It goes without saying that 2020 has been a chaotic and challenging year for us all. In spite of these difficulties, 2020 has also seen our network of fund partners and donors step up and give back to the communities we serve in groundbreaking ways. Some points of pride from the past year’s grantmaking include:

Protesters at this June’s Queer Liberation March

We will exceed $1,000,000 in grants made in 2020. From January 1 to November 5, we made 196 grants to 143 organizations, ranging from $35 to help an organization upgrade its Zoom license, to a grant of over $100,000 to a community foundation in a fund partner’s hometown to support its own emergency grantmaking programs.
Nearly two-thirds of all grants were made with advisory support from Stonewall staff. That support can take a variety of forms. We might have a conversation with a fund partner about the issues they care about most and present a portfolio of potential grantees; build and participate on grant review committees; or even take fund partners on site visits for a firsthand glimpse of work they could fund. We are grateful that so many of you use our team as a resource.
For the first time, Stonewall made direct cash grants to individuals. With support from the Robin Hood Foundation and the Ford Foundation, we moved resources directly into the hands of LGBTQ individuals who had been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Forty-five percent of grantees in 2020 were brand new to Stonewall. In addition to supporting new corners of the community financially, it also introduces those organizations to our team. The more organizations we know, the more helpful we can be as advisors, and we are truly excited to be expanding our portfolio.
Sixty-four percent of our grants supported local, NYC-based organizations or individuals. As we continue to expand our grantmaking footprint across the United States, we’re proud to continue having a profound impact on the LGBTQ community right here in our hometown.

Whether you are introducing us to the fantastic work being done by some of your favorite organizations, or asking us for suggestions about some of the programs we know need your support, we continue to be exceptionally proud of the collaborative relationships we’ve built with our fund partners. Feel free to reach out to Michael, Stonewall’s Major Gifts Officer, at michael.jones@stonewallfoundation.org if you want to explore new organizations, or if you have one that you think we should know better ourselves!

We appreciate your generosity toward our community, and are honored that you continue to amplify your philanthropy with Stonewall.

Stonewall's million-dollar year