This year, National Give OUT Day falls on the last day of Pride month and I can’t think of a better way to end the month than by focusing on . You may be asking yourself – what is National Give OUT Day?
National Give OUT Day is US’s only national day of giving dedicated specifically to LGBTQ+ organizations such as , , and the The Horizons Foundation hosts National Give OUT Day. As an LGBTQ+ community foundation, The Horizons Foundations invests in LGBTQ+ organizations. They invest in those that provide services or advocacy to the community. Since 2013, National Give OUT Day has raised more than $6 million for LGBTQ+ organizations.
The Horizon Foundation hosts this 24-hour giving fest by allowing folks to donate directly through their platform. Each registered organization gets their own dedicated webpage that they can share. Every must be a 501(c)3 or housed within an organization that is . Donations made on National Give OUT Day are tax deductible and irrevocable.
I teamed up with the earlier this month to share what Give OUT Day means to me as an . There are hundreds of non-profits registered for National Give OUT Day but it’s important to give your resources to organizations that are Black-led or focused on providing services to transgender People of Color. Black trans women are severely underserved. According to the , “for every $100 awarded by US foundations, only 3¢ focuses on trans communities.â
Not every organization listed here is registered via the National Give OUT Day site but absolutely all of them deserve your ongoing donations.
META Center Inc.
If you have been following me, you are probably familiar with my husband Giovonni who is a Black trans man. He runs his own non-profit . He founded META Center Inc so that an organization could be focused on trans youth and center Black and brown experiences both locally in Northeast Ohio and across the country. Support META Center Inc on .
The Sex Worker Giving Circle
Organized by the Third Wave Fund, the directly funds 23 BIPOC and LGBTQ+ sex workers who are on the frontlines of the uprisings across the country. An activist donor will be matching every dollar that you give.
The organization states: “Black and brown and queer and trans sex workers have always been on the frontlines of liberation struggles, but rarely receive our dues as experts on police violence, prison abolition, and community care.”
Trans Empowerment Project
The is a Knoxville, TN based national organization that provides vital resources in times of crisis to trans and gender non-conforming communities. Founded by a trans man of color, the Trans Empowerment Project started with a clothing swap. It has since expanded to include mentorship, inmate advocacy, and crisis response.
Black Trans Travel Fund
The is a mutual aid organization that aims to support and uplift Black trans women to access safer means of transportation. By focusing on this mission, the Black Trans Travel Fund makes it less likely that Black trans women will experience verbal harassment or physical harm. They are currently supporting Black trans women in New York and New Jersey. They will be expanding to other states soon. You can to the Black Trans Travel Fund by PayPal, Venmo, or CashApp.
Southerners On New Ground
(SONG) is an LGBTQ+ organization to support because they center the experiences of individuals who are poor and working class, immigrant, people of color, or rural. SONG has held 50 Southern sub-regional retreats for Southern Queer People of Color and are really known for serving LGBTQ+ individuals in rural areas. They strive to build connection between issues and oppressions.
G.L.I.T.S
founded G.L.I.T.S.(Gays and Lesbians Living In a Transgender Society). G.L.I.T.S. first focus is on immediate need/crisis support for transgender sex workers. For this hypermarginalized community, this organization ensures safe sex supplies and free/low cost health to address holistic needs. You can on their website.
The Okra Project
aims to “extend free, delicious, and nutritious meals to Black Trans people experiencing food insecurity.” With individual donations, The Okra Project pays Black trans chefs goes into the homes of Black trans people and cook them meals. You can support the work they do through the .
Casa Ruby
Based in Washington DC, employs nearly 50 people and provides more than 30,000 social and human services to more than 6,000 people each year. As a transgender Latina immigrant. Ruby Corado founded the organization to provide resources to those who have been historically underserved.
This Give OUT Day, I hope you take the time to give to these organizations. This list is not exhaustive but certainly a good place to start for LGBTQ+ organizations to support.