The Queer Texas Crisis Fund, a joint project by Texas Pride Impact Funds and Equality Texas, was created to provide a second round of emergency funding in 2020 for LGBTQ+ serving nonprofit organizations providing emergency relief to communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the "further-exposed" health and racial justice inequities in our state and country. Grants were awarded to sixteen organizations providing direct service to our LGBTQ+ community members impacted by the pandemic and/orthe effects of systemic racism. The fundraising campaign ran July to September and awards were announced and distributed in October 2020.
Texas Pride Impact Funds is profoundly grateful to our colleagues at Equality Texas for proposing, and bringing energy to this endeavor during the pandemic to assist stressed organizations around the state, shifting resources to where they are needed the most. Together, we decided the most impactful thing we could do was use our organizations' platforms and resources to raise an additional round of funds, ($47,500) to assist our community partners with their vital work. We are proud of the Queer Texas Crisis Fund and all of the amazing people who contributed to the initiative.
The Equality Texas Foundation works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Texans through education, community organizing, and collaboration; learn more about Equality Texas here: https://www.equalitytexas.org
Recipients
AIDS Outreach Center (Fort Worth) Through outreach, prevention and community information programs, AOC educates the public about HIV prevention while offering free and/or low-cost services to HIV+ individuals and their families. The $5,000 QTCF grant will be used for general operating expenses.
AIDS Walk South Dallas The mission of AIDS Walk South Dallas, Inc. is to empower all persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS with emphasis on African-American MSM's, through prevention, advocacy, education, peer support, linkage to care and emergency financial assistance. The $2,851 QTCF grant will be used for the Emergency Financial Assistance Program.
allgo (Austin) allgo is a statewide organization offering a variety of programs to support Queer People of Color and programming that broadly falls into three categories: cultural arts, wellness, and social justice. The $2,477 QTCF funding will support expanding community outreach, events, and service.
BEAT AIDS (San Antonio) BEAT AIDS' (Black Effort Against the Threat of AIDS) mission is to provide the highest quality HIV/AIDS prevention, education and services reaching out to the community. the $4,490 QTCF award will fund current clinical programs.
Borderland Rainbow Center (El Paso) BRC's mission is to create a community space in which LGBTQI people and their allies can heal, grow, and empower themselves and others. The $2,568 QTCF funding will support increased hours for the part time staff that operates the food pantry and coordinates volunteers.
East Lubbock Art House (Lubbock) ELAH is an arts organization dedicated to supporting emerging and marginalized artists of color as well as working towards the betterment of the Eastern portion of Lubbock. As a QTCF recipient, ELAH use the $2,416 funds for facility improvements that uplift and create a dynamic space for marginalized artists.
Embrace Austin is a collective of LGBTQIA2+ organizations, individuals and businesses in Austin. Embrace Austin aims to build bridges between queer people and initiatives, boost Austin’s queer economy, and set a new standard for cultural competency for LGBTQIA2+ Austin. We do this through hosting collaborative events, providing community-building opportunities, and leading with multiply-marginalized, intergenerational LGBTQIA2+ people. The $2,394 QTCF grant supports a fund for gender affirming surgeries for Transgender/Nonbinary individuals.
Institute for Chicanx Psychology (Austin) Serving the mental wellness of the Latinx Chicanx community. The $2,165 QTCF funding will assist behavioral health programs, applied to copays, sliding scale client contribution portions or full sessions with therapists trained in racial trauma issues, identity trauma, etc.
Organizacion latina Trans in Texas (Houston) OLTT's mission is to defend, protect and ensure equal rights for trans people in Texas; to create and maintain a physical space where trans folks are able to educate themselves and analyze legal situations; and to have basic access to healthcare, social protections and human rights and justice for our trans population. QTCF funds, $4,250, will support Rapid Response Relief including the distribution of PPE, sanitizers and cleaning supplies as well as prepared food for those who have been impacted by COVID-19.
Panhandle AIDS Support Organization (Amarillo) PASO offers education to the general public and emotional support to those persons infected with HIV disease in the 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle. PASO is also a full service community based organization with a case management system which provides referrals to doctors, dentists and optometrists, therapeutic counseling, transportation, respite care, and support groups. PASO will utilize the $2,645 in QTCF funds for Covid-19 related medical and social services, provide PPE to clients in need, and general operating expenses that have increased due to the pandemic.
Save Our Sisters United, Inc (Houston) SOSU's Vision is "To empower & mobilize Transgender women of color through self-empowerment and community empowerment, while better educating self and society on trans issues in today’s world." $2,486 in QTCF funding will be used as direct financial aid to those most likely to be left behind during this strenuous time of social, medical and financial hardship.
The Mahogany Project (Houston) The Mahogany Project aims to reduce social isolation, stigma, and acts of injustice in TQLGB+ Communities of Color and strives to increase the quality of life of Black women of trans-experience in the South. The $2,938 in QTCF funding will support community leaders of color impacted by the COVID-19, who lost wages as a result of the pandemic and who may not have traditional 9 to 5 jobs.
South Texas Equality Project (Harlingen) STEP is a partnership of LGBT organizations & individuals focused on advocacy and visibility of the LGBT community in the Rio Grande Valley. The $2,458 QTCF grant will assist South Texas LGBTQ+ community members with STRUA (short term rental or utility assistance) for those who have been impacted by COVID-19.
Transforming Texas (San Antonio) With the Mission "We focus on making the maximum positive effort for the Trans Community," the organization will use the $2,787 QTCF grant for food and direct financial relief in community members in greatest need.
Transfronterizxs (El Paso) A project of Alliance of Border Collaboratives, whose goal is to improve HIV-related health, wellness, and quality of life for transgender individuals living on the U.S.- Mexico Border. Over 80% of Tranfronterizxs' clients are trans folks of color, a population facing increased economic hardship due in part to the global pandemic. About half of these clients are unemployed and their access to essential transitional materials, including labs and medication, is dramatically reduced. The $2,978 QTCF grant is earmarked for the Transfronterizxs hormone therapy fund.
Whatsinthemirror? (Austin) Whatsinthemirror? is a social movement that provides suicide prevention and mental health awareness through art and advocacy to people of color and low socio-economic communities, focusing on marginalized communities that includes women, LGBTQIA+, and youth. The $2,610 QTCF funding will expand programming of culturally affirmed care.