Forging connection at Creating Change
Stonewall staffers Elisa Crespo, Maryse Pearce, and Tenzin Saldon at Creating Change 2025
Earlier this month, members of the Stonewall team traveled to Las Vegas to attend the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ conference, Creating Change. Organized by the National LGBTQ Task Force, Creating Change has been an organizing hub for queer and trans activists in the U.S. for over 30 years. This year’s conference boasted over 3,500 attendees from all over the country, with nearly a third identifying as trans or gender nonconforming and over half identifying as people of color.
Stonewall has been fortunate to send staff representatives to the conference for the past few years, but this year was especially exciting because we were able to host two philanthropy-specific events through a sponsorship. The first event served as a convening space for over 30 likeminded LGBTQ+ funder organizations to come together to network, exchange ideas, and strategize on how to best support our grantee partners. Later that same day, we co-hosted a mingling space for funders and grantees alongside Borealis Philanthropy. This event was specifically curated with the intention of uplifting grantee partners from small grassroots organizations that are led by and centered around trans and BIPOC communities. Over the course of the night, dozens of grassroots organizations from across the country were able to make connections with funders who were eager to learn about their work.
Over the course of the conference, our team participated in workshops centered around topics like healing justice for LGBTQ2S folks, queer organizing in the South, and safety and security for our community in the coming years. Our Executive Director, Elisa Crespo, also represented Stonewall on a panel about trans leadership in philanthropy.
Outside of the valuable opportunities for skills-building and learning, Creating Change is one of the rare occasions that our Program team gets to meet face-to-face with grantee partners outside of the NYC region. We were elated to meet staff members from trailblazing grantee organizations like Capital Tea (based in Tallahassee, Florida) and Positive Images (based in Northern California), along with some of our local grantee partners like our friends at Love Wins NYC and Out My Closet.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of a few busy days, Creating Change was a reminder of the way Stonewall’s work is deeply intertwined with the activism of queer and trans communities across the country. Our team returned with new connections and a strengthened sense of hope for our continued growth, both as an organization and as a movement. We’re honored beyond words to work alongside dedicated, sharp-witted, and brave LGBTQ+ organizers that are working everyday to fight for the liberated future that we all need and deserve. Thank you to the organizers of Creating Change for making a space where these invaluable moments are possible!