Supporting Pride Year-Round with Groundswell
This weekend, the streets of New York will swell with tens of thousands of marchers and millions of spectators at the annual Pride March —…
This weekend, the streets of New York will swell with tens of thousands of marchers and millions of spectators at the annual Pride March — the first fully in-person march in three years. It’s the culmination of Pride Month, when we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, acknowledge the progress made over decades of discrimination, harassment, and violence, and raise awareness of challenges the community continues to face. After this weekend’s festivities wind down, support for the LGBTQ+ community is a year-round effort, and there is no shortage of opportunities to support organizations working tirelessly to advocate for equal rights.
Groundswell, which launched in the App Store in April, makes giving easier than ever by setting you up with a Personal Giving Account (powered by a Donor-Advised Fund). That means you can add money into your account, donate to charities of your choosing, and get a single tax receipt for all of your contributions at the end of the year, so you never miss another income-tax deduction.
Companies can also offer Groundswell as an employee benefit, allowing employers to double an employee’s charitable impact through gifting funds and matching donations, while getting invaluable insights about the issues their teams care most about.
One of the best parts about Groundswell is how easy the app makes it to discover organizations you’re aligned with. Groundswell unlocks access to 1.5 million charities — below are five supporting the LGBTQ+ community that you can donate to today (or anytime throughout the year). Download the app here.
The Trevor Project is a nonprofit focusing on suicide prevention among LGBTQ+ youth through 24/7, confidential, and free phone, text, and chat support. They also spearhead a large-scale, annual national survey on LGBTQ+ youth mental health with 34,000 participants. The survey results make plain just how critical their work is — 45% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, and 60% of youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were unable to get it. In addition to donating, you can sign up to volunteer your time as a trained counselor (no degree or license is required).
The Transgender Law Center is the largest national trans-led organization changing law, policy, and attitudes so all people can live safely and authentically. They have fought for and won litigation victories spanning employment, education, prison conditions, immigration, and healthcare. Most recently, they represented two families suing the state of Alabama for denying medical care to transgender adolescents, and filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit that would challenge a groundbreaking law protecting transgender people incarcerated in the state of California.
Equality Texas is the largest nonpartisan statewide political advocacy organization working to eradicate discrimination against the LGTBQ+ community. When the Texas Legislature is in session, Equality Texas lobbies to protect LGBTQ+ Texans from dangerous legislative changes. Some of their victories include preventing measures that would forbid gay and lesbian individuals from serving as foster and adoptive parents, defeating bills that would have prevented the recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages and civil unions, and helping pass stronger hate crime laws.
GLSEN is dedicated to making sure schools are a safe and affirming environment for LGTBQ+ students, free from bullying and harassment. They support safe school environments through developing supportive educators who set the tone in their classrooms, passing and implementing key policies, promoting inclusive curriculums that feature LGBTQ+ people, history, and events, and supporting Gender and Sexuality student-led alliances at schools.
The Center for Black Equity improves equity for Black LGBTQ+ people through economic empowerment, social and educational access, and health and wellness advocacy. LGBTQ+ people of color are more likely to experience discrimination than white individuals, including greater incidences of police interactions, workplace discrimination, and systemic economic inequities. The Center also supports the official Black Pride celebrations around the world, which are a critical gateway to the LGBTQ+ community for many people of color.