Taking Pride in Our Work Together
As we celebrate the rainbow-hued festivities of Pride Month in 2023, we’re also reflecting on the Federation’s pioneering work in support of the LGBTQIA+ Jewish community. Our organization made history as the first federation in the country to create an LGBTQIA+ Alliance (the Alliance), and we did so as a means of community strengthening, leadership building, and strategic grantmaking designed to inspire and engage the Bay Area’s LGBTQIA+ residents.
The Alliance had a two-fold purpose: it worked to ensure that all Jews felt welcome throughout the community, particularly in institutions that aimed to educate our youth and introduce them to Jewish life. And it provided much-needed resources to organizations and programs that strived to grow and strengthen the Jewish LGBTQIA+ community by developing leaders, providing mentorship, training opportunities, and board placement.
Fast forward to the present. From the nomination of Arthur Slepian, the first openly LGBTQIA+ Board Chair in our organization’s history, to creating the Jewish Pride Fund, a giving circle of the Federation, we continue to facilitate innovative work that uplifts and supports the LGBTQIA+ community.
The Federation blazes a trail with the Jewish Pride Fund.
Launched in 2018, the Jewish Pride Fund supports the intersecting needs, values, and interests of the LGBTQIA+ and Jewish communities in the Bay Area, nationally, and in Israel. Its activities ensure Jewish LGBTQIA+ voices are heard across secular and religious society. The Fund contributes to the rising power and agency of LGBTQIA+ people through the financial and activist support of deserving organizations.
In its sixth grantmaking cycle, the 28-member Fund has granted a record $56,600 to six extraordinary LGBTQIA+ organizations in the U.S. and Israel. This year’s grantees include:
HOSHEN – Israel
Israel Gay Youth – Israel
Jerusalem Open House – Israel
Jewish Queer Youth (JQY) – National
Sephardic-Mizrahi Q Network – National
Tehila – Israel
Increase your impact by recommending grants to Jewish organizations serving the LGBTQIA+ community.
This June, join in on the celebration by advocating for a more inclusive and accepting world through opportunities to give collaboratively and increase the impact of your grants to Jewish LGBTQIA+ organization. The Federation’s Endowment Fund will contribute up to $20,000 to Jewish organizations that receive grants from Federation DAFs or supporting foundations during the month of June. This giving guide features a curated list of organizations doing amazing work in the U.S. and Israel.
Help support and build the LesbianGlobal community.
Naomi Fine and Kathy Levinson established a DAF at the Federation in 2001 to help implement their philanthropic goals. Building on this foundation, in 2021, Naomi and Kathy founded LesbianGlobal, a community of lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ+) women who learn from experts and each other to advocate for and make high-impact investments in the underserved LBQ+ women’s communities globally. LesbianGlobal’s work is guided by research on the state of LBQ+ women’s rights and needs internationally.
This soul-nourishing community seeds a movement for legal, economic, social, and political equality and equity for LBQ+ women globally. The Federation is pleased to partner with LesbianGlobal as their donor-advised fund sponsor and support their innovative collaborative philanthropy approach.
Visit our community events calendar for upcoming events near you. Check back often as new events are added.
The organizations listed in our giving guide work to address the challenges faced by the LGBTQIA+ communities in the U.S. and in Israel. These organizations were curated by our professional philanthropic advisors and informed by the organizations supported by Federation donor-advised funds and our Jewish Pride Fund, a giving circle. We encourage you to consider supporting these organizations as part of your giving strategy. For more information about the Jewish Pride Fund, contact Danielle Meshorer.
