The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund has announced its 2014 Emerging Needs Grantees.
The LGBT grantmaking agency selected the eight organizations out of a pool of 23 applicants through an extensive application process.
DVLF executive director Samantha Giusti said the organization tries to take a community-centered approach when selecting the grantees.
“Each grantmaking cycle we convene a panel of community members who have diverse experiences in an array of areas,” she said. “We look at the criteria and it is always tremendously difficult to make a decision every year. We always have more proposals than we do funding.”
The Emerging Needs program provides funding for organizations that are working to meet growing needs within the LGBT community.
This year DVLF awarded $32,000 total, with grants going to the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania’s LGBT Equality and African-American Community Project; The Attic Youth Center’s Mental Health Program for LGBT Youth and Their Families; College of Physicians of Philadelphia’s Out4Stem Program; Go!Athletes Strategic Plan for Pilot Mentorship Program; Kimmel Center, Inc.’s It Gets Better Project; the LGBT Elder Initiative’s LGBTEI Conversation Series; Mazzoni Center’s Sisterly L.O.V.E.; and Valley Youth House’s Pride Housing.
ACLU received $5,000 and is a first-time DVLF grantee.
“We try to create a culture here at DVLF to improve cultural competency and promote equity and inclusion in grantmaking so we asked ourselves, are we funding low-income populations, communities of color and marginalized communities, so these are some of the things that DVLF looks at,” Giusti said. “The win for marriage equality is exciting but we all know there is still a lot of work to get done.”
Another first-time grantee is the College of Physicians of Philadelphia’s Out4Stem program, a pilot program launched this year to provide resources such as mentorship, college-prep workshops, tutoring and academic and career support for college-bound LGBTQ youth. The program received $6,000.
Also a new grantee is LGBT sports organization Go!Athletes, which received $2,000. Giusti said its Strategic Plan for Pilot Mentorship program will work towards providing a supportive place for LGBT athletes in the Philadelphia area.
The Kimmel Center’s pioneering partnership with national LGBT anti-bullying campaign It Gets Better was also recognized. The It Gets Better Project, supported by a $4,000 DVLF grant, will be a one-week residency program with panels on bullying, self-image and performance. Giusti said DVLF does not always fund arts and culture programs but found this project to be especially important for LGBT youth.
DVLF also granted $3,000 to Mazzoni Center’s Sisterly L.O.V.E. program, which offers development, training, resources and education to local transwomen.
“They are able to best meet the unique and evolving needs of the community, and Sisterly L.O.V.E. is for the community led by the community,” Giusti said. “It is a place where transgender women can mobilize on issues affecting their community and build a strong coalition.”
The Valley Youth House Pride Housing, which caters to LGBT homeless youth, will receive $4,000. Giusti said this is the second time Valley Youth House is receiving a DVLF grant.
Also youth-focused was the $4,000 grant to The Attic Youth Center for its program that enhances access to mental-health services for LGBT youth and their families.
“In recent years The Attic has found that by opening up to families, they can create more of a supportive foundation for the youth they serve by involving their families,” she said. “We appreciate the ways they look at the issues that LGBT youth are facing and how, with a supportive family structure, they are able to minimize the negative outcomes that LGBT youth can often face.”
DVLF is also supporting another age demographic, with a $4,000 grant to the LGBT Elder Initiative to support its Conversations Series, which examines and educates the LGBT older-adult community through panel and workshop discussions.
“The LGBT community has an aging population just like every other community,” Giusti said. “LGBT adults haven’t been given the opportunity to age successfully because of a lot of discrimination, and these are our pioneers of the movement.”
Giusti said the committee was especially impressed by LGBTEI’s work to build bridges between the community and service providers, while also providing trainings, referrals, education and advocacy.
There will be a check-presentation ceremony in September. For more information, visit www.dvlf.org.