OVERVIEW: The Pride Foundation is the only LGBTQ+ community foundation in the Northwest region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. It is an expansive organization deeply dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ communities across various grants and initiatives, both organization-wide and at the individual state level.
IP TAKE: The Pride Foundation is an important LGBTQ funder and GUTC signatory to know if your organization conducts work at the grassroots level in it’s areas of operation. While this is a primarily Northwest LGBTQ funder, it makes LGBTQ grants across the U.S. to organizations that are laser-focused on LGBTQ rights and safety, so don’t hesitate to reach out to this funder even if you’re not headquartered somewhere in the Northwest, as long as your work tightly aligns with their mission. Grant applications must speak to how a project or program’s work is grounded in the Foundation’s dedication to conducting grantmaking through a racial justice and intersectional lens.
This funder accepts grant and scholarship applications; however, please note that Pride recently took a proactive grantmaking approach in 2021 towards it’s Community Grants until further notice as an intentional shift to:
“center racial justice in our work, improve the experience of grantee partners, and align our grantmaking with our organizational priorities to move resources to LGBTQ+ communities most impacted by injustice.”
Transparent and approachable, don’t hesitate to reach out to this major funder.
PROFILE: Headquartered in Seattle, the Pride Foundation was founded in 1985, in the midst of the HIV & AIDS crisis, by a “small but courageous group of people who came together to create a source of light and hope during a period of profound darkness.” A signatory of the GUTC Pledge, the Pride Foundation works to fuel “transformational movements to advance equity and justice for LGBTQ+ people in all communities across the Northwest.” It has invested more than $70 million so far in the LGBTQ rights and movement building. In 2016, the Pride Foundation merged with Oregon’s Equity Foundation, assuming grantmaking for its Equity Legacy and Oregon Opportunity Funds.
Grants for LGBTQ+
The Pride Foundation primarily makes LGBTQ+ grants in the Northwest in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Each state has it’s own dedicated Pride Foundation staff, so reach out to them directly if you’re interested in state-specific LGBTQ+ grants. Each state has it’s own initiatives and programs that intersect with it’s sister community foundation’s mission. However, taxes show LGBTQ+ giving habits across the U.S., so read more below in each section to learn more.
Grounded in “social justice philanthropy,” the Pride Foundation is dedicated to address:
root causes of discrimination impacting the LGBTQ+ community
eliminating long-standing barriers to equal access, opportunities, and resources for LGBTQ+ people
expanding and deepening the level of engagement among all LGBTQ+ people and allies, including people who are economically, racially, socially, geographically, or politically disenfranchised
While the Pride Foundation conducts grants for LGBTQ across all of it’s funding, frequently focused on Black-led and immigrant/refugee led work, it’s main programs and initiatives include: Community Grants, Community Care Fund, OIFRC, C.A.R.E. and Scholarships.
Grants for Violence Prevention, Housing, Civic Engagement and Human Rights
The Pride Foundation’s grants and initiatives for human rights often overlap with housing grants, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Grants for LGBTQ Rights may also focus on anti-discrimination, domestic violence shelter, violence prevention, legal representation, research and advocacy, and LGBTQ+ movement and capacity building, among other issues. Community organizing is a major area of interest for the Pride Foundation.
The Pride Foundation has several state-based initiatives and programs dedicated to supporting LGBTQ-safe housing and emergency shelter, especially those focused on trans youth.
Grantseekers may find opportunities for Human Rights and Housing Grants through: Crisis Community Care Fund, Community Grants (does not accept applications), the Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative (OIRFC - Oregon only), Community Advocacy, Research, and Education Initiative (C.A.R.E.), and extensive Advocacy work, as well as on a state-by-state basis.
Some of the states in which the Pride Foundation offers grantmaking have dramatically rolled back protections for the LGBTQ community, which is part of why giving at the state level is uniquely tailored to each state.
Grantees include the Montana Human Rights Network, Montana Two Spirit Society, API CHAYA to prevent abuse, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York City, Glacier Queer Alliance, Yakima Pride for civic participation, Utopia Pdx, Safe Harbor, Aspen-Abuse Support & Prevention Education Network, and Pride Northwest.
Housing grantees include Choosing Our Roots, Friendly House, and The Living Room, among others.
Grants for Youth, Education and Media
Many of the Pride Foundation’s grants for education and media focus on helping organizations to responsibly educate the public on LGBTQ+ issues. These grants often overlap with improving democratic norms and the personal safety of the LGBTQ+ community. Grants for these areas may be located across all of Pride’s grants and initiatives. As well, Pride offers state-side support housing grants for LGBTQ+ homeless youth in Alaska and LGBTQ+ homeless youth in Montana. In contrast, Pride’s TRANSform initiative in Washington focuses on public education campaign celebrating the humanity of transgender and gender diverse people.
