PFund Foundation

PFund Foundation

OVERVIEW: The PFund awards grants and scholarships to LGBTQ nonprofits, businesses and individuals. Grantmaking is limited to the upper Midwest region.

IP TAKE: PFund’s current grantmaking prioritizes LGBTQIA organizations and businesses in communities of color in the upper Midwest (Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, or the First Nations therein).

This is not a very transparent funder. While it does highlight some select awardees in one or two programs, it does not provide grantees with a clear idea about where the money goes or who has been seeing it. Because PFund’s strategy often isn’t very clear, you will need to use your best judgement and make an educated guess about some of the specifics for each program, specifically about what types of recipients see funding and who doesn’t.

It is worth noting that this funder’s grantmaking programs tend to evolve and change from year to year; grantseekers are advised to check PFund’s website periodically for new opportunities.

PROFILE: In 1987, four friends decided to form the PFund Foundation in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States. The foundation acts as a “vital resource and community builder for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied communities by providing scholarships, developing leaders, and inspiring giving” through an intersectional lens. PFund focuses its LGBTQ grantmaking on the upper Midwestern states of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. It operates several funds that serve the LGBTQ community.

Grants for LGBTQ, Racial Equity and Indigenous Rights, and Disaster Response

PFund’s current grantmaking programs include a handful of funds serving different members of the LGBTQ community. The Equity Fund for Queer Entrepreneurs of Color is conducted in collaboration with Quorum, Minneapolis’s “LGBTQ+ and Allied chamber of commerce,” and supports “queer business owners of color” who have experienced difficulty as a result of the pandemic and the unrest surrounding the murder of George Floyd. Recipient business include Oleb Media, JikaCleans, Tough Cookies Art and Sammy’s Avenue Eatery. Grants typically range between $5,000 and $20,000. The average grant size for this program is $6,000. Applications for this program are currently closed, but grantseekers should check the foundation’s website periodically for updates.

The PRISM Fund (Promoting Rural Interconnections for Sexual Minorities) makes grants supporting rural LGBTQ+ organizations from throughout PFund’s geographic focus. It is offered in partnership with the Northwest Area Foundation. In its first year of operation, grants through this fund ranged from $4,000 to $12,500. Applications for this program are currently closed, but grantseekers should check the foundation’s website periodically for updates.

The Readiness and Resilience Fund offers support to LGBTQ communities “impacted by emergent or ongoing crises or systems of oppression.” It was created to replace the foundation’s now-defunct COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund. The fund’s grantmaking happens in partnership with the Northwest Area Foundation and Saint Paul Foundation. This fund is invite only.

The Bisexual+ Fund works to support bisexual-led and -serving organizations across the upper Midwest. Grants range from $1,500 - $3,000. Recipients must serve communities that identify as bixsexual, omnisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or sexually fluid.

Scholarships through the foundation’s PFund Scholarship Fund are awarded to LGBTQIA students atttending two- and four-year colleges in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wisconsin who demonstrate “commitment to leadership within their communities. Schoarships are typically awarded in amounts between $1,000 and $10,000. Application is typically open between March 1 and June 15 of each year.

Important Grant Details

PFund’s grantmaking and scholarships totaled $380,000 in a recent year; however, this varies depending on the types of funds in operate in any given year. Grant size and geographic priorities varies by program. The foundation provides application guidelines on its individual program pages. Contact the foundation for general inquiries.

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