HIV COVID-19

Rapid Response Fund

for Black & Brown

TGNC Communities

Providing immediate and urgent support to organizations serving Black and Brown Transgender and Gender Non-conforming (TGNC) people who are directly affected by COVID-19 and HIV in the United States.

About the Fund

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented catastrophic consequences for our community, which already faces numerous barriers to safety and well-being. TSC and DT are leading a national effort to mobilize urgent rapid response grantmaking to reach the most vulnerable members of the Black and Brown TGNC community, who are disproportionately affected. There is a dire urgency to support TGNC-led organizations, whose infrastructure and sustainability are at stake, at a time when their services and support are needed more than ever. Even with recent progress in funding for trans communities, our TGNC-led organizations are still building infrastructure, with the assistance of TSC/DT and their partners. The COVID-19 pandemic—and the disruption of life as we know it—is poised to have a devastating impact on these organizations and the communities we all serve.

The HIV COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund for Black & Brown TGNC Communities will be providing general operating support grants to organizations in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) that have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants will range from $5,000 up to $25,000. With these funds, grantee organizations may also provide direct resources to Black and Brown TGNC individuals facing catastrophic circumstances.

Eligibility

Organizations interested in applying must meet the following eligibility requirements:

1. Be TGNC-led* with over 80% of the people served by the organization being Black or Brown communities.

2. Have a 501(c)3 tax designation or have a fiscal sponsor that has a 501(c)3 tax designation

3. Have a component of your organizational work that meaningfully addresses HIV among Black and Brown TGNC communities

*We adhere to the Trans Justice Funding Project definition of TGNC-led: the majority of people in charge of the organization identify as trans or gender non-conforming. Non-trans led organizations with a trans focused project are not eligible for this funding.

Timeline

Grant applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If you are selected for funding, we will contact you with a grant agreement for signature and a banking form to complete so that we can send you funds in the quickest possible manner. You will be notified if your application is eligible for funding but may be held for decisions on subsequent rounds with additional donated funds. We will also request a brief final report on the rapid response grant four months after funds are expended.

Use of Funds

These grant funds will be distributed to grantees in the form of general operating support. General operating support grant funds may be used for any activities or expenses, so as long as the expenditures are for charitable purposes, do not violate any laws or IRS guidelines, and do not jeopardize the nonprofit status of the organization, they are in compliance with your grant agreement

Submission Process

Grant applications may be received by written submission or video

Grant Amounts

Grants amounts will be in the range of $5,000 - $25,000.

"Whenever a negative has come up in my life, which affects swaths of our US population, brown and specifically Black people come up with the short end of the stick. Be it incarceration, homelessness, diabetes, HIV, unemployment, low-income, poverty, and now COVID 19, it all has consistently hit us the hardest. Coronavirus is a global event which knows no color, orientation, gender, or economic status; and has shown light on the disparities Black and brown people face through our societal structure. Coupled with heightened awareness due to recent events, where communities are beyond ‘fed up’, we come at a time where change is not just needed, but imperative."

"COVID-19 exposed what many working at nonprofits that engage Black transgender folx have been saying for years, there’s a disparity that exist within systems of safety. Issues around housing, food insecurity, employment and health care have plagued Black trans people forever. With COVID-19 impacting this community with the highest rates of infection, it is imperative to establish collaborative efforts that are rooted in community."