The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, a program of the Gill Foundation, provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Colorado through four program areas: Healthy Families, Public Broadcasting, Arts & Culture, and Civic Participation. Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the fund has awarded more than $24.8 million in grants since its inception.
Contrary to what might be inferred from its name, the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado does not provide financial support to organizations that exclusively serve the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) population. Rather, the fund provides support for organizations that serve primarily non-LGBT populations in Colorado to demonstrate that LGBT people share the same values and are committed to working together with all Coloradans to build a better Colorado.
Grant applications for general-operating or project-specific funding from the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado are accepted January through May each year. Specific deadlines vary by program area. Applications for event sponsorships are accepted year round. (see Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado's Grants Calendar).
Day-to-day operations of the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado are overseen by Mary Lou Makepeace, the Gill Foundation Vice President for the Gay & Lesbian Fund.
History
The Gill Foundation launched the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado program in 1996. In 2009, the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado won the Outstanding Foundation Award from the Colorado Nonprofit Association.
The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado Today
The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado provides financial and programmatic support to more than 190 Colorado nonprofits each year, based in 20 of Colorado's counties (see Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado's Community Impact Report).
The fund sponsors more than 170 Colorado nonprofit events annually and hosts more than 670 nonprofit meetings at the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado's free meeting spaces in Colorado Springs (at the Gay & Lesbian Fund building) and in Denver (at the Gill Foundation building).
Leadership
• Tim Sweeney, President & CEO, Gill Foundation
• Mary Lou Makepeace, Vice President, Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado
• Amber Ptak, Director, Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado
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