FY2019 Grantees

Twenty-Eight Grants Totaling $165,000

HIV/AIDS Services - $45,600 (28%)

AIDS Leadership Foothills-area Alliance (ALFA), Hickory, NC; Grant - $5,000

The project will allow ALFA to increase our organization capacity to provide more food resources and expand our delivery of direct services to our most needy clients and their families. ALFA is requesting funding to upgrade our food pantry and funding to assist clients with non-medical transportation needs.

AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Provincetown, MA; Grant - $5,000

The Drop-In Center represents a bolder, much more visible approach to HIV/HCV/STI prevention. Previously housed in a second-floor office space on Commercial Street and known as Unit 10, ASGCC's prevention and testing services remained out of view and disconnected from life on the busy street below. Many visitors and even residents did not know about Unit 10, and many felt its isolated location reinforced the stigma surrounding HIV/HCV/STI testing and PrEP.

Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Community Center, Allentown, PA; Grant – $6,000

Support from Gamma Mu Foundation again this year will lead to another year of a robust HIV-testing campaign in our region of Pennsylvania.  Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center seeks financial support from Gamma Mu Foundation to continue to promote HIV testing and education intentionally and strategically to ensure that  LGBT community members in our multi-county region of PA are aware of the availability, importance, and access to regular HIV testing.

Colorado ManREACH, Nederland, CO; Grant – $9,600

Since 2004, Colorado ManREACH (COMR) has been building heart-centered connections and community for gay, bisexual, transgender and queer men. The Regenerate 2.0 Project is built on a growing body of recent research demonstrating that social disconnection results in multiple health issues, including mental illness, substance use, physical illness, and vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. For no group is this truer than for gay men, particularly rural gay men, who must continuously confront social stigma, alienation, and violence related to their orientation. Colorado ManREACH was this year’s recipient of “The Gamma Mu 50th Anniversary Award”.

Food for Thought, Forestville, CA; Grant – $2,500

The AIDS Nutrient Bank (ANB) provides free and low-cost vitamins and supplements to low-income people affected by HIV/AIDS in Sonoma County, California. We currently serve approximately 300 clients, primarily gay men over age 50, the majority of whom live in rural areas of our county. We provide each of these at-risk clients with nutrition counseling and appropriate vitamins and supplements for their individual concerns and conditions. Through these services, which are expensive and not otherwise available in our community, our goal is to help meet the complex nutrition needs of our clients, and to improve their health and well-being.

LGBTQ Grant County, Silver City, NM – Grant $2,000

LGBTQ Grant County will promote the display of “Names Project” Quilts with providing "field trips" to view quilts and involvement in discussions about safe sex.  This requested funding will also provide for banners at local practice fields to provide resources to promote safe sex practices. In addition, LGBTQ Grant County will continue their involvement in local GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) chapters in two local high schools.

South Central Educational Development, Inc., Bluefield, WV; Grant - $7,500

LGBTQ Connects is a Pilot community-building project targeting West Virginia, and Southwestern Virginia’s LGBTQ Communities. This program targeting LGBTQ's living in rural Appalachia with capacity building, while providing HIV Testing. SCED’s director was approached to help create a safe space and bring the LGBTQ community together. This project will utilize social media to organize the LGBTQ community and provide the following; prevention messages, HIV testing, LGBTQ Health information, Perp and Pep information, Suicide prevention hotline, Trans Health information, and other LGBTQ specific information. The messenger app has been utilized to field question pertaining to HIV testing, access to resources, and appointment scheduling. We will also utilize Messenger to begin recruiting LGBTQ leaders living in rural locations.

The Source LGBT+ Center, Visalia, CA; Grant - $8,000

Tulare County does not currently have a community-based organization providing free rapid HIV testing and counselling.  The County offers free testing, but not a rapid test; nor LGBT+ culturally sensitive test counselling.  Our community surveys reveal a strong interest in rapid results without a blood draw with an LGBT+ culturally sensitive counselor.  Our area is struggling with new cases of HIV every year and especially in the outlying areas of the County.  The Source would offer free, confidential, rapid testing monthly.  We would rotate locations each month.  Additionally, The Source has an established HIV peer support group for LGBT+ people living with HIV/AIDS.  Thus, our project will test, educate, and if need be, support people diagnosed with HIV in an area that is 10 years behind in those categories.

