Rainbow Community’s ‘Brave’ Funding Projects Announced
19 July 2017 at 2:27 pm
Australia’s first giving circle supporting LGBTQIA opportunities, called The Channel, has announced the recipients of its first grants supporting Australia’s rainbow community.
The Channel offered $15,000 in funding for “rainbow” projects supporting what it described as “Brave Representations” in its inaugural grant round.
The Channel, which went live in December 2016, aims to change the way Australians experience gender and sexuality through philanthropy.
The inaugural grantmaking subcommittee, made up of founding members, narrowed down 36 applicants to select a shortlist of three candidates for the $10,000 Haring Grant and three candidates for the $5,000 Hampton Grant.
As a result of a member vote, the giving circle will support Melbourne-based Pride in Care, which is being established by Lara Gerrand, with $5,000 to seed an advocacy, education and leadership organisation lead by same sex attracted and sex and gender diverse young people who have lived in foster care, residential care or kinship care.
“Taking inspiration from the RISE program in the US, the group led by Lara will develop leadership skills to educate workers and carers on how best to work with LGBTQI+ young people in out of home care,” executive director of The Channel Georgia Mathews told Pro Bono News.
“Lara works in that field and is a member of the LGBTQI community and has identified this gap and is well placed to lead the project.”
As well Documentary Australia Foundation will receive $10,000 towards the production of a film called A Clever Label.
“Using interactive virtual reality technology, the film’s director Michela Ledwidge shares her personal story as a queer transwoman to spotlight the public, but often hidden, data on the influence of the Australian Christian Lobby on our democracy and its impacts on LGBTQI+ people,” Mathews said.
“I’m proud of our membership for funding some really hard-hitting projects. People often assume that giving circles tend towards funding ‘warm and fuzzy’ projects due to their democratic decision-making processes. The result of this round has certainly blown that idea out of the water.”
The Channel works through a membership model, made up of LGBTI people and allies, who give $25, $50 or $100 monthly donations in exchange for one vote in deciding which projects to support.
The Channel Sub-fund is hosted by The Gay and Lesbian Foundation of Australia (GALFA).
GALFA aims to provide funds for charitable activities and organisations which have as their sole or chief purpose/outcome, the good and betterment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex people and allied communities, in Australia.
As well, The Channel plans to distribute a second round of funds before the end of 2017.
