About
The Queer Mobilization Fund (QMF) was created in 2016 as a rapid response fund to support community mobilizations and projects that advance Queer and Trans liberation in the wake of NC House Bill 2 (HB2). Many queer and trans people of color recognize the legacy of slavery, genocide, and violence that made HB2 possible. In this heightened period of MAGA agenda escalations, our collective work is all the more important.
Our funding efforts are centered in supporting queer and trans people of color organizing to reclaim our futures, guided by a reflective lens that illuminates our histories and inspires change in our realities. The long-term vision and purpose of this fund is to support queer and trans people of color on the frontlines of struggles for freedom + liberation, and to build power for and within queer communities across the US Southeast.
Since our inception, QMF has supported grassroots community organizing and power-building efforts across North Carolina. In our initial years we primarily conducted rapid response funding, with grants ranging between $500 and $750. After conducting a series of listening circles in 2018, QMF’s model shifted to receiving applications each spring for requests up to $5,000 in NC. In 2021, QMF expanded funding beyond North Carolina and into the US Southeast [AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV]. In 2022, QMF began offering $10,000 grants in addition to our existing $5k grants. Along with financial resources, QMF offers capacity building to grantees through participation in a cohort that includes power building support and network gatherings.
Our goal is to strengthen the power and presence of queer and trans BIPOC-led organizations across the US Southeast working for collective liberation.
The Queer Mobilization Fund is open to groups who have 501c3 status, a fiscal sponsor, or groups without any legal designation. We prioritize moving grants to organizations with budgets under $300,000 that are: centered in building power through organizing and base building, LGBTQ, BIPOC-led, grassroots, community-led, new/emergent, and/or rural organizations doing work in the Southeastern US. QMF intentionally supports communities that are often barred from receiving financial support for their efforts. We do not fund: groups outside of the US southeast, for-profit businesses or organizations/projects that are not led by and for LGBTQ+ communities.