GCCR awarded a total of $40,000 in grants to nine Central Virginia non-profit organizations in 2009. The grants helped fund programs and capital projects that positively impact the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people in Central Virginia.
The grant recipients were selected by an eight-member Grants Advisory Committee made up of community leaders from varying backgrounds. The criteria for selecting the recipients included the mission of the organization, the nature of the project, the reach and impact of the project on Central Virginia’s LGBT community, and the measurable goals for the project.
The recipients of the 2009 grants are:
- GLSEN: To further their support of Gay/Straight Alliances in area schools and purchase resource materials for school libraries.
- PFLAG: To underwrite a fund-raising performance by Narissa Bond.
- Minority Health Consortium: For STD education and prevention among lesbian and bisexual women.
- Richmond Women’s Chorus: To recruit an Associate Artistic Director, Accompanist and secure rehearsal and performance space.
- Virginia Anti-Violence Project: To host a Board retreat and create a strategic plan.
- Fan Free Clinic: To increase access to health services for both the underinsured and uninsured.
- Virginia Historical Society: To process, preserve and make available records of Virginia LGBT history and activism.
- Metropolitan Community Church: To provide spiritual and emotional support to LGBT college students and recent graduates.
- Richmond Triangle Players: To partially underwrite the cost of their new theater.
The Minority Health Consortium was awarded the “Jon Klein Grant for Community Activism” in honor of the Founder of the Gay Community Center of Richmond. Jon Klein worked to protect and advance the lives and opportunities shared by all our in our community, from those who find themselves homeless or at risk to those who want to find a sense of belonging and to learn from cultural and educational opportunities.
“The programs that were selected will benefit the LGBT community in a variety of ways,” according to Jay Squires, President of the Gay Community Center of Richmond and member of the GCCR Grants Advisory Committee. “These projects include increasing access to health care and health information, strengthening area arts organizations, providing support to at-risk youth and young adults, and archiving Central Virginia’s LGBT history for future generations.”
Information about the 2010-2011 GCCR Grant Program will be announced shortly.
