Friends –

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating implications for so many Southerners’ physical health, mental health, and economic well-being. Our heart goes out to everyone as we navigate this time.

Our team at the Campaign for Southern Equality has been honored to provide support to LGBTQ Southerners experiencing this impact firsthand. At the end of March we launched our COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round to support individuals, families, and community organizations affected by the pandemic, distributing $25,000 in less than three days. 

Now, thanks to the generous donations from so many of you – as well as longtime partners Gender Benders, the Southern Vision Alliance, Blue Ridge Pride, and others – we’re reopening this grant round for a new phase. We’ll be giving out an additional $30,000 in grants.

LGBTQ Southerners are now able to apply for immediate financial support of $100. The easy application process is designed to move funds quickly to LGBTQ Southerners who are already experiencing the health and financial impacts of the pandemic, with a focus on those who are at particularly high risk. If you received an Emergency Assistance Grant in the first round, you are not eligible to apply in the second round. Click here to learn more and apply for an Emergency Assistance Grant.

Anyone can apply for a Community Response Grant of up to $500 to fund a project to meet the needs of LGBTQ Southerners in response to COVID-19. Whether it’s a project focused on connecting LGBTQ elders with meals or tech assistance, an initiative to connect people virtually to build community, an effort to address mental health challenges that will be exacerbated by social distancing, or something else, we’re looking forward to reading applications. Click here to learn more and apply for a Community Response Grant. 

By the end of the second round of these grants, CSE will have distributed a total of $55,000 to support LGBTQ Southerners impacted by COVID-19.

The need is real – and growing. We are increasingly concerned about the lack of response from many state governments across the South, failing to implement policies to promote social distancing and to dedicate sufficient funding to meet tremendous human needs. As of early April, Mississippi has the highest rate of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the U.S.; New Orleans is projected to soon be the next global epicenter of the pandemic; and one in 10 deaths in the U.S. from COVID-19 has occurred in the four-state arc of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

We can’t thank you enough for your support as we work to move resources across the LGBTQ South in this critical time.

Thank you,
Jasmine Beach-Ferrara
Campaign for Southern Equality

P.S. We were blown away by your contributions to support the COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round, and we’re already fundraising for a third round. If you’d like to support the next round of grants, click here to make a donation.