New Report Reveals Decline in LGBTQ Philanthropy: Our Collective Call to Action
Funders for LGBTQ Issues recently released their 2023 Resource Tracking Report: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Grantmaking by U.S. Foundations. Now in its 21st year, this annual report documents trends across more than two decades of philanthropic funding for LGBTQ communities in the United States.
The findings are sobering. U.S. foundation funding for LGBTQ communities totaled $209.4 million in 2023, representing a 19 percent decrease from the previous year. Adjusted for inflation, that drop reaches 22 percent, meaning that for every $100 awarded by U.S. foundations, only 20 cents supported LGBTQ communities.
Funding for transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary communities fell from $48.2 million in 2022 to $36.4 million in 2023, a decline of 24 percent. Similarly, funding for Black LGBTQ communities decreased by 41 percent, following record highs the year before.
While this decline is deeply concerning, there are glimmers of progress. The Southeast region, home to the largest population of LGBTQ adults in the country, saw a 27 percent increase in grantmaking, reaching $36 million in 2023. The report also highlights the growing importance of rapid response grants, which provided $6.7 million to LGBTQ organizations confronting rising hostility and anti-LGBTQ legislation.
At Stonewall Community Foundation, these findings reaffirm what we see daily: that the need far outpaces available resources, yet the power of community-led philanthropy remains strong. By pooling our resources and standing in solidarity, we can ensure that the most vulnerable in our community are not left behind.