[2003] Gay and Lesbian Fund For Tulsa

[2003] Gay and Lesbian Fund For Tulsa

In 2003, Dennis Neill attended the Gill Foundation's Outgiving Program. At the meeting Gill explained the use of a donor fund, the Colorado Gay & Lesbian Fund, to bring awareness to LGBTQ giving and ensure non-profits have appropriate non-discrimination policies. In 2004, Nancy and Joe McDonald, Mona Pittenger, Doug Campbell, and Dennis Neill established the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Tulsa with the Tulsa Community Foundation. The mission is “to support effective Tulsa area nonprofits which practice diversity in their policies and workplace while building public awareness of the contributions that the LGBT community and their friends, family and other allies make to improve the quality of life in the Tulsa area.” Leveraging off of a matching grant from the Gill Foundation, the organizers contributed funds and reached out to others to consider directing some of their charitable giving thru the Fund, with the following benefits:

• Branding dollars as coming from the LGBT community and their allies • Encouraging non-profits to include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies and procedures. • Enhancing the level of local giving with the possibility of matching some of our giving with dollars from the Gill Foundation of Colorado.
The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Tulsa has been working to encourage non-profits to add Sexual Orientation to their non-discrimination policies. To date, some 35 Tulsa area non-profits have indicated that they have such policies or are working to do so. We have already sponsored events with 5 non-profits. The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Tulsa has been recognized in their programs and other appropriate publicity. We hope to support many other non-profits through grants for events, programs and capital campaigns. To do so, we need you to consider re-channeling some of your giving through the Fund. This will allow us to encourage non-profits to recognize diversity and maximize the dollars available through the Gill Foundation matching program.