Hello –

Moments ago, the Campaign for Southern Equality reopened the application process for our COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Program, which supports LGBTQ Southerners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We will give out $125,000 across the LGBTQ South over the next month, distributing grants through several rounds. There are three types of applications now open:

• Emergency Assistance Grants for LGBTQ Southerners: Individuals and families anywhere in the South facing the health and financial impacts of COVID-19 can apply for a $100 grant – click here to apply. If you’ve previously received an Emergency Assistance Grant, you are not eligible to apply for this round. 

• Emergency Assistance Grants for LGBTQ People in the Charleston, SC Area: Our friends at We Are Family have raised $3,500 in targeted Emergency Assistance Grants for LGBTQ people in 9 South Carolina counties in the Charleston area. Click here to apply for a $100 Emergency Assistance Grant in the Charleston area. 

• Community Response Grants in the Charleston, SC Area: We Are Family has also raised $2,500 to fund $500 grants for projects in 9 South Carolina counties dedicated to supporting LGBTQ Southerners through the COVID-19 pandemic. You do not need 501c3 status to apply. Click here to learn more and apply.

By June we will have distributed more than $200,000 in COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants. These grants move money directly to individuals and families, because that is what people have told us will most effectively address their immediate needs. Right now, LGBTQ people across the South are hurting, worrying about how they’ll make it through the next month financially while also doing everything they can to remain healthy, save their jobs, and care for their loved ones. More than 400 people have already received these grants since March. We’ve heard back from many who have shared that it has not only allowed them to buy food and make rent, but also let them know that there’s a community that cares about them and is ready to support. 

We are so grateful for support from our amazing community, our partners at Gender Benders, Southern Vision Alliance, Blue Ridge Pride, We Are Family, and foundations including the Arcus Foundation; the Families and Workers Fund, a funders collaborative that includes the Ford Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and Open Society Foundation; Freeman Foundation, Laughing Gull Foundation; the Amy Mandel Fund; the Out in the South Initiative of Funders for LGBTQ Issues; and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. 

Thank you for all your support,
Allison Scott
Campaign for Southern Equality

P.S. If you’d like to support these grants, please click here to make a donation.

Amigxs,

Hoy estamos reabriendo las becas de respuesta rápida COVID-19 para apoyar lxs sureñxs LBGTQ que han sido afectadxs por COVID-19.

Daremos $125,000 durante el próximo mes, asignando los fondos del programa de becas de Respuesta Rápida COVID-19 en el curso de varias rondas. Hay tres tipos de solicitudes ya están abiertas: 

• Becas de ayuda de emergencia para lxs Sureñxs LBGTQ: Lxs individuxs y familias en cualquier parte del sur que enfrentan los impactos financieros y de salud de COVID-19 pueden solicitar una beca de $100. Haga clic aquí para solicitarla. Si anteriormente recibió una beca de ayuda de emergencia, no es elegible para solicitar esta ronda.
• Becas de ayuda de emergencia para personas LBGTQ en Charleston, SC: We Are Family ha recaudado $3,500 en apoyo específico para personas LBGTQ en nueve condados de Carolina del Sur. Si vive en el región de Charleston, haga clic aquí para solicitar una Beca de Asistencia de Emergencia de $100.
• Becas de respuesta comunitaria: We Are Family también ha recaudado $2,500 en apoyo específico para becas de hasta $500 para financiar proyectos dedicados a apoyar a lxs sureñxs LBGTQ en nueve condados de Carolina del Sur durante la pandemia COVID-19. No necesita el estatus 501c3 para solicitarla. Haga clic aquí para obtener más información y presentar su solicitud.

Para finales de junio habremos distribuido más de $200,000 en becas de Respuesta Rápida COVID-19. Estas becas se dedican a mover dinero directamente a personas y familias, porque eso es lo que la gente nos ha dicho que satisfará de manera más efectiva sus necesidades inmediatas. En este momento, las personas LGBTQ en todo el Sur están sufriendo, preocupándose por cómo pasarán el próximo mes financieramente mientras hacen todo lo posible para mantenerse saludables, salvar sus trabajos y cuidar a sus seres queridos. Las personas que han recibido una de las más de 400 becas ya distribuidas nos han hecho saber que no solo les ha permitido comprar alimentos o el alquiler, también les recuerda que hay una comunidad que se preocupa y está lista para apoyar.

Muchas gracias al apoyo de nuestrxs increíbles seguidorxs y de nuestrxs socixs Gender Benders, Southern Vision Alliance, Blue Ridge Pride, We Are Family, y de fundaciones, incluyendo the Arcus Foundation; Families and Workers Fund, una colaboración de financiadorxs que incluye Ford Foundation, Schmidt Futures, y Open Society Foundation; Freeman Foundation; Laughing Gull Foundation; Amy Mandel Fund; the Out in the South Initiative of Funders for LGBTQ Issues; y the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

Gracias a todxs por su apoyo,
Allison Scott
Campaign for Southern Equality

P.S. Si desea apoyar estas becas, por favor haga clic aquí para hacer una donación.