PFLAG Portland Black Chapter (Portland, OR)
Portland’s African-American/Black PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chapter promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and secure equal human rights. PFLAG provides an opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. This grant will provide general operating support, which will include organizing African American faith leaders and being a strong partner in Oregon’s campaign for marriage equality.

Montana Human Rights Network (Helena, MT)
MHRN is a grassroots, membership-based organization with over 1,600 members and seven local affiliate groups. Our mission is to promote democratic values such as pluralism, equality, and justice; to challenge bigotry and intolerance; and to organize communities to speak out in support of human rights principles and democratic institutions. This grant will fund MHRN’s LGBT programming, which will include community-building and leadership development in Helena, following a successful anti-discrimination ordinance campaign there, as well as a new anti-discrimination campaign in Bozeman.

Causa Oregon (Salem, OR)
Causa Oregon’s mission is to foster a society that recognizes the contributions of immigrants and upholds the values of democracy, equality, and respect. This grant will support the expansion of Causa’s LGBTQ Radio Initiative: La Voz de Todos, a project of the LGBTQ Alliance Building Program, to Central Oregon. This expansion will mark phase one of a larger plan to eventually bring all components of the program—leadership classes, LBGTQ groups, alliance building, theatre and radio—to rural areas of Oregon where there are few resources for the LGBTQ Latino immigrant community. The aim is to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues among the Latino community and inform the community about national-level immigration reform, both the legislative process and its eventual implementation.

Center for Intercultural Organizing (Portland, OR)
CIO is a diverse, grassroots organization that leads community-based efforts to protect and expand immigrant and refugee rights through education, civic engagement and policy advocacy, community organizing and mobilization, and intergenerational leadership development.This grant will help CIO build its internal capacity to ensure a supportive organizational structure that meets the needs of all of its constituents, emphasizing the needs of LGBTQ members. Funds will be used to hire a LGBTQ project coordinator, support a twice-monthly group of LGBTQ immigrant/refugee members, increase capacity to play a leadership role on LGBTQ issues, and research, design and implement issue campaigns/partnerships that will further LGBTQ justice for immigrants, refugees, and people of color.

Idaho Safe Schools Coalition (Boise, ID)
Idaho Safe Schools Coalition, is a grassroots partnership of youth, parents, educators and community members dedicated to ensuring that each child feels safe attending school. Our mission is to help Idaho schools become safer places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The goals of the Coalition are to help schools decrease and respond to incidences of harassment and victimization and to better meet the needs of students who are perceived and/or identify as LGBTQQ (queer), as well as children of queer families. In order to achieve our goals, we focus on systemic change and programming that can transform Idaho schools toward becoming safer places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. This grant will provide general operating support.

These organizations are making great strides and are working everyday within their communities to make change. Be sure to visit their webpages, learn more about their work, and ways to support their efforts.