Gill Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Gill Foundation primarily supports LGBTQ causes, but also funds STEM education and various local efforts in Colorado.

IP TAKE: The Gill Foundation is a leading powerhouse in LGBTQ advocacy and grantmaking, as well as a GUTC signatory, helping to support marriage equality and LGBTQ advocacy. The Gill Foundation plans to spend down its assets over time, as opposed to operating in perpetuity. This funder’s STEM and Journalism grants stay in Colorado, though its LGBTQ funding is available nationally.

While the Gill Foundation is transparent about methods and work it has supported that may or may not work in fulfilling its mission, this funder does not unsolicited proposals or requests for funding making it less accessible than other funders in this space. It’s an approachable funder, so don’t hesitate to reach out and learn more about how Gill chooses who to fund. This funder invests in a range or organizations, from grassroots to large foundations.

PROFILE: Established in 1994, the Gill Foundation is a private foundation based I Denver, Colorado. Tim Gill created this foundation, which is one of the leading LGBTQ funders in the U.S. 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 that addressed the LGBTQ population’s right to participate equally in the political process. The Gill Foundation aims to “secure equal opportunity for every American, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Gill has also been an active political donor through the Gill Action Fund, which he founded in 2005 and which draws like-minded LGBTQ philanthropists together through OutGiving, an organization that Gill founded in 1996.

Grants for LGBTQ

The Gill Foundation conducts all of its funding through an LGBTQ lens. This foundation prioritizes the equal treatment of LGBTQ people, support for LGBTQ youth and families, and promoting a prosperous Colorado. Local giving has traditionally focused on LGBTQ advocacy and services, STEM education, financial services and public broadcasting.

Grants for Human Rights, Youth and Families

Its grants for LGBTQ focus primarily on improving and maintaining LGBTQ equality, through its Equal Treatment program, as well as investments in youth and family that combat conversion therapy measures, transgender bans and other efforts to undermine equal rights.

  • In fact, the Gill Foundation was one of the first funders to “build public support for marriage equality.” In 1994, when the foundation was created, only one-quarter of Americans supported marriage for same-sex couples, but now the majority of Americans from both sides of the political aisle have come to view marriage equality as an American value though this value is coming under fire by Christian nationalist and far-right groups that are working to roll back civil rights and equality protections across the U.S.

  • Gill’s efforts for LGBTQ youth protections also focus on supporting trans youth. In 1996, Gill created a donor network called Outgiving that brings together LGBTQ and allied philanthropists and funders to maximize giving.

Grants for Colorado, STEM Education and Journalism

Through its A Prosperous Colorado program, the Gill Foundation works to bring equal access opportunities to all Coloradans. So far, Gill has invested $52 million in Colorado to help make the state “one of the most LGBTQ-friendly states in the nation and home to leading financial resiliency programs, like the first-in-the-nation Colorado Office of Financial Empowerment.”

  • In this space, the Gill Foundation makes grant for organizations that provide research-backed projects and programs. This funder also likes to take a collaborative approach in Colorado giving, which makes this a good funder to know in the state.

  • Funding for Colorado focuses on four areas: LGBTQ advocacy across Colorado; STEM Education; financial services, which includes financial literacy and fair lending practices; and journalism focused on local news.

Important Grant Details:

The Gill Foundation made about $12 million in grants in a recent year. The foundation’s grants range from between $2,000 and $1 million, with an average grant size of about $10,000. The equal treatment and youth and families programs tend to support organizations involved in policy development, while the Colorado program supports a broad range of organizations, including those involved in policy, human services, broadcasting and education. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s annual reports page.

The Gill Foundation accepts grant applications on an invitation-only basis. Grantseekers may submit general inquiries via the contact page.

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