2014 Tracking Report: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Grantmaking by U.S. Foundations

Publication date:

February, 2016

Source(s):

Funders for LGBTQ Issues

Funders for LGBTQ Issues released its new publication, "2014 Tracking Report: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Grantmaking by U.S. Foundations."

This report provides a detailed summary of the scope and character of foundation funding for LGBTQ issues in calendar year 2014. This 13th annual edition of the tracking report captures data on 4,552 grants awarded by 313 foundations, making it the most comprehensive assessment of LGBTQ funding available.

In 2014, foundation funding totaled $153.2 million, a record high for LGBTQ grantmaking. (So as to avoid double-counting, this total excludes approximately $16.2 million awarded to intermediaries for the purposes of re-granting.)

The 19-percent increase is promising news, but any enthusiasm about the growth of LGBTQ funding must also be tempered by an awareness of several other realities. Funding for LGBTQ issues continues to be only a tiny fraction of a percent of all foundation funding. This year, for the first time, we reviewed the grantmaking of 100 of the largest foundations and found that 62 of them had not awarded even a single grant focused on LGBTQ issues. This confirms the need for raising awareness in the wider philanthropic community around the many urgent and unique challenges facing LGBTQ communities.

As always, we have continued to adapt the format and taxonomy of the tracking report to reflect the evolving field of LGBTQ philanthropy. Several new features are of note:

Throughout the report, we have added several “Behind the Numbers” sidebars, to provide a more detailed analysis of key trends, such as the growth of LGBTQ-focused HIV/AIDS funding and the potential shift in funding after the achievement of marriage equality in the U.S.
To reflect the evolving scope of issues being funded, new issue categories now track funding for nondiscrimination protections, religious exemptions, reproductive rights and justice, and food security.
Likewise, to better capture the multiple identities of LGBTQ people, new population categories now track funding focused on various communities of faith.

As a caveat, remember that this report only includes funding from foundations and corporations — not from individual donors or government agencies — and as such only captures a portion of all giving to LGBTQ issues.