Where To Donate To Support The Black LGBTQ Community During Pride Month & Beyond

People across the country are protesting systemic racism and police brutality as they demand justice for the recent killings of Black people at the hands of police, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade among them, as well as Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed in a confrontation with two white men. Since June is also Pride Month, activists are taking the opportunity to support the Black LGBTQ community and spread awareness of the injustices they often face. If you're looking to help, here's where to donate to support the Black LGBTQ community, during Pride Month and the rest of the year.

Recent violence against Black transgender individuals has also drawn attention as part of the larger conversation around anti-racism and violence. On May 27, Tony McDade, a Black transgender man, was shot dead by a police officer in Tallahassee, Florida. A few days later, Iyanna Dior, a Black trans woman, was allegedly beaten by a mob shouting homophobic slurs in an incident caught on video. Sadly, violence and discrimination against the Black LGBTQ community isn't rare. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), 91% of those killed by anti-trans violence in 2019 were Black women. Black LGBTQ individuals are also more likely to live in poverty, per the HRC, while Black LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to experience homelessness than straight white youth, per Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.

But while it's important to highlight injustice, during Pride Month, it's also important to celebrate the achievements of the Black LGBTQ community — from their artistic contributions to their political strength and all the ways they add to the world. It's important to donate to these kinds of organizations during Pride Month and beyond to support the people paving the way for real change. Of course, this list is not comprehensive. It will be updated as new organizations are shared.

1. Transgender Awareness Alliance

The Transgender Awareness Alliance (TAA) provides help for transgender people in South Carolina with getting a legal name change. TAA also provides transgender individuals with support for healthy living with programs like food shares, and it seeks equality and equity for The transgender community through activism and by raising awareness through events like the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which was started in 1999. You can donate to the cause here.

2. Kween Culture Initiative

Kween Culture Initiative empowers and celebrates Black transgender women. Launched in 2017, the San Francisco-based initiative’s vision is to disrupt the notion that transgender women cannot thrive and it highlights the joy, resilience, and sisterhood of the Black transgender community. Its Cultivating Black Trans Joy Retreat is an annual retreat led by and for Black transgender women. The retreat focuses on self-love and empowerment as facilitated by Black therapists and healers. You can donate to the cause here.

3. Black and Pink

Black and Pink is a national prison abolitionist organization dedicated to dismantling the criminal punishment system through advocacy, support, and organizing. Black and Pink is based in Nebraska and has a strong grassroots network of 13 volunteer-led chapters across the country. Their programs include TRANSitions, which a "pathway toward safe housing for people who are system impacted and identify as transgender women, gender non-conforming individuals, and queer people living with HIV/AIDS." You can donate to the cause here.

4. Colours

Colours is a non-profit organization addressing the lack of education, advocacy, and support for LGBTQ Black people and non-Black LGBTQ people of color in the greater Philadelphia area. The organization hosts peer support programs that address different issues such as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, sexuality, and discrimination. They also provide services like free and confidential HIV and STI screenings. You can find multiple ways to donate here.

5. Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP)

The Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project provides legal services for Black transgender and gender non-conforming people, primarily in California prisons. The organization’s legal program provides legal support and advocacy to currently and formerly incarcerated low-income Black and non-Black transgender women color and their families. It also provides support in the form of a re-entry program that provides information and resources for formerly incarcerated individuals. You can donate to the cause here.

6. Black Trans Advocacy Coalition

The Black Trans Advocacy Coalition (BTAC) is based in Dallas, Texas, and the organization aims to end discrimination faced by the Black trans community in health, employment, housing, and education. It advocates for equity by getting involved in community education, public policy initiatives, direct services, and empowerment programs. During the coronavirus pandemic, the organization has provided free PPE kits to those in need. You can donate to the cause here.

7. The Transgender District

Founded by three Black trans women, the Transgender District is a legally recognized transgender district in San Francisco working on issues including tenant protections, promoting and celebrating trans and non-binary arts and culture, and preservation of the cultural legacy of the transgender community in the area. You can donate here.

