Philanthrofund Foundation

Programs: Elevated prioritieswe asked an important question: what's next? Although the supreme court ruled in favor of marriage equality in june of 2015, the fight for lgbtq rights and fair treatment is far from over. We recognize that the landscape of the lgbtq movement has shifted. Barriers and mistreatment based on race, class, gender identity and sexual orientation call for our community to respond. Pfund foundation is ready to provide the resources and opportunities to address these disparities. Consequently, we developed three elevated priorities to help focus our attention and work: queer people of color, transgender and gender non-conforming people and lgbtq north dakotans and south dakotans. Why these criteria:1) lgbtq people of color are six times more likely to experience poverty than lgbtq white people. Disparities in education, housing and employment are vast. 2) anti-transgender bias and policies continue to reinforce negative stereotypes and treatment. Consequently, transgender people are 4 times more likely to live in extreme poverty and are the faction of our community experiencing extreme violence because of their gender identity and presentation. 3) north dakota and south dakota have the most discriminatory policies against lgbtq communities in our region. You can be married on sunday, fired on monday and evicted on tuesday simply because of your sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Policies are hostile and anti-lgbtq opposition is hyper vigilant. Investing in bold lgbtq leaderspfund foundation invests in bold leaders so that lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer communities can thrive. We're extremely happy to share that after our grant process, we're living into our elevated priorities with the selection of 31 individual leaders. This year our program grew from 21 to 31 leaders awarding $64,100 for their educational and professional development pursuits. 1) 61% identify has transgender or gender nonconforming2) 52% identify as people of color3) full regional representation including scholars in minnesota, iowa, north dakota, south dakota, and wisconsin4) we intentionally invested in leaders across the lifespan ranging in age from 17 to 61this years cohort is a diverse and inspirational group of lgbtq leaders. These leaders are recognized for their leadership in their communities, from advocating for inclusive school climates and policies to excelling in the performing arts and educating their peers about lgbtq communities.