As the nation confronts the significant and unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Campaign for Southern Equality has created a rapid response grant round to quickly route funds to individuals, families, and community organizations across the LGBTQ South. The grant round will be distributed through CSE’s Southern Equality Fund. This page houses information and a link to the application for Emergency Assistance for Individuals and Families.
If you live in Charleston, SC, you will be eligible for a geographically specific round of Emergency Assistance Grants funded by our partners at We Are Family. Click here to learn more.
Updates to the COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Process
Update July 13
Today the Campaign for Southern Equality closed the application for the fifth round of our COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Program‘s Emergency Assistance Grants. We know that this has been a challenging time, and we send love and support to y’all. Please stay tuned for news of the next round of these grants, which we expect to open later this summer. Subscribe to our email list (in the footer below) for updates.
The application for Community Response Grants for LGBTQ people living in the Charleston, SC area and in Western NC remain open. The application for Emergency Assistance Grants for LGBTQ people living in the Charleston, SC is also open. Click here to see all available grants.
Where Do You Live?
Our partners at We Are Family are sponsoring a number of Emergency Assistance Grants specifically for LGBTQ people living in the Charleston, South Carolina area. If you live in one of these nine South Carolina counties (Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton,
If you live anywhere else in the South, please continue to scroll below to apply for an Emergency Assistance Grant.
How It Works
LGBTQ Southerners are now able to apply for immediate financial support of $100. Applicants can use the funding for basic needs like groceries, rent/mortgage payments, prescriptions or medical bills, prevention supplies, and more. If you received an Emergency Assistance Grant in the first round, you are not eligible to apply in the second round.
We’ve made the funding application short and simple. Please note that the Campaign for Southern Equality team is working remotely and will be working to process grants as quickly as possible, on a rolling basis.
Criteria to Receive Funding
The following are required in order to receive funding:
- You must be based in the South and a member of the LGBTQ community.
- This emergency funding is designed to route funds quickly to people already experiencing the health and financial impacts of the pandemic and its secondary consequences, with a focus on people and communities who are at particularly high risk.
Priorities
These priorities also guide our funding decisions:
- Individuals that are disproportionately vulnerable to the health risks of COVID-19, including senior citizens, people with immune conditions, and people with chronic disease.
- Applicants who are first responders, health care providers, and employees in the industries that have already been impacted by the economic downturn resulting from COVID-19.
- People of color, trans and nonbinary people, people with low incomes, and people living in rural areas.
Ready to Apply?
On July 13 the Campaign for Southern Equality closed the application for the fifth round of our COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Program‘s Emergency Assistance Grants. We know that this has been a challenging time, and we send love and support to y’all. Please stay tuned for news of the next round of these grants, which we expect to open later this summer. Subscribe to our email list (in the footer below) for updates.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS (CLICK TO EXPAND)
- First Name
- Last Name
- Pronouns
- Phone
- Street Address
- Zip Code
- Where are you based?
- Your role in your organization
- If you receive a grant, how should a check be made out (name of individual)?
- Check should be mailed to: (street address, city, state, zip):
- How would you use the $100 emergency grant?
Options; meals/groceries, medication or other healthcare needs, rent - Demographic information (Optional): Gender identity, sexual orientation, race
- How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted you?
- Please check this box if your income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19.
Applications for Emergency Assistance Grants Now Closed
On July 13 the Campaign for Southern Equality closed the application for the fifth round of our COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Program's Emergency Assistance Grants. Please stay tuned for news of the next round of these grants, which we expect to open later this summer.
Special Thanks
The Campaign for Southern Equality is grateful for our partner organizations and donors across the South who are helping to support the COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round.
Big thanks to Gender Benders, Southern Vision Alliance, Blue Ridge Pride, We Are Family, and the Families and Workers Fund, a funders collaborative that includes the Ford Foundation, Schmidt Futures, and Open Society Foundation for their donations for Emergency Assistance Grants. And, for their support of the Southern Equality Fund and the COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Program, thank you to foundations including Arcus Foundation, Freeman Foundation, Laughing Gull Foundation, Amy Mandel Fund, the Out in the South Initiative of Funders for LGBTQ Issues, and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
Donate to Support the COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round
Want to donate to Campaign for Southern Equality’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Round? Click here and your gift will go directly to a grant supporting LGBTQ Southerners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Return to Southern Equality Fund program page to see all components of SEF, including grassroots training webinars, spotlights on grantees, and more.
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