Pride Month is here, and it’s a great time to support the vital organizations that serve LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. These nonprofits make New York a more welcoming place for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming, and queer people. We’ve updated our Pride Giving Guide to highlight some recent nonprofit partners helping LGBTQ+ communities stay healthy, housed, and in community. Your donation can help these groups continue to invest in the joy, safety, and thriving futures of LGBTQ+ people in our region.
Building Community
GRIOT Circle is one of the few organizations in the country dedicated exclusively to LGBTQ+ older adults of color. Based in Brooklyn, it serves over 400 members each year, primarily Black, African American, and Caribbean American adults living in low-income households. Programs include mental health support, wellness classes, a peer caregiver program, and support groups.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (The Center) was established at the height of the AIDS crisis to respond to the effects of the epidemic on New York’s gay community. Today, it is the largest LGBTQ+ multiservice organization on the East Coast, serving more than 6,000 people across programs in health and wellness, substance use recovery, youth and family services, and arts and culture.
Pride Center of Staten Island is the only comprehensive LGBTQ+ services organization on Staten Island. It offers free individual and group counseling, case management, and HIV prevention. For young people ages 13 to 24, the Center runs youth programs and Pride Power, a leadership development program. For adults 50 and older, Golden Rainbow offers social programming, meals, and wellness activities.
Help LGBTQ+ New Yorkers Get the Care They Need
Hetrick-Martin Institute is the nation’s oldest LGBTQ+ youth services organization. Its services reach 10,000 young people each year and include counseling, case management, afterschool and job readiness programs, emergency food, and a mobile medical clinic.
Trinity Community Connection operates Trinity Place, a shelter for homeless LGBTQ+ young people ages 18 to 24. While most temporary housing programs limit stays to 45 to 90 days, Trinity Place allows young people to stay for up to 18 months, helping them build stability through mental health services, addiction treatment, legal help, GED and job certification courses, and long-term housing assistance.
WESTCHESTER: Legal Services of the Hudson Valley launched its LGBTQIA+ Legal Project nearly a decade ago to address the legal challenges LGBTQ+ individuals and their families so often face alone. The project offers free legal help with discrimination, harassment, and hate crimes, as well as family law matters like adoption and custody, health care rights, and workplace discrimination.
Sharing LGBTQ+ Stories
Friends of Alice Austen House: Alice Austen was a pioneering American photographer who captured New York City life in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She spent 55 years with her life partner, Gertrude Tate, at their home on the Staten Island waterfront, which is now a museum and a nationally designated site of LGBTQ+ history. The Alice Austen House presents exhibitions of Austen’s work alongside contemporary photographers, runs education programs for students, and offers public programs and workshops.
LONG ISLAND: Stage the Change was founded in 2013 out of the Hauppauge High School Drama program, after a student-written production called “The Anti-Bully Project” drew statewide attention. Since then, it has grown into a full nonprofit, reaching over 5,000 students through an annual conference, school programs, and a summer leadership program. Its Queer Voices of Change program focuses on LGBTQIA+ students and allies, using storytelling and performance to help young people find their voice and build community.
This list is not exhaustive. There are many incredible nonprofits helping make our region a better place for all; we seek to highlight a few that may not already be on your radar. Please reach out to our philanthropic advising department at advising@thenytrust.org if you are a donor seeking customized recommendations based on your charitable goals.
