Aqua Foundation for Women
/OVERVIEW: The Aqua Foundation for Women awards grants to LGBTQ organizations in South Florida.
IP TAKE: This accessible and approachable funder typically awards grants to support general operating costs related to LGBTQ programs. It may take a while to hear back given the large volume of LOIs the Fund receives, but this is a great ally to have in it’s giving spaces.
Note that this foundation geographically focuses on South Florida, so if you’re seeking national funding in this space, this is not an appropriate fit. Particularly focused on Miami, funds tend to concentrate around there.
PROFILE: Alicia Apfel—who joined forces with Alison Burgos, creator of the Aqua Girl Charity Festival—initially conceived the Aqua Foundation for Women. In 2004, Robin Schwartz, Cindy Brown, Elizabeth Schwartz, Vivian La Madrid, and Martha Sternberg joined Aqua. The foundation aims “[t]o serve and support the lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in South Florida through grants, scholarships, and initiatives.”
Grants for LGBTQ+ and Women
Aqua’s grants program broadly centers on awareness, training, and community outreach projects that benefit the LBTQ population in South Florida. It invests in LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and a variety of other issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community and women. It currently runs two grantmaking programs for scholarships and homeless youth:
The Scholarship program supports “all LGBTQ women, transgender, intersex, and non-binary students who are pursuing a degree – associates, bachelors, masters, and doctorates. The scholarship helps pay for tuition and supports scholars in their leadership development. Each scholar is paired with a mentor.”
The foundation’s LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Initiative reflects a partnership between Our Fund and the GLBTQ Projects Fund at the Miami Foundation to raise the initial $100,000 to start what is now known as Project Safe.
Important Grant Details:
This funder made about $60,000 in grants in a recent year. According to tax filings, grants have ranged from $5 to $50,000, with an average grant size of about $10,000.
Past Aqua Foundation grantees include the Alliance for LGBTQ Youth and the Sundari Foundation. Its scholarships program supports South Florida LGBTQ students entering or attending college.
The foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications and requires applicants to first submit a letter of intent for foundation staff to review prior to submitting a full grant application or proposal.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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