Introduction

The mission of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ+) Alliance Fund is to foster charitable giving in support of innovative programs and initiatives that benefit the LGBTQ+ community in Southern Arizona. Our donors, board, and staff envision a diverse and caring community where philanthropy meets the needs of all its members.

Click here to learn more about the Alliance Fund and how you can support this critical philanthropic work.


Since 1999, the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund has awarded $1,232,957 to 76 organizations in support of Southern Arizona’s LGBTQ+ programs and initiatives. The fund will continue its model of providing multi-year funding.


Please contact David Gardner, Program Manager, Community Investments at 520-770-0800 or dgardner@cfsaz.org for questions.

Grant Application Guidelines, Funding Priority Areas, and Eligibility Requirements for 2024

Grant Application Guidelines

The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund will consider applications for programs that fall into at least one or more of the following areas of interest and relationships to the LGBTQ+ Community. Special consideration will be given to programs that: incorporate collaboration between two or more organizations, clearly articulate measurable outcomes, can provide a clear description of plans to sustain the project beyond the grant year.

The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund recognizes there are a multitude of ways to serve the LGBTQ+ Community. To further assist organizations, we are expanding our understanding of the type of organizations we serve. This year, we are asking that organizations indicate their relationship to the LGBTQ+ Community. These distinctions are voluntary and do not affect applications positively or negatively.

LGBTQ+ Serving – Organizations’ primary mission is to serve the LGBTQ+ community. Organizations fit this description when they expressly offer the vast majority of their services specifically to individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and are primarily LGBTQ+ led.

LGBTQ+ Allied – Organizations have a strong history of supporting the LGBTQ+ Community through programming, leadership, and the addressing of issues related to the LGBTQ+ Community. The organization may not have a mission focus on LGBTQ+ issues. However, there is a strong focus of organizational culture that is dedicated to support, representation, understanding, and service to the LGBTQ+ Community.

Aspiring Ally – Organizations have a desire to support or enhance their work with the LGBTQ+ community and are steadily working to serve or ally with the LGBTQ+ Community. These organizations may be in their discovery or early implementations phases of work with the LGBTQ+ Community and looking for support to examine their ability to serve the community authentically, competently.

Other – We recognize that there are many alignments with the community that we may not have aptly portrayed. If your organization falls outside of the descriptions we have outlined above, please inform.

Funding Priority Areas

Only one application per agency will be accepted. However, if you are a fiscal agent for an organization, these applications will be considered separately. The following are current Alliance Fund priority areas.

  1. LGBTQ+ Community Building, Advocacy, and Collaborations – Projects that bring the LGBTQ+ community together and enhance it as a whole. Programs that work in collaboration with each other to benefit the LGBTQ+ community in Southern Arizona. The Alliance Fund is interested in work that creates equity and solidarity, increases the well-being of LGBTQ+ communities, and advances gender, racial, and economic justice. 
  2. Transgender Issues– We seek to support projects that provide information and assistance to help transgender individuals gain access to informed medical professionals and improve their agency, quality of life, and sense of belonging. This may include projects that provide personal development, economic empowerment, education, and training programs.
  3. Elder Issues – We support projects and organizations that aid LGBTQ+ elders in finding satisfactory basic support (housing, nutrition, health), in establishing good social networks, and planning for the future (estate and end-of-life issues.) 
  4. Youth Issues – Our support of projects and organizations that aid LGBTQ+ youth include programs that focus on youth who are particularly disenfranchised, e.g., youth of color, rural youth, low-income youth, gender non-conforming or questioning youth, young women, and other youth in need of assistance in the areas of homelessness, education, human service, and safety.
  5. General Operating Support– We recognize that general operating support provides vital support to organizations whose mission/work is to primarily support the LGBTQ+ Community in Southern Arizona may apply for general operating support. 
Eligibility Requirements

The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund is committed to advancing social justice and equity for all persons. The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund acknowledges the complex intersections of race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socio-economic status, national origin, language, disability, and other social identities as experienced by LGBTQ+ persons and commits to grantmaking with an equity lens in pursuit of liberation for all Southern Arizonans.  To advance this aim, the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund pro-actively seeks to provide funding to organizations led by and/or centering the voices, needs, and values of BIPOC, disabled, non-citizen, transgender, and gender non-conforming Southern Arizonans. The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund prioritizes funding for projects which embed anti-racist values and practices in inclusive community and program environments.

