Building Black trans power

Participants pose for a photo at New York’s first-ever TGNCNB Leadership Retreat in 2018, funded by Stonewall.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent uprisings around policing and systemic racism have exposed the ways systems in our country fail Black people, particularly Black transgender people. Whether from violence, criminalization, or lack of access to quality healthcare, jobs, or food, Black trans people survive in the face of intersecting systems of oppression, including racism, transphobia, homophobia, and misogyny.

Despite this, our Black trans siblings continue to be at the forefront of every social justice movement. From the Stonewall Uprising to Black Lives Matter, Black trans folks continually put their lives on the line, show up for, and take a leading role in our collective liberation.

To honor the leadership of Black trans people, the Stonewall Quarter Share grants committee decided to focus this year’s grant cycle on Black trans-led organizations. We are defining “led” as having a president or executive director, co-president or co-executive director, or functional equivalent who identifies as Black and transgender, gender non-conforming, or non-binary. This year’s grant will award a Black trans-led NYC organization $40,000 – SQS’s largest grant amount to date.

Completed proposals are due by noon on Friday, October 2, 2020. You can start or complete an application here. If you have any questions regarding this RFP, please reach out to Stonewall’s Program Manager, Maryse, at maryse.pearce@stonewallfoundation.org.