As LGBTQ+ organizations across the country fight to maintain their funding amid the barrage of bills a assaulting our community, one Ohio foundation is stepping up in a big way.
In a historic move to meet LGBTQ+ community needs today and for years to come, the Cleveland Foundation has announced the creation of the LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund.
The world’s first community foundation – and one of the largest today – the Cleveland Foundation is giving a hefty backing to this new initiative, seeding the fund with a $3 million endowment.
The LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund is the Cleveland Foundation’s first endowed affinity fund directed towards a specific community, with funds supporting the Latinx and Black communities to be launched in the coming months.
“At the Cleveland Foundation, we are endeavoring to transform philanthropy by expanding opportunities for people across our community to give in powerful, new ways and we are broadening who sees themselves as a philanthropist,” said Lillian Kuri, president and CEO, Cleveland Foundation, in a statement. “Our affinity funds will offer an innovative and accessible way for anyone to make a lasting impact by contributing at a level that works for them.”
In perpetuity
Although LGBTQ+ affinity funds exist at many foundations across the country – including the Gay Community Endowment Fund at the Akron Community Foundation and the Legacy Fund at the Columbus Foundation – the sheer size of the $3 million endowment sets the LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund apart from other ventures.
“Because of the endowment, this fund will impact generations and will last in perpetuity,” said Andrew Katusin, program officer at The Cleveland Foundation. “The Foundation has been around for over 100 years, and this fund will be around for the next 100.”
The Cleveland Foundation has invested more than $5.5 million in LGBTQ+ causes since 2013, including supporting recent projects like the Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ Needs Assessment, and organizations like the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland and The Buckeye Flame.
Fittingly, the LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund will be more formally announced at the Gay Games 10th Anniversary Celebration on August 9, celebrating the 2014 hosting of the international competition in 2014. The Cleveland Foundation stepped up as the first presenting sponsor of those games a decade ago.
“Profits from the Gay Games seeded the LGBT Legacy Fund, which supports direct service grantmaking,” Katusin said.
Another difference between this fund and other initiatives is that the LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund will be guided by an advisory committee who is already at work guiding the work of the fund, including setting priorities, reviewing and selecting applications and supporting fundraising efforts.
“The point of this is to be driven by the community,” Katusin said. “The foundation stewards and facilitates processes, but the real guide is the advisory committee and its allies. That’s the magic of this.”
The advisory committee is comprised of:
- Gregg Levine – Ratliff & Taylor
- Nancy Mendez – Starting Point
- Peter Schindler – Community West Foundation
- Marques Richeson – Jones Day
- Shannon Scott-Miller – Trans Allies & Fostering Hope
- Michelle Tomallo – FIT Technologies
- Suzanne Hamilton – Erie Bank & HRC
“What’s truly exciting is that the LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund leverages philanthropy and community giving in a new and more inclusive way,” said Levine. “With a mission to advance queer justice and equity in Greater Cleveland, the fund will uplift the organizations and causes that are driving true change across the community for years to come.”
Challenges ahead
Although recent reports indicate that the funding for LGBTQ+ organizations more than doubled in the past decade – $823 million in 2021 compared to $387 in 2012 – advocates fear that the increase is not keeping pace with attacks on LGBTQ+ rights.
“We’re not able to fight the battles the way we should be fighting them to win,” Alex Lee, deputy director of Funders for LGBTQ Issues told The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Additionally, the recent research concluded:
- U.S. foundations gave less to LGBTQ causes in 2022 than they did in 2021.
- Funding usually goes to larger charitable organizations, like GLAAD and The Trevor Project, as opposed to smaller local organizations.
- Less than $1 out of every $500 given to charity goes to an LGBTQ organization.
Although $3 million represents a sizable endowment, the actual draw on the endowment available for grantmaking and fund operations be 5%, a typical percentage for a targeted fund. This translates to a starting pool of $120,000 to be awarded to LGBTQ+ initiatives.
Thus growing the endowment is key, and there will be a heavy push over the next six months to identify funding opportunities with foundations, corporations and individuals.
“The bigger the endowment, the bigger the annual amount available for grantmaking,” Katusin said. “More is more.”
Another challenge is to make sure that the fund remains relevant to the LGBTQ+ community. As foundations are not always directly connected to the individuals they serve, there is no guarantee that funding priorities actually reflect the areas of highest need experienced by the community.
“Key to the success of the LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund is learning how to do this work with the community and not for the community,” Katusin said. “Part of this is relinquishing control, which is not always the strength of foundations, but will be important here under the guidance of the advisory committee.”
Grantmaking is expected to begin in late 2025 and will align with the Cleveland Foundation’s guidelines on grantmaking. That includes applicants needing to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
“This is not to say that individuals don’t have great ideas for supporting the LGBTQ+ community, but they do need to be affiliated with a nonprofit fiscal agent,” Katusin explained.
Ultimately, the hope is that the LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund not only supports Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community but also serves as a role model for the creation of other affinity funds across the country.
“We hope this inspires other foundations to make a big bet like this one to support historically marginalized communities in their service areas,” Katusin said. 
IGNITE ACTION
- To learn more about the LGBTQ+ Opportunity Fund, go here.
