The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County is seeking applications for its Growing Together: An LGBTQ Fund.
Donor Name: Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County
State: California
County: San Luis Obispo County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 03/15/2022
Size of the Grant: $5,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County established the Growing Together Fund in 2001, an initiative to address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) community by providing grants, raising community awareness throughout San Luis Obispo County, and through promoting philanthropy.
During the 2022-2025 grantmaking cycle, Growing Together: An LGBTQ+ Fund will prioritize one-year grants to 501c3 organizations in San Luis Obispo County who have or are implementing programs that:
- Demonstrate strategies to reach out to, involve, and center queer and trans people of color (QTPOC)
In San Luis Obispo County, Queer and Trans People of Color (abbreviated QTPOC) face higher levels of discrimination than white queer or trans people. This is often the result of facing multiple levels of minority stress, such as those imposed by multiple systems of oppression: racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and cissexism. This leads to greater issues of access, equity, and inclusion and more concerning statistics related to physical and mental health, such as depression, anxiety, and substance use. The Growing Together Fund recognizes the significance of these intersecting variables within the San Luis Obispo community and aims to support creative initiatives and strategies that reach out to, involve, and move QTPOC from the margins to the center.
- Focus on advancing medical and mental health care for transgender and nonbinary people.
Transgender and nonbinary people face numerous health disparities as well as stigma, discrimination, and lack of access to culturally competent care in comparison to cisgender people. These disparities are large, persistent, and increasing — many of them caused by barriers set up at all levels of society. The Growing Together Fund recognizes the need to advance San Luis Obispo community in supporting and advancing medical and mental health care for transgender and nonbinary people and aims to support efforts that:
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- Identify health disparities within their organizations
- Change and implement new policies, programs, systems, environments, and practices to reduce inequities
- Evaluate and monitor efforts using short and long-term measures for structural change, including reassessment strategies with attention to process and outcomes, and continued action planning.
- Create “queer spaces” in currently unserved areas of the county.
LGBTQ+ people need LGBTQ+ affirming community spaces, which promote increased feelings of safety and community connectedness, but more of these spaces are needed within San Luis Obispo County. Research suggests that community connectedness is a resilience factor associated with perceived social support and beliefs that we live in a just society. Community connectedness also serves as a buffer against the deleterious effects of minority stressors on mental health within LGBTQ+ populations. The Growing Together Fund recognizes the need to advance and develop queer spaces in underserved areas of county and aim to support efforts that:
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- Expand resources for local organizations to create physical spaces to improve community connectedness for LGBTQ+ people
- Provide assistance in the development of new and sustainable support, social, or wellness groups that provide queer space where resources are lacking, or a need has been indicated.
Funding Information
- Growing Together: An LGBTQ+ Fund will award grants up to $5,000.
- Growing Together: An LGBTQ+ Fund will prioritize one-year grants to 501c3 organizations in San Luis Obispo County
Exclusions
The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County does not make grants to/for:
- Individuals
- Organizations that discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, race or religion
- Fraternal Organizations, unless in support of a specific program open to or benefiting the entire community
- Governmental Organizations
- Indirect Administrative costs greater than 15% of the awarded funds (indirect administrative funds are defined as office supplies and do not include staff time)
- Fundraising events such as annual campaigns, walk-a-thons, tournaments, fashion shows, auctions or dinners
- Organizations with religious affiliations unless the program is open to the entire community without regard to religious beliefs
- Organizations and programs designed to elect candidates to public office
- Organizations located outside San Luis Obispo County unless for a specific program benefiting residents of-and conducted within-San Luis Obispo County
- Pay off past debts or existing obligations
- Endowment funds
- Scholarships, fellowships, travel grants, and technical or specialized research
For more information, visit 2022 Growing Together: An LGBTQ Fund.
