News & Stories

The Leonard-Litz Foundation is pleased to announce it has awarded Covid Relief grants to two nonprofit organizations in Vermont: Out in the Open Inc. and Outright Vermont. These recipients’ innovative LGBTQ+ programs and services are focused in rural New England, where the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on an already marginalized community. The organizations were each awarded a grant in the amount of $15,000 to assist their ongoing efforts. The Leonard-Litz Foundation’s mission is to fund partner organizations in the northeast U.S. that improve the lives of the LGBTQ+ population, with an emphasis in intersectional LGBTQ+ advocacy. Out in the Open and Outright Vermont exemplify the types of organizations the Foundation seeks to support, because they are empowering LGBTQ+ people, including subsegments of the LGBTQ+ youth population, in isolated regions and during a period in which it is particularly challenging to come by funding. Out in the Open fosters connections and advocacy for LGBTQ+ people in Brattleboro, Vermont and, in addition, operates throughout the region of New England to amplify visibility and support for rural LGBTQ+ people. Ain Thompson, Director of Development and Outreach at Out in the Open, notes, “Our already isolated community of rural LGBTQ people…

The Leonard-Litz Foundation is pleased to announce its program grantees in Washington, DC: the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists and the Washington Blade Foundation. The recipients promote the interests and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community through their innovative programs and services and were each awarded a grant in the amount of $15,000 to support their ongoing efforts. The primary purpose of the Leonard-Litz Foundation is to fund partner organizations in the northeast U.S. that improve the lives of the LGBTQ+ population, with an emphasis in intersectional LGBTQ+ advocacy. These two nonprofits are empowering LGBTQ+ people during a period in which it is particularly challenging to come by funding. The NLGJA: An Association of LGBTQ Journalists is a nonprofit organization of journalists, media professionals, educators and students from within the news industry that foster fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ issues. One of the NLGJA’s principal efforts is to ensure no student faces a barrier because of their financial standing. As such, the grant will be used to assist their annual program CONNECT: Student Journalism Training Project, which brings together 10 students from across the U.S. to build a newsroom from the ground up and cover the events of its…

The Leonard-Litz Foundation is pleased to announce that it has awarded $25,000 to the Odyssey Teen Camp (OTC) summer program. The Foundation’s grant to OTC is part of its ongoing efforts to support programs that serve LGBTQ+ youth with impactful, life-affirming services. The OTC is a nonprofit overnight camp for teens ages 12-18 who seek an inclusive, non-judgmental environment where they can express their true selves. Sixty percent of OTC campers identify as LGBTQ+, and the camp offers them an opportunity to focus on connecting, away from sexuality/gender-based bullying. The OTC will use the Leonard-Litz grant to support its scholarship program, which is targeted at low-income families and aims to bring more LGBTQ+ teenagers of color to attend the camp and benefit from its positive impact. “We have seen that when LGBTQ+ youth experience unconditional love and support from their peers, they leave emotionally stronger, more resilient, and with more self-confidence,” said Adam Simon, founder of the Odyssey Teen Camp. “This funding from the Leonard-Litz Foundation will enable us to expand the families we are able to serve and make our camp more diverse. We are profoundly grateful for the Foundation’s support.” Since its launch in Fall 2020, the Leonard-Litz…

Fairfield, CT — January 05, 2021 – The Leonard-Litz Foundation is pleased to announce that it has established a $250,000 COVID emergency fund for the LGBTQ+ community. Through the fund, the Foundation will dispense $15,000 grants to nonprofits that are providing support to LGBTQ+ individuals who are struggling with hardships imposed by the pandemic. The LGBTQ+ community has been hit especially hard by COVID, with its members suffering from higher rates of job loss, financial stress, food insecurity, and housing instability than non-LGBTQ people. Existing inequalities, such as lack of access to health care, have been amplified by the pandemic, making LGBTQ+ individuals even more vulnerable to the physical and psychological impacts of the disease. “It is heartbreaking to see COVID affecting the lives and livelihoods of so many, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community,” said Elliot Leonard, co-founder of the Leonard-Litz Foundation. “It is our deepest hope that this fund will provide support and relief to our fellow gay, queer, and trans people who are suffering right now.”   Click here to apply for a Covid assistance grant.