February 23, 2007

Equity Action grants strengthen organizations, build capacity to address critical issues

$24,000 supports projects assisting LGBTQ youth, families, and individuals

Five organizations serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) communities throughout Rhode Island are beneficiaries of the latest round of grantmaking by Equity Action, an initiative of The Rhode Island Foundation.

These most recent awards bring total grants supporting LGBTQ organizations to more than $275,000 since Equity Action was established at the Foundation in July 2002. The grants address critical priorities including expanding access to competent health care, building community cohesiveness, and increasing awareness and visibility of LBGTQ communities.
Organizations receiving Equity Action grants and their funded projects are:

Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM) assists Southeast Asian LGBTQ youth
Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM) received $15,000 to support its Southeast Asian Queers United for Empowerment and Leadership (seaQuel) program. This grant will help PrYSM respond to critical issues identified by Southeast Asian LGBTQ youth and host information meetings and social events fostering community for this growing population in Rhode Island. Additionally, the grant will allow PrYSM to develop its outreach and recruitment of women, youth under the age of 18 and transgendered individuals. “We think we have something special going on,” writes executive director Kohei Ishihara. “When we held a retreat this past year for Queer Southeast Asian youth we drew participants from as far away as Wisconsin and California. They came because this was the only organized and safe space they knew that served their interests.”

Keshet explores trans-cultural phobia
Keshet, an organization dedicated to the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Jews in Jewish life, has received $2,500 for a planning consultant who will lead the organization’s Lifelines Rhode Island project, which focuses on transphobia and the lack of trans-cultural competency in public and private service environments throughout Rhode Island.

In addition to these capacity-building grants, three grants supporting one-time or short-term activities were awarded, as follows:

Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Gay Straight Alliance raises awareness
CCRI has received $2,500 in support of the school’s student-run Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). Students will use these funds to create and produce promotional literature, host a Speaker’s Symposium, and implement National Day of Silence activities in April. CCRI Gay-Straight Alliance Ambassador Aaron C. Buckley writes, “Although CCRI is gay-friendly in atmosphere, I still note on a daily basis intolerance and ignorance. A strong GSA presence on campus, along with supporting events and activities, could only benefit the student body.”

Rhode Island Health Care Association (RIHCA) trains physicians and clinicians to treat LGBTQ patients
A grant of $2,500, continuing support of an initiative begun in 2005, will enable RIHCA to train physicians and clinicians in addressing the specific health care needs of LGBTQ patients at the 12 Rhode Island Community Health Centers across the state. Funding supports RIHCA efforts to improve caregivers’ cultural competency around clinical, emotional, and non-clinical issues.

University of Rhode Island Foundation brings filmmaker to campus
URI used its grant of $1,500 to bring the documentary film Little Man and the producer of the film, Nicole Conn, to the URI Kingston campus last fall. The film touches on several LGBTQ issues including same-sex partnerships, family structure, and surrogacy.

Upcoming Funding Opportunities
Equity Action has two funding cycles per year for project and capacity-building grants. The next application deadline is April 16 for these grants that range from $2,500 to $15,000. In addition, applications are accepted on a rolling basis for a small grants program for projects up to $2,500. Interested organizations can obtain further information by visiting Equity Action in the “Specials” section of www.rifoundation.org.