Texas Pride Impact Funds Announces Completion of Comprehensive Needs Assessment Study of State LGBTQ Individuals and Service Providers/Agencies to Guide Grant Funding
Group Now Accepting Grant Applications from Texas Service Organizations, Programs that Benefit the State’s Significant LGBTQ Community
HOUSTON — The board of directors of Texas Pride Impact Funds (TPIF), a statewide community foundation organized to secure the future for LGBTQ Texans by inspiring giving and investment to expand opportunities and enrich communities, announced today the completion of a comprehensive, first-of-its kind needs assessment study of Texas’ LGBTQ community and service organizations. The study, dubbed IMPACT Texas Needs Assessment (ITNA), was conducted to inform TPIF’s grant priorities and the organization’s inaugural grant cycle scheduled for this year. Initial findings from the study point to disparities between current programs and actual needs, especially in the areas of health care accessibility, senior and youth programs, employment and social support in non-urban areas
The study, commissioned by TPIF and designed and fielded by Dr. Richard Scotch and Dr. Kara Sutton of the University of Texas at Dallas’ School of Economic, Political & Policy Sciences, engaged with more than 800 LGBTQ respondents and 80 service organizations in the state from late spring-mid-summer 2017 through surveys, focus groups and key informant interviews. The study was designed to provide greater understanding of the state’s growing, diverse LGBTQ population, considering factors such as gender identity, urban or rural settings, ethnicity, age and income, to gauge:
- range of LGBTQ needs and concerns in Texas
- resources currently available to meet those needs, and
- gaps between needs and resources
“The study results provide critical insight into the disparity between the needs of LGBTQ Texans, and what service organizations currently are equipped to provide,” said TPIF board member Roger Wedell. “We learned that more than half of respondents were forced to delay medical care, and that 40 percent of those polled had experienced food insecurity. These and other societal issues are exacerbated among LGBTQ people of color. With help from supporters, we’ll be able to close gaps such as these by funding the organizations that are serving our LGBTQ community with programs that address these mounting needs.”
ITNA will be released as TPIF’s first publication in May 2018 on the organization’s website, txpif.org. In addition to providing insight into service gaps, the publication will be distributed at a series of town hall type events to be held around the state over the next 12 months, serving as a catalyst to network LGBTQ constituencies statewide including community leaders, donors and the estimated 150 service organizations that today provide basic needs, healthcare, financial and other support in the state.
TPIF Issues RFP for Grant Applications
TPIF also announced today that the community foundation is accepting applications for its first round of funding for Texas-based service organizations that provide support and services to the state’s LGBTQ community. Based on the study’s findings, priorities for the organization’s funding this year are health care, seniors, youth, employment, and social support in non-urban areas. TPIF will fund a total of $120,000 in grants on the first round of funding to be made to selected grantees by August 1, 2018.
“Our goal for our first round of funding is to provide financial support to service organizations that are doing incredible work but lack the staff or financial resources to fulfill their mission,” added Wedell. “We look forward to connecting with a number of service organizations, those they serve, and donors throughout the state. Our work is just beginning, as we engage with organizations and programs that are providing critical support to the state’s growing LGBTQ population.”
Organizations wishing to apply for a grant may obtain the application online and proposals must be submitted by April 16, 2018. See txpif.org/2018-grants/ for details. Applicants will be evaluated by TPIF’s Grants Action Group, approved by TPIF’s board of directors, and notified by June 25, 2018.
About Texas Pride Impact Funds
TPIF is a statewide organization founded in 2015 to secure the future of LGBTQ Texans by inspiring giving and investment to expand opportunity and enrich communities. TPIF operates as a stand-alone LGBTQ community foundation and seeks to serve as catalyst for LGBTQ organizations and philanthropists in the state by connecting communities of volunteers and donors to improve the lives of the state’s population of more than 900,000 LGBTQ adults and youth. A “First Hundred Funders” campaign, a multi-year financial commitment, is underway for supporters who believe in the strategic, long-term purpose of TPIF. The Dallas Foundation is the fiscal sponsor of TEXAS PRIDE IMPACT FUNDS, a component fund of The Dallas Foundation, a 501(c)(3), publicly supported charity, Federal Tax ID 75-2890371. For more information, to support or to get involved, visit Texas Pride Impact Funds online or email [email protected].
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