  • Awards made by the foundation’s various grant panels support organizations that do not discriminate in their employment practices, volunteer opportunities or delivery of programs and services on the basis of Race, Religion, Gender or Gender Identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), Gender Expression, Sexual orientation, Age, Ancestry, Citizenship, Ethnicity, Familial Status, Socioeconomic Status (economic circumstances), Color, Creed, Sex (including pregnancy), Phases of Parenthood, National Origin, Marital Status, Veteran Status (past, current or prospective service in the armed forces), Genetic Information, Physical Characteristics or Appearance, Mental or Physical Disability, Any other status prohibited by applicable law.
  • The applicant must be a 501(c)(3) in good standing, conducting charitable work in Southern Arizona. Grassroots groups that have identified a 501(c)(3) that will act as the fiscal agent may be eligible to apply. Please contact David Gardner at 520-382-9203 or dgardner@cfsaz.org to determine if you are eligible.
  • The applicant must have local leadership in the form of a board of directors or advisory committee, local financial support, and local program management and accountability. In the case of nationally sponsored organizations, no portion of the grant can be used to support the national, state, or regional entity.
  • The proposed program must directly benefit LGBTQ+ people living in Southern Arizona.
  • Grants are not made to individuals, for profit organizations, government entities, capital fund drives, agency endowments, individual schools, medical research or for sectarian purposes.
  • Maximum grant request is $10,000. Requests made for more than this amount will not be considered.
  • Organizations may request up to $10,000 in funding for the first year of the award cycle. The Grants Committee makes recommendations regarding second year funding based on satisfactory progress toward grant goals, receipt of required reports, and availability of funds.
  • Although the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund does not guarantee repeat funding to organizations, the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund Advisory Board values continued partnership with trusted LGBTQ+ service organizations as a key strategy to sustaining LGBTQ+ community in Southern Arizona and does not negatively evaluate grant applications solely on the basis of having received prior grant awards from the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund.
  • The LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund does not establish a preference or evaluate grant requests but utilizes a community review panel.

Documents Required:

  • 501(c)(3) Determination Letter
  • Project Budget – Download Template
  • Agency Board Roster – Download Template
  • Agency Staff roster – Download Template
  • Organization Diversity statement or policy– one page maximum or text with link to policy on organization’s website

Alliance Fund Grant History

Grant Impact History
Since 1999, the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund has awarded $1,232,957 to 76 organizations in support of Southern Arizona’s LGBTQ+ programs and initiatives.
Past Grant Impacts
  • 2001: Twelve grants were awarded for a total of $99,525.
  • 2002: Twelve grants were awarded for a total of $81,500.*
  • 2003: Ten grants were awarded for a total of $50,000.*
  • 2004: No grants were awarded.
  • 2005: Eight grants were awarded for a total of $24,040.
  • 2006: Seven grants were awarded for a total of $24,265.
  • 2007: Eight grants were awarded for a total of $25,725.
  • 2008: Fifteen grants were awarded for a total of $41,308.
  • 2009: Eleven grants were awarded for a total of $30,000.
  • 2010: Seven grants were awarded for a total of $28,600.
  • 2011: Fifteen grants including six Queer youth Initiative Grants for a total of $43,300.
  • 2012: Fifteen grants including six Queer youth Initiative Grants for a total of $42,000.**
  • 2013: Sixteen grants, including eight Queer Youth Initiative Grants, for a total of $48,500.**
  • 2014: Fifteen grants will be awarded for a total of $56,000.
  • 2015: Fifteen grants will be awarded for a total of $52,500.
  • 2016: Fifteen grants will be awarded for a total of $53,200.
  • 2017: Thirteen grants were awarded for a total of $52,835
  • 2018: Sixteen grants were awarded for a total of $63,000.
  • 2019: Sixteen grants were awarded for a total of $63,800.
  • 2020: Thirteen grants were awarded for a total of $72,060.
  • 2022: Fourteen grants were awarded for a total of $82,500.
  • 2023: Twelve grants were awarded for a total of $103,500.
  • 2023-24: Twelve grants were awarded for a total of $103,500.

