Grants

In 2006, Astraea initiated a multi-year grantmaking program in the U.S.. Grants are made to organizations that demonstrate significant movement, leadership and creative community organization strategies f or social change within and beyond LGBTI communities. Each of the following is a 3-year grant totaling $150,000 ($50,000 per year). Additionally, each of the following organizations participate in strategic Astraea convenings where they share experiences, strategies and build skills to forward their organizational and movement efforts.

ALLGO (Austin, TX) is the nation’s only statewide queer, multi-racial, people-of-color organization working to create and sustain a statewide network of queer activists, organizations and allies. Grant supports development of statewide action teams on issues including: immigrant rights and HIV/AIDS; an annual statewide convening of queer people of color activists/organizations; and infrastructure development to enhance their ability to serve a statewide constituency. (Second year) allgo.org

Affinity Community Services (Chicago, IL) combines community organizing with service provision to address issues of health and social consciousness-raising within the African American lesbian and bisexual women’s community. Based in Chicago’s predominantly African American South Side, Affinity’s work includes: providing education on issues relating to healthcare access; social justice advocacy; coordination of a drop-in center; and partnerships with other social justice organizations. (First year) affinity95.org

Audre Lorde Project (Brooklyn, NY) is the nation’s only community organizing center led by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, transgender and gender-non-conforming communities of color. Grant supports community-based strategies to address violence, as well as organizing work around transgender employment, immigrant rights and HIV/AIDS. (Second year) alp.org

Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (San Antonio, TX) is a multi-issue, grassroots social justice and cultural organization with a history of organizing San Antonio’s progressive communities in the midst of significant right-wing attacks. Grant supports the development of a coalition of organizations in San Antonio and South Texas, as well as the Puentes de Poder Community School, to build a core of trained organizers and activists in southern Texas. (Third year) esperanzacenter.org

FIERCE (New York, NY) is a community organizing project for transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, queer and questioning youth of color in New York City. FIERCE uses a mix of leadership development, political education and campaign development to organize around critical issues including employment, education, violence and access to public space. (Third year) fiercenyc.org

National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (Washington, DC) is a federation of LGBT Asian American, South Asian and Pacific Islander organizations. Through advocacy and leadership trainings, they expand the organizing capacity of local LGBT API groups, enhance local grassroots networks and build a national alliance to further a collective social change agenda. (First year) nqapia.org

Queers for Economic Justice (New York, NY) was founded by members of the QEJ Network, a coalition for advocacy and education about queer poverty issues. Led by queer people directly impacted by poverty, QEJ promotes economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation through grassroots organizing, public education, advocacy and research. (First year) q4ej.org

Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (San Francisco, CA) creates and promotes filmmaking in queer women of color communities to include their voices in the social change movement. QWOCMAP conducts a free, 16-week film training program; holds film screenings in collaboration with community-based organizations; organizes panels; and hosts an Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival. (First year) qwocmap.org

Southerners on New Ground (Durham, NC) builds progressive movements across the South by integrating work against racism, sexism and economic injustice into LGBT organizing, and anti-homophobia work into other freedom struggles in the South. SONG’s programs concentrate on leadership development and create critical spaces for progressive LGBT leaders to build effective organizing strategies in the South. (Third year) southernersonnewground.org

Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project (Oakland, CA) works to end human rights abuses committed against transgender, gender variant/genderqueer and intersex people in California prisons and those outside the state. Recognizing that poverty resulting from pervasive discrimination and marginalization of TGI people is a major underlying cause of why TGI people end up in prison, the group addresses human rights abuses against TGI prisoners through community organizing and direct services. (Third year) tgijp.org