Community Services - $104,400 (63%)

All Under One Roof, Pocatello, ID; Grant - $10,100

This proposal recognizes, as the LGBTQ community ages, many challenges face our community’s seniors.  Many senior members of the LGBTQ community are simply being forgotten by both society and the LGBTQ community. Today’s LGBTQ seniors are finding themselves going back into the closet in order to be safe in care facilities. Many who are the survivor of an LGBT relationship are forgotten and live a lonely and solitary existence. This project will attempt to provide social opportunities for the single mature LGBTQ community.  AUOR already has a small group of senior members of the LGBTQ community consisting of  retired business people, artists, senior-level employees, and are ready to share their many career and life talents. We propose to put these invaluable talents to use for all members of the LGBTQ community in Southeastern Idaho while focusing on the unique challenges of seniors. AUOR was this year’s recipient of the “Jones/Kahle Award in honor of Martin Culbreth”.

Campus Pride, Charlotte, NC; Grant - $5,000

Camp Pride is a pre-established summer leadership academy for LGBTQ college students; the only one of its kind, Camp Pride educates, enlightens and empowers youth on college campuses across the United States.  The requested funding will allow Campus Pride to continue to increase long-term social change impact by providing accessibility for LGBTQ and ally student leaders from rural, under-served and two-year/community colleges in the South and Midwest regions to attend Camp Pride to build a diverse movement of youth leaders and provide meaningful engagement opportunities with LGBTQ and ally student leaders.

CenterLink:  The Community of LGBT Centers, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Grant - $6,000

Q Chat Space is a digital LGBTQ center where teens can join live, chat-based, professionally facilitated, online support groups. The program gives youth safe opportunities to connect with each other, in spaces moderated by trusted adults, within a structure that encourages compassionate interactions and discourages bullying and harassment. By providing access to online support groups, Q Chat Space addresses the social and emotional needs of teens who lack access to services at in-person LGBTQ centers due to distance, age, disability, social anxieties, or other barriers. Rural youth have less access to LGBT-supportive resources, and research indicates that youth in rural areas are more likely than youth in suburban and urban areas to say they are more out online than offline.

Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Corpus Christi, TX; Grant - $6,000

An LGBT Senior Program operated by the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation (CBWF) will offer outreach and weekly activities for LGBT persons aged 55 and up from throughout the Coastal Bend of South Texas, an area spanning 12 counties.  Such activities will offer the following in an LGBT culturally competent and inclusive way:  social connection to peers to reduce isolation and build community; linkage to primary healthcare, LGBT-specific healthcare, and HIV-specific healthcare, mental healthcare and related services; education on healthful aging; linkage to aging-related programs and services; linkage to other needed programs and services as those needs arise.

Covenant House, Charleston, WV; Grant - $6,000

The purpose of the Healthy Homes project is to assist high needs persons living with HIV/AIDS as they move from homelessness or risk of homelessness into stable, permanent housing. We will ease this often-challenging transition by providing basic furniture and household items for unfurnished apartments. Building on relationships developed during this move-in phase, Covenant House staff will provide supportive services to help participants connect and remain compliant with needed medical and social services.

Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center, Durango, CO; Grant - $8,000

LGBTQ youth are at severe risk for suicide, school dropout, the juvenile justice system, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness and physical and emotional abuse. LGBTQ youth are taking their lives at alarming rates and their community is asking for help. When they tell their stories of oppression, violence, and discrimination, we respond. Our response comes in the form of trainings or one-on-one support and feedback to an individual. In La Plata county alone, we have seen the suicide rate skyrocket and we have the highest in the State of Colorado. Support from the Gamma Mu Foundation will enable us to respond to this direct call to action from our youth.

FREE2LUV, Seattle, WA; Grant - $3,500

The effects of low self-esteem in teens – depression, hostility/acting out, self-harm, feelings of isolation, and poor social skills – are devastating. LGBT youth are particularly vulnerable. In response to this issue, Free2Luv has created innovative and interactive art programming designed to serve LGBT youth in rural communities.  Through art and inclusive, open conversations around sensitive topics, we change hearts and minds as we take youth on a journey of self-discovery where they explore their identity and find the commonality in our humanity in our Free2BeME empowerment workshops. Free2BeMe project allows for freedom of expression and opens the door to introspection that helps youth to turn toward, rather than away from their authentic unique selves. Confidence is increased while building artistic and expressive skills.

