Liberty Hill Foundation, Santa Monica’s largest public foundation, has awarded $250,000 to 11 organizations that work on issues faced by local lesbian, gay and transgendered communities.
“Talk about pride!” said Torie Osborn, Executive Director of the Liberty Hill Foundation. “This year, we gave away more money than ever to amazing L.A. LGBT groups. The most effective civil rights movement of the last 25 years will not be stopped by radical right-wingers. Year by year, we are expanding equality. That should inspire pride in all of us.”
Liberty Hill’s Lesbian & Gay Community Fund is the only local funding-source providing critical support to organizations that address the needs of L.A.’s diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) communities, from street theater that fights bigotry in elementary schools to groundbreaking vocational and rehabilitation services for gay inmates at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.
In its quarter century, Liberty Hill Foundation has given away nearly $25 million to grassroots community organizations working for change throughout Los Angeles County.
2005 Lesbian & Gay Community Fund Grants
Cornerstone Theater Company $24,000
Cornerstone Theatre is a multi-ethnic, ensemble-based company that uses theatre to build bridges within diverse communities in Los Angeles and nationwide. The grant will support its 2005 Faith-Based Bridge Project, which focuses on discrimination and homophobia in organized religion though collaborative playwriting and performance with communities of faith.
CorrectHELP $24,000
Founded in 2000, Correct HELP (Corrections HIV Education and Law Project) works for social change in the criminal justice system by advocating for HIV+ inmates and empowering inmates to demand adequate medical care and challenge unfair treatment. The grant will support its RARE Post-Incarcerated LGBT Peer Mentoring Program.
Equality California Institute $25,000
Equality California Institute promotes the safety and equality of LGBT Californians through a combination of public education, grassroots mobilization, and collaboration with other social justice organizations. The grant will its Family Media and Community Organizing for Marriage Equality projects.
F.B. Alliance $24,000
Fringe Benefits Alliance is a Los Angeles-based coalition of theater activists, educators, parents and young people of diverse ethnicities, cultures, genders, religions, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, and physical abilities. It is dedicated to building bridges between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender young people and their straight peers, teachers, and families. The grant isd in support of its Theatre for Social Justice residency, Theatre and Social Justice Workshop, Community Theatre & Activism Skills Sharing Training, and LGBT & Straight Theatre Think Tank programs.
Gay-Straight Alliance Network $25,000
Founded in 1998, the Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network) organizes young people to fight homophobia in California schools. The grant supports its Make It Real project, which will empower LGBTQ youth to engage in school-based organizing, education, and advocacy to ensure implementation of AB-537, the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000.
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund $20,000
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is the oldest and largest legal organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of LGBT people and people living with HIV. The grant is in support of its Proyecto Igualdad project, which addresses the lack of information on LGBT and HIV+ rights available to LGBT Latinos due to language, cultural, and economic barriers.
OUTFEST $20,000
OUTFEST seeks to build bridges between audiences, filmmakers, and the entertainments industry through the exhibition of LGBT themed films and videos. Its annual festival, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, is the oldest and largest continuous film festival in Southern California and it offers programs such as its Screenwriting Lab, which cultivates emerging screenwriters, and Access LA, which forges connections between queer filmmakers and industry professionals. Its grant will support FUSION, the Los Angeles LBGT People of Color Film Festival which partners with community organizations to produce the largest film festival in the country celebrating the work of LGBT people of color.
South Asian Network, Inc. $24,000
South Asian Network (SAN) is dedicated to the heath and empowerment of the South Asian community in Los Angeles. Its grant is in support of its LGBTIQ Initiative, which promotes the health and wellness of LGBTIQ South Asians, an isolated and underserved community.
Stop Prisoner Rape $25,000
Formed in 1980, Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) seeks to end sexual violence in detention through a mix of organizing, advocacy, services, and media outreach. Its grant will support its Los Angeles LGBT Safety in Detention project that seeks to improve the safety of LGBT inmates in Los Angeles County.
Transgender Law Center $15,000
Founded in 2002, the Transgender Law Center (TLC) is a civil rights organization advocating for transgender communities. The grant will support its Transgender Health Care Access Campaign, which addresses the barriers that transgender people face in trying to access health care.
United Lesbians of African Heritage $24,000Founded in 1989, United Lesbians of African Heritage (ULOAH) is only organization of its kind in Southern California and it provides education and support to build self-esteem, challenge homophobia, and increase activism. Its grant will be used to pay the salary of the executive director and to hire a program assistant.
