Session Proposals

Funders for LGBTQ Issues is proud to announce that Funding Forward 2018 is coming to New Orleans March 14-16! The annual gathering of grantmakers committed to LGBTQ issues provides an exciting opportunity for funders to connect with one another, learn from each other, coordinate efforts, and maximize impact.

We are currently accepting session ideas from funders and philanthropic organizations who are members of Funders for LGBTQ Issues. Proposals will be reviewed by our planning committee. Member foundations and affinity groups are strongly encouraged to partner with one another to pool creativity and expertise and share financial responsibilities of session sponsorship.

Session criteria:

Proposals are your opportunity to suggest a topic, format, and presenters for an engaging session. Priority will be given to ideas that seek to:

  • Mobilize philanthropy to focus on and improve the lived experience of the broad diversity of LGBTQ people.
  • Mobilize philanthropy for local and regional advancement of a range of LGBTQ issues.
  • Advance racial, economic, and gender justice for all through an intersectional approach.
  • Provide practical recommendations for funders interested in expanding or shifting their grantmaking.
  • Spark discussion and generate ideas with alternative formats.

Topics of interest include, but aren’t limited to, funding for:

  • LGBTQ communities in the US South
  • Policing and criminalization of LGBTQ people
  • Poverty, housing, food security, and other economic issues affecting LGBTQ people
  • LGBTQ inclusion in disaster relief
  • HIV and AIDS in LGBTQ communities
  • Safety and security of LGBTQ activists
  • Mental health of LGBTQ people in the current cultural and political environment
  • Intersectional advocacy and movement building
  • Policy advocacy, including nondiscrimination, voting rights, and religious exemptions
  • LGBTQ representation in media and arts
  • School climate and LGBTQ youth organizing

  • How to submit a proposal:

Please submit your proposal to [email protected] using the attached form no later than November 13, 2017. Final selections will be made by mid-December.