Donors Forum

The State of LGBTQ Philanthropy

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October 31, 2024

On October 23, 2024, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida hosted a Donors Forum at The River Club to discuss The Case for LGBTQ Philanthropy. The featured speaker was April Bethea, Director of External Affairs for Funders for LBGTQ Issues, a 43-year-old nonprofit which aims to educate and organize funders and support power-building to create an abundance of resources for the justice and liberation of all queer communities. Ms. Bethea grew up in Palm Coast, so issues in this region are near and dear to her heart.

Following Ms. Bethea’s remarks, a panel discussion was held with Ms. Bethea, Tina Wirth, the founder of Jacksonville Leaders and Allies, and Stratton Pollitzer, the co-founder and deputy director of Equality Florida. The discussion was moderated by Janet Allen, the Foundation program director who oversees LGBTQ grantmaking, and was followed by a question-and-answer session.

Overview of Ms. Bethea’s remarks:

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is a network of more than 100 foundations, corporations, and funding institutions that award $200 million specifically for LGBTQ issues annually (out of more than $1 billion total funding).
The backbone of the organization is research, and every year, it produces a resource tracking report on every grant given to LGTBQ organizations in the country by U.S. based donors.
The tracking report is used by foundations, individual donors, and academics to charts the needs and opportunities for funding LGBTQ needs and issues.
Funders for LGBTQ has three main program areas:
- Philanthropic Organizing – Works to move out money responsibly and quickly
- Out in the South – Initiative that aims to acknowledge that the Southeast region has the largest population of LGBTQ individuals but is historically the most underfunded; has given out more than $4.3 million in funds over the last seven years
- Grantmakers United for Trans Communities – Initiative with a fellowship and pledge that organizations can sign to inspire a culture that is inclusive and supportive of trans people through grantmaking and decision-making
In 2023, there were more anti-LGBTQ bills in Florida than in 2018-2022 combined, and there have been 67 introduced so far this year, with many targeting the trans community. Florida has passed some of the most extreme bills in the country, and these measures are spreading across other states.
Anti-LGBTQ measures and bills do not prevent anyone from being queer or trans – they simply encourage targeted individuals to leave states or places where they feel threatened or unwelcome. This can have impacts not only on the lived experiences of LGBTQ people, but also on the workforce and the overall economy.
LGBTQ issues sit at the corner of every funding area. No matter what issue is funded, it touches the lives of LGBTQ communities, and there is a need to think more intentionally about that.
The majority of LGBTQ individuals live in rural communities in the South (despite popular assumption that most are in progressive urban environments), and they are more likely to live under the poverty line.
Approximately, 7 percent of individuals in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ, with 1.6 percent identifying as trans. However, many people do not feel comfortable sharing their identity, so these figures are radically under-representative of the actual number of LGBTQ individuals.
As of 2022, there were 903 funders for LGBTQ issues in Florida, for a total of $258.1 million, a 3 percent increase over 2021. However, viewed another way, only 25 cents of every $100 in overall funding across the state went to LGBTQ issues.
The top 20 funders make up more than 67 percent of overall LGBTQ funding, so if even one left the field, it would have a catastrophic effect on overall funding levels.
In Duval County, $7 million was awarded in 2022, and this county is the second most underfunded county in the state – with Tampa being the most underfunded. The top funder was The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida.
The importance of intermediary funders, such as the Foundation, is that they can move money strategically and responsibly and can provide capacity building support (which is vital for organizations to be able to invest in their future growth). The importance of individual donors and private funding is it can help make up the shortfall that now exists as institutional/government support for LGBTQ communities continues to decrease.

Overview from the Panel Discussion:

More than 20 percent of high schoolers is Duval County identifies as LGBTQ; this generation is less afraid to self-identify than generations before. Despite the anti-LGBTQ measures of the past few years, school districts across the state – including Duval – have been putting LGBTQ policies back into place.
Some of the anti-LGBTQ bills are designed to cut off life-saving resources and access to medically necessary care. Many trans adults have been receiving these for decades, and if these bills pass, they suddenly find themselves with no provider, pharmacy, or prescription access.
While Florida is on the front lines of these bills, it also can makes our state a factory for solutions. And the role of individual donors in this space becomes amplified because this is one of the fastest ways to get funds to LGBTQ needs.
Much of this legislation is intentionally vague with extreme punishments for non-compliance. This has the effect of causing people to overact and to be fearful. We have to be careful not to give in to this fear so we don’t amplify the results of the legislation.
Philanthropy is powerful and uniquely positioned to do two things:
- Provide financial support to overcome this moment in time
- Through naming and recognizing donors, this gives a boost of credibility and pride to the LGBTQ segment of the community
- In 2023, there were more anti-LGBTQ bills in Florida than in 2018-2022 combined, and there have been 67 introduced so far this year, with many targeting the trans community. Florida has passed some of the most extreme bills in the country, and these measures are spreading across other states
Movement at a grassroots level is unprecedented right now; more than 150,000 people have recently joined Equality Florida, and Jacksonville Leaders and Allies is up to 37 organizations (from 15 in 2022). Yet, while there is movement and an increase in new organizations, funding levels have not increased correspondingly.
There is a disturbing lack of data on a state and federal level (Florida is declining to participate in a CDC study that has historically provided valuable data on LGBTQ youth) that makes it important for existing grantmaking and funding to add questions and require data about LGBTQ issues on applications and forms.
A large proportion of the unhoused community identify as LGBTQ, but funding in this area is biased toward families. The population ages 14-21 often falls through the cracks and needs resources.
In Northeast Florida, JASMYN is focused on issues related to LGBTQ youth – which includes unhoused individuals – and the Youth Crisis Center has a special floor dedicated to LGBTQ youth.
In order to have true systems change, the right questions need to be asked and everyone needs to weigh in on how they are prepared to serve.

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