapons for change,” said Executive Director, Justin Lofton.
The conference will be held virtually on Saturday, April 24.
For more information about GSACon or to register, please visit them online.
Founded in 2010, the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition works to ensure that LGBTQ2+, nonbinary, and
gender non-conforming students from across Mississippi can attain a safe and inclusive, high-quality
education free of discrimination and bullying. They envision a Mississippi where students, regardless of real
or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, have equal protections and the
opportunity to grow and learn in a safe environment.
Your support allows us to distribute more funds to where they’ll have the most impact in Mississippi.
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