PFund awards $260,000 in PRISM grants to strengthen rural queer communities across the Upper Midwest
The board of directors of PFund foundation recently approved $260,000 in grant awards to 21 LGBTQ+ organizations that are either located in or serve rural communities in the Upper Midwest. The grants, made from PFund’s PRISM Fund, are designed to assist organizations providing services and support to queer individuals in rural parts of PFund Foundation’s five-state service area. Grant award amounts range from $5,000 to $30,000 and all grantees were selected via a community review process.
Of the 21 2023-24 PRISM grantees, seven are first-time PRISM grantees, and the remaining organizations are previous PRISM grantees who have had their funding renewed. Grantees receive general operating and professional development funds over the course of 12 months. They also participate in the PRISM Alliance, a virtual work group that meets monthly to participate in capacity-building trainings and activities.
Joseph Barb, the president and executive director of the The Circle (a youth and young-adult drop-in resource center located in South Dakota and 2023 PRISM grantee), said of receiving the grant, “This is an amazing opportunity with PFund. With these funds we’re able to take the idea of youth being supported and affirmed in their identity and actually be able to do the work. That makes all the difference in the world.”
The full listing of 2023-24 PRISM grantees is as follows:
Advocates for Reproductive Education (WeARE) | Brainerd, MN | $7,000
Camp Benedict | Brainerd, MN | $8,000
Chippewa Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center | Eau Claire, WI | $10,000
Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools, Inc. (GSAFE) | Madison, WI | $10,000
Gender Justice | St. Paul, MN | $5,000
GLBT Youth in Iowa Schools Taskforce (Iowa Safe Schools) | Des Moines, IA | $12,500
Lavender Legal Center | Cedar Rapids, IA | $30,000
LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin | Racine, WI | $10,000
LGBTQ+ Family Connections Center | Rapid City, SD | $18,000
LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library | Iowa City, IA | $12,500
North Dakota Human Rights Coalition | Fargo, ND | $20,000
One Heartland | Willow River, MN | $7,000
Philadelphia Community Farm | Osceola, WI | $10,000
QUEERSPACE Collective | Minneapolis, MN | $10,000
RECLAIM | St. Paul, MN | $10,000
Red River Rainbow Seniors | Fargo, ND | $12,000
Sitting Bull College Two Spirit Club | Fort Yates, ND | $15,000
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church | Fargo, ND | $8,000
The Transformation Project | Sioux Falls, SD | $15,000
Uniting Resilience | Rapid City, SD | $22,000
Youth Empowerment Support & Safety (YESS) | Virginia, MN | $8,000