In a move to bolster LGBTQ+ rights and equality in South Florida, The Our Fund Foundation and the Community Foundation of Broward have teamed up to award $360,000 in grants to 10 local nonprofit organizations.
The funds support innovative projects aimed at addressing discrimination and disparities affecting the LGBTQ+ community in the region.
The grants, awarded through the 2025 LGBTQ+ Social Justice & Equity Fund, are part of a initiative between the two foundations, designed to promote a more inclusive, informed, and equitable environment for Broward County’s LGBTQ+ residents.
Grants range from $29,000 to $50,000 for each recipient, which were selected by a joint committee of volunteers from both organizations.
“The LGBTQ+ community is facing relentless attacks from political and social forces seeking to roll back and destroy our hard-won rights,” said David Jobin, president & CEO of The Our Fund Foundation, in a statement.
“This fund is one of the many ways we are stepping up to meet the moment — thanks to the unwavering support of donors who recognize the urgent need for a meaningful philanthropic response,” he said.
Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump and his administration has specifically targeted transgender and nonbinary people with a series of executive orders. Several civil rights groups have challenged the orders in court.
The Associated Press reported a recent surge of grant cancellations have hit researchers focused on the health of gay, lesbian and transgender people, as the Trump administration continues to target what it describes as ideologically driven science.
Last week, the U.S. government terminated at least 68 grants to 46 institutions totaling nearly $40 million when awarded, according to a government website. Most were in some way related to sexual minorities, including research focused on HIV prevention. Other canceled studies centered on cancer, youth suicide and bone health.
The LGBTQ+ Social Justice & Equity Fund in Broward was created in 20222 as a strategic partnership between the two foundations, with the goal of combining philanthropic resources to create “a more informed, inclusive, and equitable environment for Broward County’s LGBTQ+ community.”
“These grants reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that every member of Broward’s LGBTQ+ community is treated with dignity, equity, and respect,” said Jennifer O'Flannery Anderson, Ph.D., president & CEO of the Community Foundation of Broward, in a statement.
Among the major sponsors to the fund: The Bill Beaton & Ted Emery Charitable Fund, The Paul Fasana Charitable Fund at The Our Fund Foundation and The Mona Pittenger Giving Fund. Additional funders include Scott L. Bennett Charitable Fund, The Russell Vance and Edward Schwartz Charitable Trust, The William Bennett Quade and Paul Rolli Donor Advised Fund, The Barb Signer and Fran Epstein Giving Fund, James A. Johnson & Paul D. Dobrea Fund for Giving, Ken Arruda and Erwin Mayer.
Read the list of grant recipients here.
To honor the legacy of the initiative’s donors, the foundations will host a reception for grant recipients and supporters on Thursday, April 10, at 6 p.m. at The Our Fund Foundation’s headquarters, 1201 NE 26TH Street, Suite 108, Wilton Manors, FL, 33305.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
