Calling All Queer-Supportive Nonprofits: Texas Pride Impact Funds Wants You!

Texas Pride Impact Funds’ Dec. 2018 check presentation reception in Austin, at the Capital Factory. Five of the 15 grants were awarded to Austin-based organizations. (Photo by Daniel Nguyen)

The Texas Pride Impact Funds is now accepting proposals for their 2019 grant cycle. Also known as TPIF, the nonprofit exists to support organizations throughout the state that support and serve LGBTQ Texans.

With its mission to provide a better future for the queer and trans folks who call Texas home by “inspiring giving and investment to expand opportunities and enrich our communities,” TPIF began offering grants last year after conducting a statewide needs assessment of the queer community. Of the 38 received proposals, TPIF managed to fund 15 programs throughout the state, including five in the Austin area: ASHwell, Communities in Schools, Waterloo Counseling, Kind Clinic, and a joint project headed by Equality Texas Foundation and the Texas Health Institute to address trans health in Texas. In total, 2018’s 15 finalists received $120,000 in grants to better care for the qmmunity.

Ron Guillard, who sits on TPIF’s Board of Directors, tells Qmmunity those funds are currently helping local organizations expand their capabilities. Guillard says LGBTQ health care, support for seniors and youth, employment, and building social support within the queer community are the factors TPIF will look for when selecting 2019 finalists. There will also be priority granted to transgender programs and organizations in rural communities.

While the previous grant cycle is still underway, funded programs have already made headway on numerous projects. Harlingen’s Valley Aids was able to hire community mobilization coordinators for their 2019 Pride in the Park event; closer to home, the money provided to Communities in Schools helped create an LGBTQIA+ Student Leadership Summit where students, parents, and educators built relationships and increased awareness of queer topics in Austin. More results will be recorded as the grant cycle draws to a close, allowing TPIF to measure their accomplishments. According to Guillard, TPIF, which doubled its board this year, plans to conduct research and collect measurements to highlight their positive impact on LGBTQ Texans and make a greater case for funding.

As TPIF continues to grow, Guillard says they want to further expand resources for queer individuals. They hope to involve other organizations and investors throughout the state to potentially increase grant and service programs. According to Guillard, many private foundations close their doors to LGBTQ causes due to “stigma.” (TPIF notes that “of the five most populous states, Texas ranks last in funding by foundations and corporations to LGBTQ nonprofits.”) Despite uninspiring statistics, Guillard remains optimistic. He believes that informing Texas’ investors about the needs of the queer community will help TPIF gain power in numbers.

As Randall Gentry, chair of the Texas Pride Impact Funds Grants Program, summarized in the Grants Program announcement, “The health – and future – of the LGBTQ community in Texas is in the hands of nonprofit partners who do so much with so little. Very few other foundations will fund LGBTQ nonprofits and programs, therefore it is vital that we support a wide variety of community needs.”