Get to Know our LGBTQ+ Grantees

The Supreme Court’s decision in 303 Creative v. Elenis represents a devastating blow to LGBTQ+ rights and follows an already catastrophic year for this community’s civil rights protections. This year alone, over 520 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures. 220 bills specifically targeting transgender and non-binary people, and a record 70 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been enacted. 

We're excited to support these groups in building power by raising independent revenue as they continue to make a profound difference across the LGBTQ community. By investing in sustainable revenue streams, these groups can uphold their autonomy, amplify their voices, and advance their advocacy endeavors without relying solely on conventional funding channels.

Our new cohort includes a set of diverse organizations dedicated to driving progress, promoting inclusivity, and creating lasting social change:

PFLAG is seeking to double its monthly donors by the end of 2024 - a program that will be driven by the advocacy and development teams' use of Curate Solutions, a civic intelligence platform, to identify state/local anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and translate it to its Chapters as part of a lead generation to monthly donor conversion strategy.

Equality Ohio has worked with PM and Chase’s Force for Good program to convert current supporters into monthly sustainers and to design unique offers for them. With the revised tech ready to launch, it will expand on this work to optimize and simplify its online donor experience to increase revenue and grow its donor base. 

National Center for Transgender Equality has experienced a news-driven influx of new donors. Like groups who experienced similar during moments like George Floyd’s murder, the Atlanta spa shooting, and the fall of Roe, this group is now working to get donors from rage-giving to allyship and sustained support by building a manageable small dollar-giving infrastructure for their team of four. 

Equality Utah, a 22-year-old organization, has seen a significant shift in major donor behavior with restrictions for programs and is now looking for a sustained revenue line to support its general operations. To scale its unrestricted revenue, they plan to launch an Emeritus Advisory Board to engage past board leaders and follow up with a planned giving campaign that builds upon their current Legacy of Equality program. 

The LGBTQ Task Force will leverage their refreshed brand and visibility work by doing three distinct fundraising campaigns to bring in new donors for its 50th anniversary.  This project will solve for strategy and tech setup to carry a donor from initial membership into a major/planned giving pipeline.

Horizons Foundation has seen its donor base diminish significantly. With this project, they will work to define a unique small-dollar case for support that demonstrates the value of giving to a community foundation alongside frontline movement groups. Once Horizon Foundation establishes the initial value proposition, they will leverage go-to-market strategies like giving or impact investor circles.

Equality North Carolina drew national attention because of its organizing prowess in response to HB2, a law that solidifies the state’s role in defining discrimination. As a result, they attracted foundation and corporate funding and achieved rapid scale. Following a 2018 leadership change that saw the organization’s first woman of color at its helm, it finished a strategic planning process that evolved its mission, vision, and values. With this project, they will launch a formal individual donor program based on an automated donor journey.

The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund has ramped its development staff and technology infrastructure over the last year. Now, TLDEF will develop a monthly donor program: define its elements, identify engagement strategies, and design a calendar of engagement activities. This project aims to fill a gap in its current donor offerings, dominated by a $75 minimum ticket price for small-dollar donors.

Equality Florida saw a brutal 2023 legislative cycle. Now, they will work to increase its visibility while enhancing its small-dollar membership program, especially among younger Floridians. The organization will audit, redesign, optimize, and relaunch its online store and develop pop-up displays to roll out new merchandise at more than 40 Pride festivals and community events they participate in annually.

Equality Federation has started to develop the organization’s individual giving strategy with Feathr, a nonprofit marketing platform to help run and report on integrated marketing campaigns. Equality Federation has increased web traffic and new sign-ups significantly. It now seeks to expand its ad spend on Feathr to include retargeting and donor capture and evolve its website to support a monthly giving program.

National Center for Lesbian Rights is the first national LGBTQ legal organization founded by women and has traditionally had a strong individual donor program. However, as their donor base has aged, it has not been backfilled with new donor prospects - a problem reported by many of the older LGBTQ groups in the movement. To solve this, they will run a Groundswell Campaign to attract younger and non-queer donors of all ages using digital influencers.

Strategic & Technical Assistance Cohort:

The intersection of fundraising strategy and the technology enabling it is critical for nascent independent revenue generation programs to navigate.  These six partner groups are at an early stage of building or reimagining their individual giving programs and will work with Progressive Multiplier and Queeri Data and Analytics at this intersection. At the end of the six-month technical and strategic assistance program, we hope to be able to offer grants and continued support for these groups’ revenue-generation projects.  

•  Georgia Equality: The state’s largest advocacy organization to advance fairness, safety, and opportunity for LGBTQ people and their allies. 
•  New Pride Agenda:  A New York State organization that advances the economic health, racial, and gender identity justice needs of marginalized LGBTQIA+ individuals.
• LGBTQ Funders: A network of over 75 foundations, corporations, and funding institutions collectively award over $1 billion annually, including approximately $100 million specifically devoted to LGBTQ issues.
• Fairness WV: A statewide civil rights advocacy organization dedicated to fair treatment and civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender West Virginians.
• Faith in Public Life: A national network of nearly 50,000 clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice and the common good.
•  The Williams Institute: Conducts independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, ensuring that facts - not stereotypes - inform laws, policies, and judicial decisions that affect the LGBT community.

If you’re interested in supporting these groups, please contact Bethany Maki at bethany@progressivemultiplier.fund