History

National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership

Equity Action was started in 2002 by a group of community volunteers working with The Rhode Island Foundation as a way for LGBTQ communities to address their most pressing needs. The catalyst was a 2:1 challenge grant of $100,000 from the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership (NLGCFP), a national foundation based in New York, now known as known as Funders for Gay and Lesbian Issues. Rhode Island was the first of 32 NLGCFP grantees to meet its match, raising more than $200,000 by early 2005. The $100,000 match was approved and went directly into grant dollars for LGBTQ communities. The remaining money seeded the Equity Action Fund, a permanent endowment that has laid the groundwork for future fiscal growth.

Meet the Neighbors

In 2004, The Rhode Island Foundation and Equity Action proudly published Meet the Neighbors, the first-ever full-length portrait of Rhode Island’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals.

Meet the Neighbors provides a compelling case for advancing the equitable treatment of LGBTQ residents across the Ocean State, and identifies critical areas of need that help inform grantmaking, including support for youth and elderly Rhode Islanders, creation of safe schools and communities, and advancement of knowledgeable and welcoming health care for LGBTQ individuals.

Download Meet the Neighbors

You can also view and download the raw data from which the report was written, and/or examine the methodology and protocols.