11 LGBTQ+ Charities to Support All Year Long
Updated: May 30, 2023
Whether you're a member of the LGBTQ community or an ally, consider donating to or volunteering with an LGBTQ charity this year
There’s no beating around the bush: Supporting LGBTQ charities is more important than ever. That’s why we need to put our money where our values are and support and celebrate LGBTQ charities year-round—not just during June’s Pride Month.
If you’re not sure which LGBTQ+ charities to support, no worries! Our list was carefully curated to include domestic, international and representative groups that help a diverse swath of marginalized queer communities. Rest assured that whether you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community or want to be a better LGBTQ+ ally, these organizations are well worth the contribution.
The good news is the community and allies alike can choose an organization that fits their personal interests. There are just as many needs as there are obstacles for queer people. Mental health, physical safety, housing, financial support, entrepreneurial empowerment and legal action are only a few of the issues these groups address. Since the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the United States and countries around the world have made a ton of positive progress and created more accessible, safe spaces for the community because of LGBTQ+ charities.
While you should always do your research before giving and even seek out local branches or equivalents of these larger groups, rest assured that donations result in a direct, positive impact. Your money, time and support will help the LGBTQ+ community live healthier, happier, safer lives!
American Civil Liberties Union
Fights for LGBTQ+ rights
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was founded in 1920 to assist Americans arrested for being communists and held in “horrible conditions,” according to the organization’s website. Today, the ACLU boasts more than a million members, 500 staff attorneys and thousands of volunteer attorneys. It’s worked on some of the most important Supreme Court cases to secure constitutional rights for all Americans, including Roe v. Wade and Brown v. Board of Education, and it continues to fight for marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights. “The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union—beyond one person, party or side,” the group’s site reads. “Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all.”
The Okra Project
Provides meals for Black trans people
Africans sneaked okra onto captive slave ships to survive and to have something to plant in a new world. “In this spirit, the Okra Project hopes to extend free, delicious and nutritious meals to Black trans people experiencing food insecurity,” the organization states. Luxury, it says, should be more accessible to this extremely marginalized community. Donations to the organization will surely give somebody a healthy, home-cooked, culturally significant meal that will stick to the ribs in a meaningful way.
Sage
Supports LGBTQ+ elders
Sage helps empower and support the older LGBTQ+ heroes who’ve fought for marriage equality and gay rights for decades. The group educates through policy briefs, mobilizes the community and allies and marches in protest when rights are at stake. If you want to keep Sage on your list but don’t have the money to give to LGBTQ+ charities right now, no problem. The organization provides other way to take action, from hosting a SAGE table to becoming an ambassador.
The Attic Youth Center
Serves LGBTQ+ youth
Based in Philadelphia, the Attic Youth Center was founded in 1993 and exclusively focuses on LGBTQ+ youth. It uses donations to provide young people with counseling, case management, social activities, a safe space to let the LGBTQ flags fly and more—for free. “To be perfectly honest, without the Attic, I think I’d be dead,” one individual says in a video from the organization, a testament to the serious work the center is doing with the city’s younger generation.
OutRight Action International
Advocates for LGBTQ+ people around the world
There are still nearly 70 countries where being gay is illegal. Those laws are often enforced with violence and arrest. OutRight Action International provides data and advocacy in countries around the world where the LGBTQ+ community is in danger. OutRight monitors the globe closely for signs of human rights violations and launched a special fund in Feb. 2022 to assist the LGBTQ+ community in Ukraine after international partners reached out for help. As of April 2023, the charity has issued more than $2.7 million in humanitarian aid in Ukraine and surrounding countries.
Lambda Literary
Lifting up queer voices through literature
Lambda Literary has been helping preserve and amplify queer stories for three decades now, ensuring that both fiction and nonfiction books from the LGBTQ+ community get the recognition they deserve. It’s important that the media we consume reflects our diverse reality. Representation matters, and Lambda supports that viewpoint by offering awards for fiction and nonfiction categories as well as children’s books, poetry collections, comics and more. Lambda also brings LGBTQ+ books into schools and awards scholarships to emerging writers.
Ali Forney Center
Helps LGBTQ+ homeless kids
The Ali Forney Center is the largest LGBTQ+ youth homeless shelter in the United States. The organization’s site says it assists 1,400 young people every year at the 24-hour center, which provides more than 70,000 meals annually, medical and mental health services through an on-site clinic and a scattered site housing program. The group is also always in need of volunteers and sometimes runs clothing drives, so this is a great option if you live in New York and aren’t able to contribute financially right now. Another way to support queer people: Shop at LGBTQ-owned businesses, many of which also support the community at large.
MindOut
Provides mental health services for the LGBTQ+ community
MindOut is a United Kingdom–based mental health service for people in the LGBTQ+ community. It also offers assistance to individuals questioning their orientation or identity, and its online counseling services are available globally. It’s important to support more than just organizations based in the United States, and it sweetens the pot that MindOut has a global counseling option. It’s also awarding a scholarship for counselor training, so rest assured that any donations will be used to their fullest potential.
The Trevor Project
Supports LGBTQ+ youth and young adults
The Trevor Project was founded to provide a lifeline to LGBTQ+ people under the age of 25. The organization offers hotlines, chats and texts 24 hours a day and works with individuals experiencing a crisis. It also provides guides for understanding gender identities and terms like nonbinary, intersex and transgender. And it does research and provides data on the status of LGBTQ+ rights around the country. When anti-transgender legislation began picking up steam in the United States in 2021, the Trevor Project found that the bills had deep negative impacts on youth mental health.
It Gets Better Project
Uplifts and empowers the LGBTQ+ community
When you’re queer, it’s sometimes hard to believe the world will ever improve. Good thing It Gets Better is here to encourage us to keep going! The nonprofit regularly publishes video content from queer folks and even celebrities. The videos help connect LGBTQ+ youth with powerful queer quotes and show just how good life as a queer person can be, inspiring disheartened youth to keep going when times are tough.
GLAAD
Forwarding LGBTQ+ inclusion in media
GLAAD is one of the most well-known media organizations working toward LGBTQ+ visibility in film and TV, on social media, in advertising and more. Each year, the group hosts awards for the best and most representative pieces of media in dozens of categories. The organization was founded in 1985 and also tracks concerning bills and educates the media on how to cover queer issues. The News and Rapid Response program is integral to making sure news coverage is fair, trustworthy and respectful of the LGBTQ+ community.
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Originally Published: July 01, 2022
