Leonard-Litz Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Leonard-Litz Foundation broadly supports the LGBTQ+ community in the Northeastern region. It divides its funding among five focus areas that address issues facing the community.
IP TAKE: This is a very new, ambitious funder whose future grantmaking deserves to be watched closely. This funder not risk-averse, so go ahead and apply through their online application process, but contact them first to clarify any questions you may have. The foundation will recommend you pursue a grant elsewhere if your work does not closely align with its mission centered on the LGBTQ community. Given that it is newly established, there are not yet tax filings from which to draw deeper guidance on the kinds of organizations the foundation supports.
Leonard-Litz is also collaborative. It will help guide your organization on budgets for new programs and services should you need. However, the foundation seeks “proposal budgets that strike a balanced allocation of funding across additional line items to ensure that members of the LGBTQ community will be directly enriched by the delivery” of your proposed program or service. For a competitive edge, write your proposal accordingly, centered on the LGBTQ community through whichever program you’re applying.
Don’t forget to sign up for the foundation’s newsletter to stay abreast of its developments.
PROFILE: Established in late-2020, the Leonard-Litz Foundation was created by Elliot Leonard and Roger Litz to support the health and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community. It seeks to “fund organizations which advance the interests and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community through advocacy and with programs and services that meet the needs of LGBTQ+ people.” Residents of Easton, Connecticut, Leonard became an entrepreneur after a successful career in law and real estate development, and Litz is a former veterinarian, art gallerist, and playwright. The foundation divides its grantmaking for LGBTQ+ among five focus areas: Health and Wellness, Crisis Intervention, Racial Justice, Advocacy and Community Engagement, and Social Assistance and Programming. All programs serve the LGBTQ+ community.
Leonard has said of the foundation, “This is an opportunity to enrich the lives of others, just as our lives has been enriched, and I hope we can make an impact—now and for generations to come.” According to Litz, “It’s hard to comprehend the struggles the LGBTQ+ community continues to endure, even today. […] With this foundation, we’re looking to help our sisters and brothers who are in need.”
Leonard-Litz does not appear to have clear grant strategies other than serving the LGBTQ+ community. This approach enables the foundation to consider a range of projects as it considers in which direction it would like to evolve it’s grantmaking.
Grants for Public Health
Leonard-Litz makes grants for health through its Health and Wellness program. These grants seek to “help members of the LBGTQ+ community gain access to healthcare and social services and ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect in healthcare settings.” Grantees include the Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, Maine Family Planning and the Sam and Devorah Foundation for Trans Youth.
Grants for Mental Health
The foundation broadly supports LGBTQ+ mental health through its Crisis Intervention initiative. Grants in this space “support cost-effective crisis intervention programs that can deliver long-term positive outcomes for participants, enabling them to lead fulfilling lives.” Recent grants have gone to the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, Family Counseling Services of the Finger Lakes, Kids in Crisis and Outright Vermont.
Grants for Racial Justice
The Racial Justice program supports organizations and programs that “specifically address the inequalities of LGBTQ+ people of color communities.” Grantees include the ACLU of Connecticut, the Brooklyn Community Pride Center and the Caribbean Equality Project.
Grants for LGBTQ, Democracy and Civic Engagement
While all of the Leonard-Litz Foundation’s focus areas support the larger LGBTQ+ community in some capacity, the Social Programs and Support and Advocacy and Community Engagement programs do so broadly. The former program focuses on services and organizations that “foster greater social connections among the LGBTQ+ community, across all age groups and ethnicities.” The latter initiative funds programs and services that support “community outreach and advocacy projects that improve public policy for the LGBTQ+ community.” Grants from these programs have supported organizations including the Gay and Lesbian Review, Lamda Legal, the South Coast LGBT Network and the Easter Pennsylvania Trans Equality Project.
Important Grant Details:
Leonard-Litz gives preference to organizations located in the Northeast U.S., as well as to proposals that are specifically targeted to LGBTQ+ communities of color, and transgender and non-gender-conforming individuals. For additional information about past grants, see the foundation’s recent tax filings or its past grants page.
Organizations eligible for funding must have confirmed 501(c)(3) nonprofit classification. The Foundation operates two funding cycles per year. It accepts grant proposals up to $50,000 for programs that address one or more of its focus areas. See more information about the grants process, including details of the grant proposal guidelines, here. Grantseekers can submit a letter of interest via the online form.
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