LGBT Center of Raleigh, Raleigh, NC; Grant - $3,500

The LGBT Center of Raleigh is requesting funding for the support of three of our Youth and Family Services programs, Queer NC, Youth Drop In, and S.E.A.R.C.H. (Safe Environment for the Acceptance of Rainbow Children).  Queer NC provides a virtual safe, supported, and moderated space for LGBTQ youth across the state of North Carolina. This is especially important for youth who live in rural parts of the state and are unable to join us in a physical space. We educate teens on current LGBTQ community issues and empower youth to create change in their own communities. We also hold monthly meetups in the Triangle area and are working to expand statewide.  Youth Drop In offers a facilitated weekly opportunity for LGBTQ identifying junior high and high school age students to engage with peers in an affirming space.

Lucie’s Place, Little Rock, AR; Grant - $7,800

The Lucie’s Place Assistance Network (LPAN) is the only program of its kind in Arkansas helping this disproportionate sub-population of underserved of LGBT young adults (ages 18 - 25).  Young adults are victimized when they lose their home, during their homelessness, and while seeking help from traditional, religious-based shelters.  Lucie’s Place embodies the Gamma Mu Foundation’s mission of making a positive difference in the LGBT community.

Make Beautiful Tribe, Penobscot, ME; Grant - $1,500

This project is to help support two three-day weekend retreats for gay, bisexual and trans men in Maine. The tribe has been providing these retreats for 28 years.

North County LGBTQ Resource Center, Oceanside, CA; Grant – $4,000

Too many youth face pervasive harassment and violence at school and with their families because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. This is a reality in the rural area of North San Diego County and is particularly relevant to the experiences of transgender youth. Many LGBTQ youth ultimately experience homelessness as a result of the isolation, stigma, discrimination, shame, and family rejection that they have experienced. North San Diego County do not have any organized institutions that openly encourage LGBTQ youth to educate, organize and thrive. Unfortunately, the North County LGBTQ Resource Center and its youth activities are the only groups in the region that nurture a deeper understanding of the complexities of anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment.

One Iowa, Des Moines, IA; Grant - $4,000

One Iowa recently hired a program coordinator whose job duties include implementing and expanding our organization’s healthcare programming. Part of this expansion will include building a patient navigation program for LGBTQ Iowans. Through the patient navigation program, LGBTQ Iowans will receive direct, one-on-one guidance to navigate the healthcare system, promoting access to essential cancer screenings and care. This project’s overarching goal is to enable more LGBTQ Iowans to access essential healthcare safely and consistently, including cancer prevention and treatment.

Outright Vermont, Burlington, VT; Grant - $7,000

The Vermont GSA Network is the statewide web of Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) that are school-based, extracurricular support systems where LGBT youth and their allies can find community and positive adult role models.  We remain committed to improving school climate through education, peer support, access to healthy role models, and youth leadership. Research shows that GSAs make schools safer and play a role in mitigating the negative effects of bullying and harassment. GSAs increase connection and belonging, which directly impacts educational aspirations and access. As we hear from youth, the need for these services is great. While some youth have access to GSAs in their schools, many do not. The stigma attached to GSAs is still a barrier for many individuals and schools. As one rural youth stated, “it would be scary to start or attend a GSA where we live in our community.”

TransAction South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD; Grant - $4,500

In a society that stigmatizes and denigrates transgender people, finding supportive others can be life-saving. That said, finding those connections and supports can be difficult. Finding support is further complicated in South Dakota given the rural nature of the state. TransAction South Dakota (TASD) is developing a network of transgender support groups across the state. We host a peer-facilitated support group in Sioux Falls, but there are many people who are not able to attend given the size of the state. For this local support group, we developed and implemented a facilitator training program. TASD will actively recruit to establish support group leaders in 5 additional areas of the state. The new support group leaders will be responsible for sharing information and publicizing their new support groups and TASD will assist with this given our state-wide presence.

