Protecting the Investment in Transgender Organizations

What does success look like for funders when the organizations they believe in are being forced to shrink, pause programs, or close their doors?

If the goal is lasting community impact, then walking away now does not protect an investment—it puts it at risk. Every grant, relationship, training, and capacity-building effort already made in transgender-led organizations represents years of work, trust, and momentum. The question is not whether funders can afford to keep giving. It is whether they can afford to let that investment disappear.

Transgender organizations are facing real pressure from hostile policies, rising need, and shrinking resources. When organizations close or cut services, communities lose trusted support systems, and funders lose the social return on investments they have already made. For example, through TRANScend, 40% of funded organizations who participated in our 2023 Grantee Convening, have been on the verge of shutting down key services or drastically reduced their services. This is due to funding being reversed, "sunseted", or simply not renewed as impacted by the political climate. This means less care, fewer connections, and increased health risks for the people those organizations serve. At the same time, TSC’s 2025 impact summary shows what is possible when funders stay in: organizations and leaders who received mini-grants, fellowships, coaching, and capacity-building support reported stronger programmatic and fundraising outcomes, including about $3 million raised by recipients after receiving support from TSC.

This is the moment to double down—not back out. Moreover, new, and multi-year funding gives transgender organizations the stability to keep staff, sustain programs, serve communities, and plan beyond the next crisis. It also protects what funders have already helped build. Renewed and expanded support is not just generosity; it is smart stewardship. By investing for the long term, funders help ensure that transgender-led organizations do not merely survive this political moment, but continue growing the leadership, care, and change their communities need for generations to come.

If you or your institution is interested in supporting organizations like TSC, send us a message and let's explore how we can work together.