REPORT: LGBT Philanthropy Has Increased 400% Between 2003-2012

A new report from Funders for LGBTQ Issues indicates that the funding for organizations that advocate for LGBT equality has increased dramatically in the last decade. From 2003 the total granted by philanthropic sources was about $30 million while in 2012 it had increased to over $120 million.

From the overview:

In 2012, U.S. foundations awarded 4,068 grants totaling $121.4 million to support organizations and programs addressing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (lGBTQ) issues. This is roughly a one percent decrease from 2011, when we identified $123 million in grants for lGBTQ issues. 

Foundations also granted an additional $12.7 million to public foundations and other intermediaries for the purposes of re-granting to lGBTQ communities — more than double the $5.5 million awarded for re-granting in 2011. with re-granting dollars included, lGBTQ grantmaking totaled $134 million, a record high. we generally exclude these dollars from our analysis to avoid double-counting. However, dollars awarded through intermediaries are not necessarily re-granted in the same calendar year. Given the high dollar amount awarded for re-granting in 2012, some of the modest decrease in total lGBTQ grants may be more due to the cyclical nature of re-granting initiatives than to any substantive decline. 

In addition, the Arcus Foundation, one of the top lGBTQ funders, conducted a strategic review in 2012 that led to the launch of a new lGBTQ strategy in early 2013. Although Arcus’s lGBTQ grantmaking has since returned to its previous run rate, transition to the new strategy resulted in an $8-million decrease in that foundation’s lGBT grantmaking in 2012, significantly reducing the overall total in comparison to 2011. Arcus’s 2013 lGBTQ grantmaking is currently on track to achieve its previous level of about $16 million. This further indicates that this year’s slight decrease in total dollars is an aberration. However, it also demonstrates the vulnerable position of lGBTQ funding, which remains highly sensitive to any fluctuations in the handful of top funders that provide the lion’s share of foundation support for LGBTQ communities. 

Generally, the level of lGBTQ funding was stable in 2012, a likely temporary pause in its broader trajectory of growth.

The report goes on to note that just 0.24% of all philanthropic dollars, i.e. twenty-four cents out of 100 dollars, goes to support LGBT issues nationwide.

The top ten private funders for LGBT advocacy are:

Read the entire report, there is very interesting information there.