Alliance Fund

The Alliance Fund's grant-making process ensures that donors' dollars are well spent. Grants provide funding for a one-year period, which provides a specific time frame for spending the award. A panel of Board members and volunteers from the community review requests and visits agencies that have applied for funding. Once a grant is made, the Alliance Fund monitors grantees' progress at six months and at the end of the grant cycle.

*Included $50,000 in matching funds from the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership

“We believe that the funds secured from the Alliance Fund were influential in the decision of other funders to support Wingspan.”

“Your gift provides the resources for wood, nails, plaster and paint. But equally important, your gift fills the hearts of Habitat families with the warmth and compassion they need to make their house into a home.”

“As with many local grassroots organizations, your help has been key to our continued growth and development.”

"What I really liked best about this training is that it was in-depth on the issue at hand and improved my knowledge on the gay/lesbian topic. . . . A very wonderful and stimulating seminar."

“I now realize the amount of violence within and against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community and it is unacceptable. It's not enough to help victims, although we must continue to do so, we must also work to educate people to eradicate prejudice and the roots of the abuse of power."

"The continued philanthropic leadership of the LGBT&S Alliance Fund plays a critical role in providing the local funding necessary to secure and maintain Federal support for this project and for LGBT young people in Southern Arizona.

Kenneth McKinley, Program Director
Open Inn, Inc. 2009

The LGBT&S Alliance Fund will make grants in the following five interest areas:
Please note: the examples listed below are for illustrative purposes only. The Fund will give equal consideration to other programs that fall within at least one of the five interest areas.

Parent-Child Issues: Increasing support for LGBT individuals and their parents/families. Examples might include:
1. Programs for parents and/or children who are alienated from one another because of sexual orientation or gender identity issues
2. Support for coming out to family
Human Services Issues: Improving health care, substance abuse treatment, and social services. Examples might include:
1. Access to informed medical professionals for transgender people
2. Shelter for LGBT victims of domestic violence
3. Programs to address substance abuse among LGBT people
Political Advocacy & Involvement: Educating legislators and working for changes that promote civil rights for all. Examples might include:
1. Educating LGBT people to be activists and do community organizing
2. Work for political change in Arizona (but not to directly support candidates or influence specific legislation)
3. Increase the involvement of LGBT people in the political process
Education Issues: Educating both the larger community and the LGBT community to promote acceptance, health and well-being.
Examples might include:
1. Educating heterosexuals about LGBT issues, including broad issues such as gender expression
2. Educating students (high school and college) as well as teachers and school administrators
3. Educating the LGBT community about being philanthropic
4. Educating social service providers about LGBT issues
LGBT Community Infrastructure: Giving organizations the tools they need to be effective. Examples might include:
1. Funding staff positions
2. Strengthening organizational skills (boards and staff members)
3. Increase solidarity between groups working on related social justice issues (i.e. immigration, women's rights, racism, poverty)
4. Enhancing and/or improving existing programs

We seek to fund a diversity of organizations, populations, programs and geographic areas. We encourage applications from rural areas.

Organizations are not required to have IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
Emerging grassroots organizations or informal groups that have come together for a program consistent with the interests of the LGBT&S Alliance Fund are eligible to apply.
To be considered for funding, groups without tax-exempt status must have a governing/advisory board that consists of five or more people and have a clear statement of purpose and decision-making process.

Funding Restrictions
The LGBT&S Alliance Fund will not provide grants for:

Individuals
Campaigns to elect public officials or influence legislation/lobbying
Capital fund drives
Debt reduction
Endowments
Fundraising events
Scholarships, fellowships and tuition reimbursement
Programs inconsistent with federal, state and local non-discrimination statutes regarding equal employment opportunities
Programs that promote religious activities (although faith-based organizations are eligible to apply for non-religious activities)
Programs outside of Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties
Direct-treatment HIV-AIDS programs. (Contact the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona @ 770-0800 for information on Ryan White Title II programs.) Alliance Fund will consider proposals for other HIV-AIDS issues such as education and prevention programs.

Our annual grant cycle begins in early Fall each year (See “Request for Proposals” which follows this section). Applications for funding are reviewed by the Fund's grants panel, which includes volunteer Board and community members and is staffed by our Program Coordinator. After proposals are reviewed for completeness and given a priority, those with a reasonable chance for at least partial funding will be scheduled for a site visit. After these visits, funding recommendations are made to the entire LGBT-Straight Alliance Fund Board. Its approval recommendations are then considered and approved by the Board of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona. Successful grant applicants are informed in December and an awards reception is held in January. Grants begin in January of the award year and are for one year.

To be notified about each year's grant round, send the information listed below to:

Felipe Caldeira, Program Coordinator
LGBT-Straight Alliance Fund
Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
2250 E. Broadway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85719
Phone: 520-393-9684
Fax: 520-770-1500
Email: alliancefund@cfsoaz.org

Please provide the following information about your organization:

1. Organization name and contact person
2. Contact information: mailing address, website, phone
3. Mission statement

The grant year has been completed. Information on applying for 2011 funding will appear in August, 2010.