Grants to support LGBTQ+ youth and LGBTQ+ public education campaigns (not focused on traditional K-12 education) have supported Odyssey Youth Movement, Gender Justice League (gay City Health Project), TRANSPONDER for equal opportunity in education, Wild Alliance, Interfaith Working Group in Philadelphia, Food Empowerment Education and Sustainability Team,
In addition to it’s more general support for LGBTQ+ youth and educating others on the LGBTQ+ community, the Pride Foundation also offers a wide range of scholarships to LGBTQ+ students in the Northwest. Since awarding their first scholarship in 1993, the Pride Foundation has awarded more than $7 million to 2,200+ students in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Learn more about how to get a Pride Foundation Scholarship:
Grants for Health
This funder’s grants for health always center on LGBTQ+; however, within this area of funding, the Pride Foundation appears to fund programs and projects that increase the LGBTQ+ community’s access to health care, especially basic and mental healthcare, as well as support for HIV/AIDS.
The foundation offers grants for health through a variety of programs and Funds, which include:
Crisis Community Care Fund, which serves LGBTQ elders, people with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS, among other conditions.
Health grantees include Spectrum for health care access, Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association, North Idaho Aids Coalition (NIAC), Blue Mountain Heart to Heart for substance abuse prevention, HIV Alliance, PATH for health care management, Cascade AIDS Project, Spokane Aids Network, Entre Hermanos for preventative care, and Pizza Klatch for mental health care, among many others.
Grants for Racial Justice, Immigrants and Refugees
While the Pride Foundation provides funding for LGBTQ immigrants, LGBTQ refugees, and LGBTQ people of color across all of it’s grantmaking, including Community Grants and Crisis Community Care Fund, Pride offers an Oregon-specific project named the Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative, which reflects a partnership between The Collins Foundation, MRG Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and the Oregon Community Foundation.
Only open to organizations based in Oregon, OIRFC grants occur on a rolling basis. OIRFC members may “choose to fund an application using various methods: a pooled fund, a combination of pooled and aligned funds, or aligned funds only. An applicant may receive one grant check if funding is provided through a pooled fund, or separate checks and letters of award if multiple funders are supporting the project.”
Note that organizations interested in OIRFC grants can also apply for one through Pride Foundation’s Community Grants Program and Rapid Response Fund listed above.
OIRFC members will consider requests for projects that provide:
Legal information/advice, services and representation for immigrants and refugees
Outreach and education about policies, programs, services, and preparedness
Information gathering, research and analysis on immigration and refugee issues
Basic human needs for immigrants and refugees
Community organizing, civic engagement and advocacy
The OIRFC derives funding and support from multiple partners, including: Grantmakers Concerned for Immigrants and Refugees, The New York Community Trust, The Ford Family Foundation and OCF Donor Advised Funds.
Grantees in this area include Indian People's Action, Immigration Counseling Service, and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, among others.
Grants for Arts and Culture
While a smaller area of giving, Pride offers several grants for the arts and LGBTQ cultural representation, but all efforts here must be rooted in increasing representation for the LGBTQ community, but also for LGBTQ people of color, LGBTQ immigrants and refugees, LGBTQ Pacific Islanders and Asians, as well as LGBTQ elders and those with disabilities.
Arts and culture grantees include United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance (Utopia), Ori Art Gallery, Lower Columbia Q Center, and Biiluuke Strong for cultural awareness, among others.
Other grant opportunities:
While not a distinctly environmental funder, the Pride Foundation has given some small grants for the environmental justice, climate justice and resource rights. Environmental and climate justice grantees include Native Movement and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, among others.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $500 to $500,000, though most grants average $500 to $5,000. While grants are typically modest, with some exceptions, they often provide general, capacity building, project/program, and joint project support. Annual grant applications are typically due at the end of June, and organizations are notified of denial or approval by November.
Even if your work does not take place predominately in the Northwest, your organization may be eligible for a grant on a case-by-case basis provided that your organization has a satellite office somewhere in the Northwest. No matter your headquarters, your work must focus on the LGBTQ+ community to qualify for a grant.
Note that each state in which the Foundation conducts grantmaking has it’s own offices, programs, initiatives and deadlines, so plan accordingly.
Also, if your work’s scope stretches beyond the Northwest region, your organization may still be eligible for a grant if your organization has a satellite office somewhere in the Northwestern states outlined above. Grantseekers can explore Pride’s grantee database.
For questions about grants or scholarships, contact Craig Williams (he/him), Program Operations Manager: craig@pridefoundation.org.
You may reach the Pride Foundation at it’s headquarters at 1.800.735.7287 from anywhere or 206.323.3318 if you’re in the Seattle area.
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