Gamma Mu Foundation Grant

The Gamma Mu Foundation, established in 1988, aims to support the LGBT community in rural and underserved areas through various grants. Initially focused on HIV/AIDS projects, it now funds scholarships and services for diverse LGBT subpopulations. With over $2 million awarded, the Foundation prioritizes initiatives that enhance community support, public education, and health programs. It emphasizes projects that build organizational capacity and provide essential services where resources are limited, ensuring ongoing support for vital health and social services.

Since creation in 1988, the Gamma Mu Foundation has sought to fund projects in rural and/or underserved areas that provide support to the LGBT community. In 1999, the Foundation expanded its granting policies to include grants for programs other than HIV/AIDS. These included undergraduate and advance degree scholarships to gay men as well as grants to organizations meeting special needs in LGBT subpopulations such as youths, seniors, and victims of domestic violence. The Foundation also provides research and public education grants aimed at making the world a more hospitable place for people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. In all cases, the Foundation seeks to provide funds to organizations located in rural and/or underserved areas where the need is great and the resources often very limited. The Foundation has awarded grants and scholarships totaling more than $2,000,000, the vast majority awarded to organizations and individuals in rural and/or underserved areas.
Although the Gamma Mu Foundation strives to target its resources in truly rural and/or underserved areas, we realize the difficulty in defining “rural” in the present day. This is especially true in the GLBT community where support organizations tend to exist in more urban areas. In considering geographic location, however, the review committee strives to assess the relative size of the available GLBT community and the ability of the organization to obtain funding locally. In addition, the definitions of rural provided by the U.S. Census and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services are taken into consideration.
Goals
The Foundation allocates resources in support of the following major goals:
ensuring the ongoing support of LGBTQ health and social service organizations;enhancing the community through support of projects identifying the Foundation as a source of support for the LGBTQ community;increasing the grantee’s organizational capacity and resources to assure continued program viability after Foundation support terminates; andgiving priority consideration to proposals that provide services in rural and/or underserved settings.
Program Areas
The Foundation’s grants focus on three key program areas:
Community Support Services: Activities proposed to meet the needs of rural communities and underserved LGBTQ+ populations, such as young people, seniors, and victims of bullying, and promote empowerment and inclusivity.Public Education and Research: Initiatives designed to increase awareness and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, foster a more inclusive environment for the community, and establish a foundation for evidence-based advocacy.HIV and Health Programs: Interventions designed to meet the needs of persons, caregivers, and families impacted by HIV and other health conditions (e.g., aging and mental health), including support and outreach activities.
The Foundation’s objective is to award grants that are tied specifically to a new or ongoing project within the recipient organization. The Foundation does not consider it a priority to provide awards for general operating funds regardless of the worthiness of the organization’s mission.

Eligibility

Only organizations and individuals in the United States are eligible for Gamma Mu Foundation financial assistance. All organizations qualifying for Gamma Mu Foundation assistance must qualify as 501(c)(3) charitable organizations as defined by the Internal Revenue Service.

Ineligibility

Excluded Areas. The Foundation will not accept proposals for the following purposes:capital campaigns;physical facilities;endowment or annual fund drives;political or lobbying activities;religious activities; norpayroll except for salaries directly related to the project for which funding is being provided.The Foundation will not award grants to organizations for more than three consecutive grants cycles. In those instances when an organization has received grants for three consecutive cycles, it will be required to wait for one year prior to re-applying for funding.With the exception of scholarships, Gamma Mu Foundation does not make financial assistance grants to individuals.