What a difference five years can make. When the Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation was incorporated in 2019, our stated goal was to “help LGBTQ+ people fulfill their true potential” by providing funding and other resources for nonprofit organizations focused on advocacy, programming, and services for our chosen family, with a special emphasis on grassroots community organizations that center our most marginalized members.
This year we officially approved our 150th grant. In total, including sponsorships for Pride and fundraising galas, we have awarded or committed over $6 million in charitable contributions to almost 150 organizations. In addition to repeat grantees like the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project and In Our Own Voices, we are pleased to welcome new partners, such as the Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY), interACT, LGBTQ Elders of Color, Our Trans Life, and Pride in Aging RI to the Leonard Litz family.
Each of these organizations does literal life-saving work, often with bare-bones teams of dedicated volunteers and underpaid staff. The rate of burnout has long been a fundamental risk at nonprofit organizations, and it’s only getting worse. Yet these organizations persist. Their leaders and volunteers persist. Because they know that as much effort as they put in to helping LGBTQ+ folks live freely, safely, and equitably, there is yet always more to be done. And, as it was in 2019, our promise remains to stand shoulder to shoulder with them, helping in any way we can.
(Click here for a regularly updated list of our grantees.)