LBTQ Giving Council

OVERVIEW: The LBTQ Giving Council is affiliated with the Chicago Women’s Foundation and supports local LBTQ women- and girl-identified people. The council’s areas of interest include healthcare access and information, freedom from violence and economic security.

IP TAKE: This funder is a good source of grants for organizations with LBTQ interests in the Chicago area, but you must apply through the Chicago Women’s Foundation. Note that this funder only supports those who identify as women and girls. This funder prioritizes making grants to support efforts that address gender-based violence, women and girls’ economic empowerment, and access to safe healthcare. As a primarily grassroots funder, LBTQGC does not fund large, established organizations preferring to support efforts from the ground-up. To set your application apart, you will want to speak to the Council’s sister CWF’s emphasis on anti-racism efforts, which works to support all women and girls in Chicago, especially people of color.

It appears that be become eligible for a grant, you must first become a member of the Council. This is an accessible funder that’s also hands-on and supports its grantees beyond funding through nonprofit infrastructure support.

PROFILE: Established in 2004, the LBTQ Giving Council (LBTQGC) is affiliated with the Chicago Foundation for Women. The council is comprised of women who contribute monetarily to the fund and participate in fundraising, decision making and administration of grants. Grants support causes that benefit lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning woman- and girl- identified people in Chicago.

Grants for LBTQ

The LBTQ Giving council was the first grantmaking entity in Chicago to provide grants exclusively to the lesbian community through its Lavender Fund. Recent areas of interest have included health and human services, which includes women’s reproductive justice, women’s economic empowerment, grassroots advocacy, film and girls’ causes.

Grants for Violence Prevention

Through the CFW, the LBTQ’s grants for gender based violence is dedicated to ensuring women, girls, and gender-expansive folks are free from violence in all its forms, including “family violence, child and elder abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, prostitution, and trafficking.”

Grants for Health

All health grants here focus on women and girl’s reproductive and mental health, as well as access to quality healthcare that is preventative.

Grants for Economic Development

Work and opportunity grants focus on the gender wage gap and making sure that LBTQ women and girls are economically empowered to close that gap.

Important Grant Details:

Grants range between about $3,000 and $4,000, and the council usually awards three or four grants per year. All funding is directed toward Chicago-area organizations.

  • Past grantees include Affinity Community Services, the National LGBTQ Workers Center, Sisters in Cinema and the Youth Empowerment Performance Project.

  • This giving council requests and accepts grant applications from local nonprofits through the Chicago women’s Foundation online grant application system. Direct general questions to Eli Marsh on the staff at emarsh@cfw.org or 312-577-2825.

PEOPLE:

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