Dear Funders, This Is What Queer Innovation Looks Like
Dear funders, philanthropists, and fund seekers,
Last month, I said it plainly: the philanthropy sector’s diversity problem is ruining Queer innovation.
Here’s what I meant, and here’s how we fix it.
Philanthropy says it wants new ideas, bold thinking, and transformative models. But Queer organizations have been doing that for decades, and often without recognition, funding, or fair compensation. We’ve built mutual aid systems before “mutual aid” was a buzzword. We created community health networks before “social determinants of health” hit the grant lexicon. We’ve turned our collective trauma into joy, art, policy, and leadership.
Queer innovation isn’t hypothetical, it’s already here. The problem is, philanthropy rarely funds it at scale.
So let’s name what Queer innovation really looks like—and what funders and fund seekers can do to make sure it thrives.
Queer Innovation Looks Like: Intersectional Solutions
Queer-led organizations understand that our communities don’t live in silos. Our lives exist at the intersections of race, gender, class, ability, and geography. So our programs do too.
We don’t just serve LGBTQIA+ people; we build systems that center them while addressing housing, mental health, aging, youth development, and workforce barriers.
Funders: Stop isolating Queer issues as “special projects.” Fund LGBTQIA+ organizations as core service providers in your education, housing, health, and economic portfolios. Queer inclusion is not a niche, it’s an innovation model for holistic community care.
Fund Seekers: When you write proposals, highlight your intersectionality as an asset, not an exception. Funders need to see that Queer-led orgs are uniquely positioned to solve multi-layered problems because we live them. And sometimes, you need to change your language, not your mission. Highlight funder priorities without selling out.
Queer Innovation Looks Like: Adaptive, Community-Led Infrastructure
Our sector tends to reward scale: the biggest budgets, the flashiest metrics, the most institutional polish. But Queer-led orgs innovate through adaptability, not hierarchy.
We design fast. We iterate faster. We listen to the community and pivot before the next fiscal year begins.
Funders: Stop measuring legitimacy by budget size. Small Queer nonprofits are often the most agile, the most connected, and the most efficient with limited resources. Fund adaptive capacity, not just deliverables.
Fund Seekers: Tell that story. Don’t apologize for being small or scrappy. Instead, frame it as what it is: nimble, community-rooted innovation.
Queer Innovation Looks Like: Culture Change
Queer leadership doesn’t just transform what we do, it transforms how we do it.
We prioritize psychological safety, consent-based decision-making, chosen family over rigid hierarchies, and joy as a leadership value. We lead with care because we’ve had to learn care as survival.
Funders: Support leadership development, sabbaticals, and succession planning for Queer leaders. Sustainable innovation requires rest and retention.
Fund Seekers: Don’t bury your culture story. Philanthropy talks endlessly about “innovation ecosystems,” but Queer-led orgs already are those ecosystems; balancing art, activism, mutual aid, and movement work under one roof.
Queer Innovation Looks Like: Reimagined Philanthropy
The Queer community redefined giving long before philanthropy caught up. We pooled resources when no one else would. We shared housing, raised bail funds, crowdfunded surgeries, and created our own safety nets.
That’s not charity, that’s community capital.
Funders: Stop confusing proximity to wealth with proximity to wisdom. Fund the people who are actually solving the problems you care about, not the ones with the fanciest gala sponsors.
Fund Seekers: Show your receipts (literally). Demonstrate community trust by showing participation, shared leadership, and lived-experience governance. Funders are increasingly seeking authenticity, not polish.
How Queer Orgs Can Stand Out and Thrive
Even in a funding landscape that’s shrinking, Queer organizations can differentiate themselves by being what philanthropy says it wants but rarely sees: authentic, intersectional, community-driven innovators.
Here’s how to position your organization:
Lead with your story, not your struggle. Philanthropy is tired of trauma narratives. Show your resilience, creativity, and joy.
Prove your influence, not just your impact. Talk about how your work shifts culture, not just how many people you serve.
Collaborate across movements. Funders love collective impact, so show how Queer liberation connects to climate, health, education, and racial justice.
Be visible, not just viable. Tell your story publicly. The more funders see Queer innovation, the harder it becomes to ignore.
A Final Word to Funders
If you truly want innovation, invest in people who know how to create something from nothing.
Fund the dreamers who make joy out of scarcity. Fund the organizers who rebuild trust after harm. Fund the nonprofits that don’t fit your template, because that’s where transformation is actually happening.
Stop asking Queer leaders to fit your model. Start funding us to change it.
Sincerely,
Queers
Queer For Hire provides fundraising support to Queer nonprofits, LGBTQIA+ cultural competency to straight-led organizations and corporations, and individual coaching for Queer professionals.
Learn about our Fundraising Services <here> – we’ll lead or support your fundraising efforts, whether you need general support or want to focus on raising money from and for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Learn about our Fundraising Trainings <here> – we can coach your board, staff, and fundraising team on how to fundraise and how to engage LGBTQIA+ donors.
Learn about our other services <here> or our resources <here>.
