Gill Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Gill Foundation primarily supports LGBTQ causes but also funds STEM education, democracy and various local efforts in Colorado.
IP TAKE: The Gill Foundation is a leading powerhouse in LGBTQ advocacy and grantmaking and a GUTC signatory. This funder plans to spend down its assets, although its timeline for this is unclear. Grants for STEM, economic opportunity and journalism tend to stay in Colorado and support organizations of every size, while its LGBTQ funding is national in scope and supports large organizations involved in advocacy and policy development. According to a recent announcement, Gill will make over $4 million in grants for democracy and voting rights in advance of the 2024 elections.
While the Gill Foundation is transparent about its grantmaking goals and methods, it does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding making it less accessible than other funders in this space. It’s an approachable funder, however, so feel free to reach out with questions.
PROFILE: Established in Denver, Colorado in 1994, the Gill Foundation is a leading LGBTQ funder in the U.S. Its founder, Tim Gill, is a software entrepreneur, philanthropist and openly gay man who advocates for equality, social justice, education and local causes in the Denver metro area. He was inspired to launch the foundation after the Colorado Supreme Court blocked Amendment 2, which addressed the LGBTQ population’s right to participate equally in the political process. The Gill Foundation supports “state and national efforts to ensure every American has the freedom to live their lives and contribute to their communities free from discrimination.”
The Gill Foundation’s priorities are Equal Treatment, Youth and Families and A Prosperous Colorado. The Gill Foundation is also the organizing force behind OutGiving, a network of LGBTQ funders that hosts a biennial conference for LGBTQ and aligned organizations “in a private setting to connect, learn, and exchange ideas on ways to advance equality through strategic and intentional philanthropy.” It is worth mentioning that related political donations stem from the Gill Action Fund, “a focused, bipartisan state-based strategy that concentrates resources in a limited number of states that have the ability to pass or protect legislation, dramatically affecting the lives of LGBT people throughout the nation.”
This funder’s work is national in scope, but some of its grantmaking focuses on initiatives and programs in the foundation’s home state of Colorado.
Grants for LGBTQ Causes
The Gill Foundation conducts all of its funding through an LGBTQ lens. In addition to grantmaking for equal rights, youth and families on a national scale, this funder makes grants to support inclusive STEM education, economic and community development, and public broadcasting in Colorado.
Grants for Human Rights, Housing, Work and Opportunity
Gill’s Equal Treatment grantmaking focuses on the 28 states where “LGBTQ people can be denied housing and refused services based solely on sexual orientation or gender identity.” A significant portion of this work consists of advocacy and policy development at both the national and state levels.
Grantees working nationally include the Freedom for All American’s Education Fund and the GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders. Grantees working in individual states include the Equality Ohio Education Fund, the Equality Florida Institute and the Equality Foundation of Georgia.
Grants for Public Health, Mental Health and Youth
Gill’s Youth and Families giving area focuses on support for the national prohibition of conversion therapy, a harmful and “widely discredited practice that attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” Grantmaking has also supported LGBTQ mental health, youth development and health initiatives generally.
Grantees of this giving area include the Gendercool Project, PFLAG National, True Colors United and Grantmakers in Health.
Grants for Education, Work and Opportunity and Journalism
Working from a lens of LGBTQ equity and inclusion, the Gill Foundation’s Prosperous Colorado grantmaking supports efforts aimed at maintaining Colorado’s status as “one of the most LGBTQ-friendly states in the nation.” In addition to the LGBTQ advocacy for which this funder is well known, grants also support:
STEM education “for the next generation of Colorado leaders and advancing Colorado’s leadership in the field”;
Financial services, including “fair lending practices, financial literacy, and access to safe capital”; and
Public broadcasting, especially in “rural and mountain communities outside the coverage area of major news stations.”
Colorado grantees include the Jeffco Schools Foundation, the One Colorado Education Fund, Colorado Succeeds, the Colorado Times Recorder and the Colorado Public Interest Research Foundation, among others.
Grants for Democracy
In advance of the 2024 election cycle, the Gill Foundation announced a $4.3 million commitment to organizations supporting democracy, voting rights and related journalism interests. It is unclear how much of this giving will stem from the Gill Foundation itself and what portion of giving will be coordinated by Outgiving or the Gill Action Fund. Early support has gone to organizations including American Independent Radio, the Voter Participation Center and Galvanize U.S.A.
Important Grant Details:
The Gill Foundation’s grants and donations range from $25 to $700,000.
The Gill Foundation’s larger grants tend to support national organizations working in the areas of LGBTQ rights and wellness.
Some grantmaking for education, work and opportunity and journalism is limited to the state of Colorado.
This funder accepts applications by invitation only.
For information about past grants, see the foundation’s priorities pages or its past tax filings.
Submit general inquiries via email at info@gillfoundation.org or telephone at 888-530-4455.
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