8. The Audre Lorde Project

Based in Brooklyn, NY, the Audre Lorde Project is a center for community organizing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, trans, and gender non-conforming people of color. The organization functions as a home base for groups to organize, support, and advocate for their own needs and communities. You can donate here.

9. Black Trans Femmes In The Arts

Don’t forget to support the artists and creators sharing their perspectives with the world. The group, which describes itself as “a collective of Black trans femmes dedicated to creating space for ourselves in the arts and beyond” on Instagram, promotes events and paid opportunities for Black trans femme artists. You can donate to the collective or to their Black Trans Protesters Emergency Fund, which provides Black trans protesters with resources, medical care, and bail funds.

10. Trans Women of Color Survival Fund

The Trans Women of Color Collective cultivates economic opportunities and affirms spaces for transgender people of color and their families. The global organization fosters community building and healing through the arts, culture, media, advocacy, and activism. The fund is used to help with financial costs such as transportation, meals, clothing, and hygiene. You can donate here.

11. Black Visions Collective

The Black Visions Collective was founded in 2017 and is a Black, transgender, and queer led-organization which aims to shape a political home for the Black community in Minnesota with healing and transformative justice principles. By developing Minnesota's emerging Black leadership to lead campaigns, the organization helps build movements that lead to long-term success and change. You can donate here.

12. Black Queer and Intersectional Collective

By grassroots organizing in Central Ohio, the Black Queer and Intersectional Collective works for the liberation of Black queer, transgender, and intersex people. The organization believes in providing equitable access to affordable healthcare and housing to the Black community. The organization relies on donations to support community efforts and campaigns, such as Columbus Community Pride and the Black Power Book Club, and you can donate here.

13. The Okra Project

The Okra Project pays Black transgender chefs to cook free healthy meals for Black transgender people in their homes. The organization has partnered with community spaces and institutions like the Osborne Association to deliver foods to individuals experiencing homeless or who don't have homes to support cooking. The Okra Project runs on individual donations, and one session of cooking costs $90. You can donate on the organization's homepage.

14. Transgender Law Center

The Transgender Law Center is committed to racial justice and employs various community-driven strategies to assist transgender and gender non-conforming people in challenging discrimination and the legal system in areas like employment, education, and immigration. To help the national organization ensure the rights and justice of transgender people, you can donate here.

15. Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative

The Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative is a Black, transgender-led, organization located in Atlanta, Georgia. It leads transformative campaigns that divest from the criminal legal system and invest in the Atlanta community. You can donate to the organization's Taking Care of Our Own Fund, which financially assists transgender individuals with personal emergencies, such as housing support, hormones, transportation, and arrest bills.

16. Marsha P. Johnson Institute

Marsha P. Johnson was an activist and drag queen who was a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Drawing inspiration from the Black leader, the Marsha P. Johnson Institute defends human rights of Black transgender people. They do this by organization, advocating, developing transformative leadership, and building community. You can donate to the national organization here.

17. The National Center for Black Equity

The National Center for Black Equity promotes a multinational LGBTQ+ network which improves health opportunities, economic empowerment, and equal rights. They also work with allies and community-based organizations that are dedicated to achieving equality and social justice for the LGBTQ+ communities. You can donate here.

18. LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund

Tens of thousands of LGBTQ people are held in jail or immigration detention everyday because they can't pay for bail. To help, you can donate to the LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund, which is a national organization that helps pay for their bail so they can be released. The organization also advocates and raises awareness for over-incarceration of the LGBTQ community. You can donate here.

19. Black Transmen

Black Transmen is a national non-profit providing programs to aid the Black transgender community and tackle structural and individual racism. Some programs include For Him, a gender identity development program which provides transgender men mentoring, community education, outreach and more; For Her, the only national nonprofit organization that addresses Black transgender women in minority communities; and For Them, a community and advocacy space for black gender non-conforming, non-binary, and gender diverse individuals. You can donate here.