WAVES AHEAD, Corp., St. Just, PR; Grant - $10,000

These funds will help us in the main objective of supporting in the development of stronger segments of LGBT Aging communities (55+) located in the remote areas and communities most affected by the hurricanes; these include: Humacao’s Candelero Arriba (and Abajo), Carolina, San Juan's Caimito and Santurce, Toa Baja and other surrounding communities. We will be working with the LGBT families, households led by mothers, seniors and LGBT seniors who live by themselves (or bed-bound), and with LGBT individuals living in remote areas.  Ninety percent of our LGBT population live in remote areas and all are LGBT individuals.  We will be able to provide short-term home-based mental health counseling to work through their PTSD as well as assist them with case management in order for them to feel stabilize and transform their quality of living.

Wyoming Equality, Cheyenne WY; Grant - $6,000

Wyoming Equality has started the Wyoming GSA Network, which seeks to educate, empower, and organize young LGBTQ students across the state of Wyoming. We provide financial and technical support to existing GSAs, help to create new GSAs, and work to connect all Wyoming GSAs with events that foster leadership skills. We have helped to bring students to the annual Shepard Symposium on Social Justice in Laramie, have facilitated a GSA Lobby Day at the State Capitol in Cheyenne, and this school year will organize and host a unique, multi-day, statewide conference for all Wyoming high school GSA students.   Gamma Mu Foundation funds will help us to continue to provide on-site visits and financial support to students who face hostility from their classmates, administration, and elected officials, but who find resources to foster resiliency and self-esteem in their GSA clubs and in their connections made with GSAs across the state.

Youth Outlook, Naperville, IL; Grant - $4,500

Youth Outlook seeks support for direct services to LGBTQ youth in Whiteside and LaSalle counties of Illinois. Our drop-in centers serve youth ages 12-20 and include wellness programming, HIV and STI education and prevention, and leadership development.

Youth Outright, WNC, Asheville, NC; Grant - $7,000

Youth OUTright WNC, Inc. (YO) continues to be the only organization in the 18 western-most counties of North Carolina focused solely on education, advocacy, support, and empowerment of LGBTQIA+ and allied youth ages 11-20. YO continues to be mission-driven in striving to provide opportunities for LGBTQIA+ youth to be resilient and confident members of our community. We currently provide safe space programming multiple days per week at our new, permanent location in Asheville (Buncombe County), educational resource materials, comprehensive LGBTQIA+ curriculum including "Herstory" lessons, consent focused activities, HIV prevention and safer sex education, hot meals and regular healthy snacks, referrals to outside supportive and therapeutic agencies, a free closet for community members to have access to clothing that aligns with their gender identity, and other resources as needed. As an agency of community education and advocacy we provide information, support and resources to schools, community members and leaders, faith organizations, and families.  YO has steadily increased its numbers of youth they support through GSA engagement and outreach efforts over the last three years .

Research and Public Education - $15,000 (9%)

EqualityMaine Foundation, Portland, ME; Grant - $5,000

Gamma Mu Foundation support will help fund two Safe Schools Conferences in 2018/19 - one in the fall on the campus of the University of Maine-Orono and one in the spring at another location still to be determined. Our past experience with University of Maine-Orono was so positive that we are hoping to expand our Safe Schools Conference to be a multi-day event that includes both 101 and 201 level workshops, with the goal of making it an annual event that continues to grow and attract attendees from all over Maine, particularly from Northern and Central Maine. As for the second conference, we hope to host it in another rural/underserved area, such as Western Maine or Downeast Maine.  Between the two Safe Schools conferences, we expect to have more than 200 attendees from across Maine.

Safe Schools South Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Grant - $10,000

Safe Schools South Florida (SSSF) respectfully requests $10,000 to support the expansion of its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth Speaker Training Program (YSTP) to small and/or rural school districts in Florida utilizing a Training of Teachers (ToT) approach.  In our Youth Speaker Training Program, trained facilitators work with small groups of LGBTQ students to build individual communication and advocacy skills and achieve enhanced self-perception and self-esteem. Facilitators do this by helping students explore, process, craft, and share their K-12 personal journey in a well-organized and compelling manor. These stories encompass family and cultural background, the process of individual self-discovery and identification (coming out), positive and negative experiences within the K-12 educational system and hopes for the future.  Each Youth Speaker appearance includes individual/group pre-event preparation and post-event check-in and debriefing to eliminate/minimize re-traumatization and to share feedback on their performance.  SSSF was this year’s recipient of the “The Richard Karpowich Award for Research & Public Education”.