Creating Change National Conference

The Arcus Foundation presented its new strategy for social justice grantmaking to more than 100 participants at one of the largest annual gatherings of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender movement in the United States. The Foundation, which has supported U.S. and international partners in the LGBT movement with more than $100 million in grants during the last 12 years, hosted the strategy briefing as part of the Creating Change National Conference on LGBT equality, organized by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The presentation on 25 January at the conference site in the Hilton Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, provided a detailed overview of the new five-year strategy and an in-depth exploration of the rationale behind the Foundation’s U.S. program, which is now focused on empowering young people and communities of color to be effective advocates for LGBT equality, as well as addressing the particular challenges facing LGBT youth of color. Arcus Executive Director Kevin Jennings and Vice President of Social Justice Programming Tom Kam spoke at the event. Program staff were on hand to provide information and answer questions about Arcus’s broader plans to put LGBT equality on the agendas of the world’s religious leaders, international bodies and human rights organizations. Organizations whose work contributes to achieving the goals of Arcus’s Social Justice Program may be eligible for a grant from the Foundation. They were encouraged to review Arcus guidelines and assess alignment between their work and Arcus’s strategy. Following this review, those with a strong alignment or additional questions were invited to contact Erica Lim to clarify key points or assess the potential for collaboration.