The Susan B. Anthony Institute is excited to announce that it has received a grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation’s (RACF) LGBT Giving Circle. This year is the inaugural grantmaking year for the Giving Circle. The group, who created and developed the LGBT Fund for Greater Rochester this year, was able to distribute $8,750 in grants to local organizations who are making a difference in the lives of LGBTQ individuals in the Rochester area. Grants were presented at an evening reception hosted by the Rochester Contemporary Art Center.
SBAI will use the $2,000 grant to support, sustain, and expand LGBTQI Awareness Month programming in the month of April at the University of Rochester. SBAI initiated LGBTQI Awareness Month in April 2011 and serves as the lead organizer across the University. The month features educational lectures, activism opportunities, the Out in Reel film and discussion series, and networking opportunities for students, staff, and faculty. Last year, SBAI expanded on the events of the inaugural year by introducing the annual Rainbow Lecture – the first and only lecture at the University dedicated to exploring LGBTQI issues from a scholarly perspective.
The other grant recipients, via RACF:
- ImageOut ($2,000): Founded in 1993, this annual festival in October showcases LGBT arts and cultural experiences through film, creative works, and artists. This grant supports operating expenses for the 2013 season.
- Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus ($1,500): This year the group celebrates 30 years of creating social change through the choral arts by using music to create acceptance of social diversity. This grant provides support for the group’s 30th anniversary concert season.
- Temple Sinai ($1,250): Opened in 1959, this continually evolving temple in Brighton strives to affirm its ethical and social responsibilities to the community, nation and world. The grant supports the continuation of LGBTQ outreach workshops.
- Volunteer Legal Services of Monroe County($2,000): More than 1,500 volunteer attorneys donate their time to assist low-income residents who face non-criminal legal problems. The grant supports services provided to impoverished transgender people for legal name and gender changes.
Part of the Group at the LGBT Fund Reception
All grant recipients, including SBAI, agree to keep grant money in the community; to form connections across organizations, associations, agencies, and institutions in the community; and to address a need, population, or issue that has been underserved or underfunded. According to RACF, the LGBT Giving Circle is constituted by 32 households and more than 50 individuals. This year, contributions from members were split between grantmaking for the year and endowment for future need. To learn more, visit the LGBT Giving Circle online.
SBAI is honored to be a grant recipient, and excited to honor the legacy of Susan B. Anthony by ensuring that justice and human rights are served through administration, policy, education, and activism around LGBTQI issues. The grant will help SBAI contribute to a community that feels safe, engaged, and empowered. LGBTQI Awareness Month serves an important need of the University of Rochester community by sharing LGBTQI related research, stories, and knowledge. The month-long series of events helps to start and influence important conversations and ideas, and SBAI is excited to continue expanding it with the help of this grant. Many thank you’s to the LGBT Giving Circle!
