This Pride Month, recognize those who are out(spent)
3 min read · June 23, 2023
New Power Labs
Td;lr: Not only are groups that are advocating and supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities receiving less funding relative to other causes, they are also being outspent by anti-gender proponents.
In 2019-2020, the Global Philanthropy Project found that the global 2SLGBQIA+ community’s total grant income was $576M, almost ten percent less than the budget of just one US-based opposition organisation, the Christian Broadcasting Network (founded by noted homophobe Pat Robertson).
Over the years, anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment, also referred to as the anti-gender movement, has gained momentum. And while opposition can be loud - as with the example of CBN above - it is sometimes alarmingly subtle, too: a recent article found that many of the major household brands waving rainbow flags during Pride Month and scoring high on the Corporate Equality Index were simultaneously bankrolling anti-gender politicians.
In Canada, only 0.25% of private and public foundations grants went to 2SLGBTQIA+ communities ($2M of the $8B granted in 2020). This data is not disagregated specific to trans communities nor is it comprehensive, but anecdotally we know funding simply does not flow to trans communities, sometimes fueled by anti-trans sentiment from within progressive movements. As such, trans and gender-diverse communities remain systemically underserved and, combined with increasingly vocal hatespeech, have become disproportionately vulnerable.
So, how do we do better?
Last year, I began exploring funding to trans and gender-diverse communities in Canada through my role leading The Sonor Foundation, a private family foundation. Seeing the dramatic gap in support, a collaborative group of foundations launched the Transcend Impact Challenge, a now $2.1m philanthropic fund to invest in trans and gender diverse communities. This led to a reimagining of supports to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, including the launch of the SOGI funders affinity group, a national network of philanthropic and government funders dedicated to these communities.
The fact that this is the first fund in Canada dedicated to trans communities highlights the enormity of the work ahead. Most funders do not have a specific giving focus on trans or 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, though sometimes these communities are funded through broader streams within overall portfolios. Access to disagreggrated data would help unpack these realities and position us to address gaps with intentionality — work that New Power Labs has launched with capital deployers. If you’re a funder, considering joining the SOGI collaborative (hit reply).
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