In October, Our Fund Foundation presented $355,000 in Health and Wellness Fund grants to South Florida nonprofits serving the local queer community.

What LGBT Americans can expect from a Trump administration and the realities of marriage equality were topics of a lecture presented by Our Fund Thursday evening in Fort Lauderdale.

It was the season for flashing reindeer, decked halls, silent nights, and double-checked gift lists. And those gift lists did not come only from brother Johnny and Aunt Sue.   There were telethons and radio marathons and mail-athons and pass-the-basket-athons, each asking for gifts of money for a favorite cause or politician.  

More than a year of the pandemic has exposed the dangerous gaps in health coverage for many underserved people in the LGBT community.

Suicide prevention, companionship, healthier living, artistic expression and education. Those are some of the goals behind Our Fund’s donation of 78,750 in grants to 12 organizations in South Florida. Most are focused on LGBT causes but the ones that aren’t were given the money because it will be used to help LGBT individuals.

Arts organizations have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic with theaters and performing arts venues largely shuttered until a vaccine can be developed.  

After 15 months of uncertainty about the future of live entertainment in South Florida, several organizations are leading the return with a tidal wave of LGBT programming, thanks to an initiative started by the Our Fund Foundation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the LGBT arts scene in South Florida. The shutdown impacted theaters, art walks, musical performances, and an entire community of people working in the arts and beyond. 

Despite being in a worldwide health crisis for nearly two years, many basic services and procedures have gone overlooked and underfunded.

Millions have been raised for the victims of June’s Pulse nightclub shooting. Now, Our Fund has been chosen to manage $1.5 million for non-profit organizations in Orlando and Central Florida.

In the U.S., mass incarceration is an LGBT issue. The U.S. incarcerates people at a higher rate than nearly every other nation in the world — poor LGBT people and LGBT people of color are disproportionately affected. 

Our Fund Foundation and Community Foundation of Broward are joining forces to increase LGBT support and develop innovative opportunities to grow social and racial equality for LGBT and BIPOC communities.

Two South Florida LGBT groups plan to discuss next week what they will do locally in support of the June 11 National Pride March in Washington D.C., which has attracted the interest of more than 100,000 people. Other groups plan to attend the D.C. march, but have no plans to do something in South Florida.