Twenty local agencies received checks Monday night from an LGBT grantmaking agency to support their work on LGBT and HIV/AIDS causes.
The Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund distributed $100,000 to the agencies in a presentation at the William Way LGBT Community Center.
The funding was generated through state grants, with individual awards ranging from $2,000-$10,000.
Each grant was grouped into a specific category, such as HIV/AIDS education and outreach for LGBT youth, seniors or nondiscrimination issues.
The 20 beneficiaries were The Attic Youth Center, William Way LGBT Community Center, Mazzoni Center, ASIAC, Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative, The Colours Organization Inc., BEBASHI, Action AIDS, AIDS Fund, Philly Pride Presents, Philadelphia Black Gay Pride, AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, Independence Business Alliance, Equality Pennsylvania, SafeGuards, Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition, Black Gay Men’s Leadership Council, Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests for the Elderly, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus.
About 60 people turned out for the check presentation, and DMH board member Micah Mahjoubian said it was a rewarding evening.
“It felt really good to be able to give back to the community in a way that really helps, especially since there have been some issues recently with AIDS service providers not getting enough funding,” he said. “Even though what we gave out wasn’t on a very large scale, it still was great to be able to help.”
DMH president and PGN publisher Mark Segal said grants were a good way to kickstart the new year for the LGBT community.
“We want our community to get the year off to a great start,” Segal said. “We want 2012 to be a great year for the LGBT community.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].