Community-Led Affirmation

Conducts data-informed research including a study on narrative change for racial equity in nonprofit funding and a May 2020 needs analysis survey assessing emergency aid access for POC artists and arts organizations during the pandemic.

Implements systemic improvements in communities of color through programs including the Grassroots Action Project, Rising Tides Research Institute, Arts Business Loan Fund, and Co-Learning Community Fellowship.

Provides capacity grants of up to $2,500 to nonprofit and small business participants in the Help Desk program to support operational expenses such as rent, software, equipment, insurance, utilities, accounting, fundraising operations, and volunteer staff stipends.

Hosts a Speaker Series in partnership with arts and science organizations to discuss issues facing Queer communities and communities of color.

Incubates Transform Gender Collective, a transformative justice support and accountability collective led by and for transmasculine and masculine-of-center BIPOC individuals, through ongoing workshops and individualized skill-building in conflict resolution and community accountability.

Offers a free 6-week program in spring and fall providing strategy and individualized consulting to individuals and organizations serving communities of color, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latine communities. Includes up to three one-on-one consulting appointments with experts of color and awards capacity grants of $1,000–$10,000 to support implementation of learning.

Hosted an in-person retreat in Breckenridge, CO in May 2023 for transmasculine and masculine-of-center BIPOC and delivers mutual aid through social media outreach, resource coordination, and collaborative partnerships.

Offers strategy, individualized consulting, and business education services to small organizations in STEAM fields with budgets under $2 million through a nationwide network of consultants. Supported 4,261 organizations and individuals and raised nearly $40 million for them over ten years.

Provides free downloadable flyers, web banners, and other marketing materials in multiple languages to promote awareness and use of the open-source LGBTQ+ resource platform.

Conducts a rigorous, tailored vetting process to verify that service providers are active, legitimate, and affirming for the LGBTQ+ community, with re-verification at least every six months. Only providers classified as “verified” are eligible for inclusion on the platform, and documentation of core vetting criteria is maintained and regularly updated.

Develops and operates a free, open-source technology platform that connects LGBTQ+ individuals—particularly asylum seekers, refugees, immigrants, BIPOC, transgender and gender non-conforming people, youth, and caregivers—to independently verified services including medical and mental health care, legal assistance, housing, food, employment, translation, and community support. The platform is accessible via web and mobile apps across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and provides instant matching to services.

Launches and operates public awareness campaigns such as #TransMascFutures in partnership with GLAAD to amplify stories from the trans masculine community and drive engagement with verified LGBTQ+ resources. Includes a multilingual campaign website with filtering by intersectional identity tags and integration with the InReach platform.

Engages trained volunteers to support the InReach platform through service provider vetting and the translation and proofreading of content into multiple languages to ensure multilingual access and usability for diverse LGBTQ+ communities.

Maintains and recommends the Rainbow Access Initiative LGBTQ+ Resource Directory, an interactive and downloadable PDF, to help community members access safe and affirming services.

Provides comprehensive training, presentations, and professional development to health providers, K-12 schools, colleges, businesses, government agencies, and community organizations to improve services for LGBTQ individuals. Also offers free 15–30 minute Pride Center Information Presentations to agencies and community groups.

Provides health and human services, educational programs, and community support to LGBTQIA+ individuals across a ten-county region centered in Albany, NY, through a physical location in Albany and outreach across the Capital Region. The organization operates as the longest continually operating Pride Center in the United States.

Runs the Partner-in-Pride recurring donor program to ensure consistent financial support for organizational operations.

Produces the Pride Guide and Gala Journal as part of ongoing efforts to promote education and awareness within the LGBTQ community.