20. National Black Justice Coalition

National Black Justice Coalition is a civil rights organization which empowers Black LGBTQ people, including those living with HIV/AIDS. They focus on federal public policy and bridging the gaps between the movements for racial justice and LGBTQ equality. To help, you can donate to the organization, which focuses on "Building Stronger Black Families" by removing the inequalities of policies that weaken families.

21. SiSTers PGH

In Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, a transgender-led community center called SiSTers PGH provides supportive services, emergency shelter, and housing for transgender and non-binary communities. The community center provides food, clothing, tutoring, employment, and mental health referrals. The organization also offers transgender inclusion training and advocacy so individuals can thrive. You can donate to the organization at the bottom of the organization's homepage.

22. Black LGBTQIA + Migrant Project

The Black LGBTQIA + Migrant Project is run by the Transgender Law Center. They help Black LGBTQIA+ migrants across borders. Currently, the program is providing cash assistance to Black LGBTQ+ migrants and first-generation individuals dealing with the impact of COVID-19. You can donate here.

23. House of GG

The brain-child of trans revolutionary Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, the House of GG is the first educational and historical center solely dedicated to transgender and gender non-conforming people in the United States. Located in Little Rock, Arkansas, the House of GG is a space for people to access services and resources. Their programs promote healing justice, resilience, and organizing communities. You can donate by scrolling to the bottom of the organization's website and selecting the "Donate" button.

24. Black AIDS Institute

Founded in 1999, the Black AIDS Institute works to end the Black HIV/AIDS epidemic in America — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black people have been disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and young Black gay or bisexual men are particularly hard hit. The Black AIDS Institute provides high quality direct HIV/AIDS services and sources policy and advocacy efforts from Black leaders and communities across the country. You can donate to support national programs like We the People, which focuses on marginalized communities facing the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Black Treatment Advocates Network, which has local chapters across the country that magnify the work of Black communities. The institute's Revolution in Color program is aimed at teaching young Black gay and bisexual men how to organize and fight stigmas while helping link Black individuals in Los Angeles to HIV/AIDS prevention services, as well as treatment, education, and other support services.

25. Youth Breakout

Youth Breakout works to end the criminalization of LGBTQ youth in New Orleans, Louisiana. Specifically, the organization builds the power of LGBTQ youth ages 13 to 25 who are impacted by the criminal justice system. They have programs for youth organizing, healing justice, and leadership development. Their annual event on the Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20, honors transgender people murdered in the United States. You can donate here.

26. Trans Justice Funding Project

The Trans Justice Funding Project is a community-led funding initiative that supports grassroots, transgender justice groups that are led by transgender people. All the money raised goes to grantees with no restrictions to truly empower trans leadership. Over the last seven years, they've distributed more than $2.7 million to grantees. You can donate here.

27. Homeless Black Trans Women Fund

The Homeless Black Trans Fund was started by photographer and activist Jesse Pratt Lopez to help homeless Black trans women in Atlanta. The fundraiser, which was launched in December 2019, has raised over $1.9 million dollars. The fund covers food, housing, and other resources for Black Trans women. You can donate through the organization's GoFundMe page.

28. Black Trans Travel Fund

The Black Trans Travel Fund helps Black transgender women access safe transportation and avoid harassment or physical harm. Launched in 2019, the organization has already redistributed over $60,000 to Black transgender women in need. You can donate here. They provide service to individuals in New York and New Jersey, and will be expanding their efforts to other states in the near future.

29. Brave Space Alliance

Brave Space Alliance is a Black-led, transgender-led LGBTQ Center in the South Side of Chicago. The organization is dedicated to providing resources, programming, and services for LGBTQ individuals. It addresses health and wellness beyond medical services, and breaks down barriers by offering programs that focus on issues like food insecurity, housing insecurity, and economic justice. You can donate here.