Lesbian Charities to Donate To: 5 Questions to Ask First
Many of the lesbian charities to donate to are doing work that matters, from health care and legal rights to safe spaces and movement building. If you're deciding where to give, a few questions can help you match your gift to what you care about most. Here are five we ask ourselves, and how we answer them for the LesbianGlobal Economic Empowerment Fund.
LGBTQ+ nonprofits receive less than 1% of all charitable giving, according to research from Indiana University's Equitable Giving Lab. Inside that small share, only about 5% of global LGBTIQ funding goes to LBQ issues. Every group working for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women is doing it with far less than the need.
How to Choose Among Lesbian Charities to Donate To
These questions work for any of the lesbian charities to donate to on your list. Different organizations serve different people and do different jobs, and that's how it should be. The goal is to find the fit that matches what you want your gift to do.
1. Who does the money reach? Ours goes to lesbian, bisexual, and queer women in the Global South who are leading economic, social, and community projects. That includes cisgender and transgender women who identify as lesbians, LBQ+ women entrepreneurs, collectives, and grassroots groups.
2. How does it get there? Our Economic Empowerment Fund works through trusted intermediaries, organizations that already know the communities and can move money safely and accountably. Outright International is our first. The fund launched as a pilot in 2026, and on April 20 Outright welcomed 13 partner organizations into the program. We're now setting up more Economic Empowerment Funds with other intermediaries, such as Mama Cash, which has supported women's and LBQ movements since it was founded by five lesbians in 1983. Outright was the first, and it won't be the last.
3. What does it pay for? Lesbian charities pay for many valuable things: legal aid, health services, research, community spaces, and organizing. Our fund focuses on economic power. It provides direct funding to LBQ+ women-led businesses, social enterprises, and grassroots initiatives and supports entrepreneurship, job creation, and financial independence. Grantees also join a leadership community with mentoring and infrastructure support.
4. Can you see results? The fund is currently a pilot, so its results are still early. What we can point to is a track record. Over three cycles, Outright's LBQ Connect program, which we support, has reached more than 300 LBQ activists across 90 countries. In Côte d'Ivoire, Initiative Tilé trained 10 LBQ women in e-commerce and digital innovation in 2023 and 2024.
5. Does your gift add to something bigger? LesbianGlobal is one of 28 inaugural funders of Fund Our Futures, a campaign from the Global Philanthropy Project that has secured $182 million for LGBTI movements. We've committed to raising $1 million of our own over three years.
Where LesbianGlobal Fits Among Lesbian Charities to Donate To
Legal work, health care, and organizing all matters, and they work best together. Our fund adds one more piece: the income of an LBQ+ woman's own. Some LBQ+ women and our grantee partners, who we work with, have told us that economic independence could have helped them avoid forced marriage and abuse. A woman with money of her own has more choices about where she lives, who she stays with, and how she builds her life.
Whichever lesbian charities to donate to you choose, giving matters. If you want your gift to build income and independence for LBQ+ women in the Global South, you can [give to the LesbianGlobal Economic Empowerment Fund →]. This first fund's giving page is hosted by Outright International, our partner. As new funds open with other intermediaries, we'll announce them here.
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