*Included $50,000 in matching funds from the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership
**Co-funded by matching dollars from the Funders for LGBTQ Issues

Additional Past Grantees

2020-2021

2019-2020

  • Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage: Women, Trans and Femme Workshop
  • Camp Born This Way: Camp Born This Way (SAAF Fiscal Agent)
  • Cozamayotl (“Rainbow”) Wellness Program: Chicanos Por La Causa
  • Community Education on the Needs of Latinx LGBTQ Youth to Create Support Spaces for Families: Coalición de Derechos Humanos  (Arizona Border Rights Foundation Fiscal Agent)
  • Therapeutic Foster Care Recruitment for LGBTQ+: Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health AZ
  • El Rio SIA PrEP Telehealth HIV Outreach Pilot Project: El Rio Health Center Foundation
  • Stay Gold: An Intergenerational LGBTQIA+ Community Art Program: Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson
  • Emergency Housing for LGBTQ+ Youth: Our Family Services
  • 2019 Scholarship Program: PFLAG  through a Special Allocation by LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund
  • Cultural Competency Training Using Project Visibility: Pima Council on Aging
  • THEM – LGBTQ Youth Chorus: Reveille Men’s Chorus
  • Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA): Southern Arizona Gender Alliance
  • Southern Arizona Senior Pride: Southern Arizona Senior Pride (SAAF Fiscal Agent)
  • Transwomen Communicating with Confidence (TRACC): University of Arizona Speech Language and Hearing Clinic
  • Mapping Q: An Arts-Based Suicide-Prevention Program for LGBTQ+ Youth: University of Arizona Museum of Art

  • ACLU of Arizona
  • American Red Cross, Southern Arizona chapter
  • Arizona Children’s Association Safe Streets (Devore-Sloan and Leos Awards winner)
  • The Arizona Human Rights Fund
  • Arizona Theater Company
  • Arizona OnStage Productions
  • Beowulf Alley Theatre Company
  • Bicycle Inter-Community Art and Salvage (BICAS)
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson
  • Bisbee Coalition for the Homeless
  • Bisbee Pride Celebration
  • Bisbee Women’s Transition Project, Inc.
  • Borderlands Theater
  • Casa Libre en la Solana (Devore-Sloan and Leos Awards winner)
  • Camp Born This Way
  • Central School Project/Bisbee Pride
  • CODAC City of Tucson Commission on LGBT Issues
  • Ethica LGBT Adoptions (Matkin-Sincox Award Winner)
  • El Rio Community Health Center
  • Family Counseling Agency
  • Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
  • Jewish Community Center (Matkin-Sincox Award Winner)
  • LGBT Alliance/Raytheon Missile Systems
  • Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
  • Habitat for Humanity: Tucson (Matkin-Sincox Award Winner)
  • HOPE Inc.
  • IAMME Project (Pueblo High School)
  • Kore Press
  • KXCI Radio
  • LGBTQ Behavioral Health Coalition (Matkin-Sincox Award Winner)
  • La Frontera Center
  • Lesbian Cancer and Health Program
  • Loft Cinema
  • Mariposas Sin Fronteras
  • New ARTiculations Dance Theatre
  • Open Inn, Inc.
  • Our Family Services
  • OUR TOWN Family Center
  • Pan Left Productions
  • Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc. (PFLAG)
  • Pima Community Access Program
  • Pima Council on Aging (PCOA)
  • Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona
  • Pride Family of Cochise County
  • Reveille Men’s Chorus
  • Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation (SAAF) (Devore-Sloan and Leos Awards winner)
  • Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault
  • Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA)
  • Southern Arizona Senior Pride
  • Spoken Futures
  • TGNet Arizona
  • Tucson Centers for Women and Children
  • Tucson Jewish Community Center
  • Tucson Metropolitan Community Chorus/Desert Voices
  • University of Arizona Foundation: Institute for LGBT Studies
  • University of Arizona Foundation: Office of LGBTQ Affairs (Devore-Sloan and Leos Awards winner)
  • University of Arizona Museum of Art
  • Voices (Matkin-Sincox Award Winner)
  • Wingspan, Inc. (Devore-Sloan Award winner)
  • YWCA
  • Zuzi Move-it Dance Company