$20 Million To Be Donated For Trans Causes

As someone who once upon a time was political director for NTAC from its founding until 2002 and died  currently sits on the boards of several trans oriented organizations, I can tell you from painful experience that one of the problems that we face as a community with many problems that cry out for help is lack of funding to tackle those challenges and sustain our organizations, or having to do so much on shoestring budgets.

And with the increased media attention we transgender people are getting, we in Trans World are also getting attacked politically by right wing organizations with far deeper pockets than we have to combat them.

That fiscal funding problem for trans organizations may mercifully be coming to an end.

I was happy to hear the announcement by two funding organizations that over the next five years starting in 2016. they plan an unprecedented increase in their funding contributions for trans organizations here in the US and around the globe to $20 million to improve the quality of life for trans people around the world.

The Arcus Foundation, which gives to social justice and human rights causes, is pledging the bulk of this increase at $15 million.  The NoVo Foundation, which focuses on girls and women's issues is pledging $1 million, with a coalition of funding organizations contributing the other $4 million.    

The money will initially go to US groups that focus on transgender issues or led by trans people, instead of established organizations that include transgender issues as part of a broader agenda.  It will then expand globally in the subsequent five year period, and target poorer and developing nations.  Much of the money will go to organizations with budgets of $100,000 or less while increasing the capacity of larger groups to ensure their long term stability.

The ground breaking news was hailed by Trans Persons of Color Coalition (TPOCC) Executive Director Kylar Broadus. "We applaud Arcus, NoVo and the othe foundations participating in this trans funding initiative for realizing the need of transgender groups to lead their own cause and own our power," said Broadus. "Funding Trans groups should help to allow Trans people to lead the work and have the resources to do the work," he added.
And in light of us now having the undivided attention of the right wing orgs and being under attack by them, it is timely, needed by the various trans organizations doing the work of uplifting our community, and necessary.

The goals for this funding boost are to increase understanding of trans people, expanding the pathways for economic sufficiency for trans people, put a dent in the off the charts levels of anti-trans violence, provide job opportunities, boost the long-term societal inclusion of trans people, and encouraging long term philanthropy for the trans human rights movement,

The funders will begin accepting applications for proposals by mid-2016 with the first disbursements of this transformational funding to happen by the end of 2016.  .