Campus Pride awards ten cash awards to LGBTQ+ student recipients for Social Justice Mini-Grants for Activism

In honor of Campus Pride’s 20th Anniversary, we have launched our Social Justice Mini-Grants for Activism. The program offers grants of up to $600 to student activists involved in social justice work on their college campuses. This past week, Campus Pride announced the first ten recipients of the mini-grants. LGBTQ college students can apply now for the next round of student social justice grants. To learn more, visit campuspride.org/ActNow.

Grantees represent schools from across the country, working on projects ranging a spectrum of academic disciplines. Campus Pride’s first grantees will be working on projects such as an original play with trans artists, lobbying for inclusive policies and beginning a LGBTQ mentorship program. All grant recipients are working on projects that are entirely student-led. Campus Pride believes in supporting LGBTQ youth and help them become leaders in their communities. 

Find out more about our grant awardees at campuspride.org/SocialJusticeMiniGrantFunding.

Simone Boyd, University of Maryland

Support for LGBTQ homeless youth

Boyd wants to provide basic essential items to LGBTQ homeless youth. She will package care packages with toiletries, clothing, and menstrual projects to give to a LGBTQ youth support shelter for the homeless.

Makayla Dawkins, University of Connecticut

Student organizing and advocacy to protect LGBTQ students on campus

Dawkins is petitioning the University of Connecticut administration and undergraduate student government to protect LGBTQ students. “This legislation is a list of demands coming from queer, trans, and allies and directed towards the UConn administration. It will be parcellized by topic and brought to the main branches of the administration that are failing to protect students,” says Dawkins.

Ryley Lehew, The Pennsylvania State University

LGBTQ art exhibit to support gender affirmation surgery costs

Lehew and another Penn State student are curating an art gallery on campus that displays LGBTQ artists’ work. “All of the money earned from the sale of artwork will be placed into a fund. With this fund, we plan on creating grants on campus to help students pay for gender affirming surgeries,” says Lehew.

April Lichtman, University of Connecticut

Production of original play with trans artists

Lichtman is currently working on a workshop performance of a play with a cast almost entirely of LGBTQ artists, most of them trans women. Lichtman plans to donate the proceeds to the Jim Collins Foundation and/or ensemble members. 

Nathan Reilly, William Paterson University of New Jersey

LGBTea+ mentorship program focused on supporting Black and latinx community

Reilly is developing a mentorship program called LGBTea+. This program targets college students and helps them establish relationships with queer professionals and focuses on the importance of intersectionality in the LGBTQ community. “This mentorship experience will focus on developing these young students’ professional, academic, and social lives within a queer context, and provide them support as they prepare for their careers,” says Reilly.

David Shill, Brigham Young University Provo

LGBTQ event permits for BYU pride and campus organizing

Shill is the president and founder of BYU Pride, an organization that celebrates progress made by LGBTQ activists at BYU and advocates for LGBTQ students on campus. “BYU Pride has gained a lot of attention for having put on the first-ever pride march, so we need to keep the momentum by planning large scale community events. In the past, we have planned successful events with a lack of funding. We hope to scale up our events with this grant,” says Shill.

Jerry St. Louis, George Washington University

Course development focused on crystal methamphetamine use in Black gay community and safe and effective supporting care

St. Louis is working on a course focused on the experience of Black gay men and the prevalence of crystal methamphetamine use, including the unique challenges they and the therapist face in treatment. This course will be designed to build awareness among community members and promote the administration of safe and effective supportive care.

Jerry St. Louis, George Washington University

Development of an LGBTQ+ sexual health class

St. Louis is teaching a sexual health class to educate and empower LGBTQ youth and help them develop the skills needed to practice safe dating, build healthy relationships, and avoid unhealthy relationships and abuse.

Michah Reisner, University of Central Florida

Providing Gender-affirming binders to trans students

Reisner hopes to distribute gc2b binders to transgender students at the University of Central Florida. Binders are an essential tool for transmasculine and gender-nonconforming individuals. A high-quality binder safely compresses and reduces the appearance of a transgender individual’s chest. oSTEM has forged a partnership with gc2b, a transgender-owned company that has agreed to supply binders at no cost to transgender students at UCF who could not obtain them otherwise. “With this program, we will offer gender-affirming binders to a population at UCF who may be unable to otherwise obtain them, empowering transgender students to live safely as their most authentic selves,” Reisner.

Jordyn Torbert, Baldwin Wallace University

Providing awareness and support for menstrual justice

Torbert hopes to install free product dispensers in gender neutral bathrooms and introduce menstrual cups on her college campus. Torbert hopes to provide essential resources to students and raise awareness for menstrual justice by partnering with nonprofit organizations like The Period Movement and PERIOD youth advisory council.

# # #

 

ABOUT CAMPUS PRIDE

Since 2001, Campus Pride has been the leading national organization building future LGBTQ and ally leaders as well as creating safer communities at colleges and universities. The Campus Pride Index annually helps 80,000 people find LGBTQ-inclusive colleges and universities.  In addition, the organization has specifically tailored programs and resources to support LGBTQ youth and campus communities. Learn more at CampusPride.org.