The Queer Mobilization Fund has exciting news – and an urgent appeal for your support! To meet the needs of southern LGBTQ+ organizing, we need to raise an additional $100,000 by June 2023.
Since our relaunch in Spring 2020, we have been intentionally growing the program, with each year bringing more funds to disperse, more applications, and more grantees in our cohorts. Last year we received 42 applications, our largest number to date. Please check out our accomplishments in our 2022 Annual Report!
We knew that we would continue to grow, but with all of the anti-trans legislation popping up across the South, we weren’t sure exactly what this cycle would look like.
Beyond our wildest expectations, we received 165 applications (1-6-5) for our 2023 cycle – quadrupling our requests over last year.
As a small grassroots fund, we are thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to connect with so many groups, but we are now in a predicament. While QMF’s funding has increased, our budget has not grown nearly enough to handle this influx. To be responsive to the urgency of this need, we need your help.
Previously, QMF funded an average of 20 groups per cycle. With our current funding, we’re estimating an ability to fund about 30 groups. However, there are so many more groups to whom we would like to provide resources. We believe that with your help, we can fund – and support – an additional 20 groups, for a total of 50 grantees this cycle.
For every $5,000 QMF will be able to fund one additional grantee. Each grant award includes technical assistance for growing and developing organizations, access to a cohort of other grassroots QTBIPOC led organizations across the Southeast, and access to additional resources including roundtables, trainings and strategy sessions. To meet our goal of supporting 50 grantees for our 2023 grant cycle, we need to raise $100,000 by June 5.
We know this is a big ask, but this is a critical moment for our community.
From Tennessee to Florida, to North Carolina and across the region, queer people are under active attack — and this situation needs to be met with a strong grassroots response of organized, well-resourced Trans and Queer BIPOC-led groups across the US Southeast. QMF has a track record of being a strong and stable force to provide our movement the resources that it needs to organize and fight back.
The need is urgent. Are you willing and able to step up and commit additional funds to support the fight for queer and trans liberation in the US South? If so, please click the button below and donate now.
We are grateful for your current support and deeply appreciate the opportunity to collaborate more with you soon,
Queer Mobilization Fund team
Southern Vision Alliance