What Organizations We Fund

To advance its mission, Contigo Fund will fund organizations that do several types of activities or programming, such as:

Healing and Empowerment: Programs or activities that provide opportunities for healing for
Queer communities historically marginalized by society from equal opportunity and power.
Including peer-led support groups, community organizing, and other programs that focus not
only on providing culturally and linguistically competent services but on empowering
community members to advocate for long-term systemic and transformative change.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice: Programs or activities that address societal, structural
and systemic racism and other inequities in health outcomes. Anti-racist strategies that
address systemic barriers for Queer people of color. Alternatively, efforts that address root
causes and focuses on a particular intervention, such as training for policy change within a
specific issue area. Other examples include addressing: online disinformation and hate; white
supremacist violence and rhetoric; and voter subversion and suppression that undermine
democracy and entrench systemic inequities.

Leadership Development: Programs or activities that promote leadership development,
including popular and nonpartisan civic education and grassroots and advocacy training and
skills building, among Queer communities historically marginalized by society from equal
opportunity and power.

Work led by trans/gender-expansive/intersex individuals and women, undocumented
leaders, sex workers, and youth: Programs or activities that center and are led by women of
color, transgender, queer, gender expansive, intersex and/or undocumented leaders, sex
workers, and youth.

Bridge-Building: Programs or activities’ that create opportunities for meaningful connection,
mutual learning, and coalition among Central Florida’s diverse communities, especially
between Queer Black and Latinx, Muslim, Immigrant, and other communities of color.

Racial, Economic, and Gender Justice-focused: Programs or activities that raise an
intersectional awareness to address homophobia, transphobia, patriarchy, gender inequity or
inequality, gender-based violence, Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, economic inequity, and
other forms of bigotry and disparities.

Safety and Security: Establishing safety and security measures in response to the rise of
anti-Queer hate and mass violence – particularly against transgender, nonbinary, drag
communities and people of color – and advocacy and organizing focused on systemic change
– including addressing gun violence and advancing gun control measures.

Who Is Eligible to Apply

Contigo Fund seeks requests for efforts based in Central Florida supporting Queer communities
historically marginalized by society from equal opportunity and power and advancing racial,
economic, and gender justice:

• The organization must be based in Central Florida (Brevard, Flagler, Indian River, Lake,
  Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Volusia Counties), and proposed efforts must uniquely serve Central Florida’s Queer communities. Groups or coalitions must be directed/led by Queer leader(s). Efforts should help sustain and grow capacity and forward movement to empower Queer people living at the intersection of marginalized identities, particularly Black and Latinx individuals, Immigrants, and other communities of color.
• Must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)3 nonprofit
  organization. To apply, groups do not need 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Those lacking 501(c)(3) status can apply under the auspices of fiscal sponsorship of an established 501(c)(3). Fiscally sponsored groups are required to submit a fiscal sponsorship agreement outlining the roles of both the fiscal sponsor and the fiscally sponsored group and signed by representatives of both parties.
• For Coalitions, an agreement between all member organizations (at least 5 autonomous
  groups required) must be formalized and outline the roles of both the fiscal sponsoring organization and membership and signed by representatives of all parties, including (a) its common mission, purpose, and theory of change, (b) shared decision-making and accountability structure and process, and (c) how long the coalition intends for its collaborative work to continue. For instance, coalition must determine if its collaborative work is time-bound (e.g. commitment of one-year in responding to a particular emergency or crisis) or if it is on-going (e.g. commitment does not seize until membership determines it has met its goal –for instance addressing a disparity in the community that is unmet or inadequately being met with goal of transforming it into opportunity and power for that community – or group/groups become inactive or coalition is disbanded).
• Fiscally sponsored groups need to have an oversight and accountability structure in place before receiving a grant. The oversight and accountability structure for the group can be a Community Steering or Advisory Committee of local community members that reflects the community the group seeks to support, setting the vision of the project and guiding its work like a board of directors. Please note the group’s oversight and accountability structure is separate from the fiscal sponsor’s governance structure. The community steering / advisory committee informs the group’s work in alignment with the group’s mission and oversight of the group’s financial health and executive leadership. The oversight and accountability structure in place must include an outline of the separate roles and responsibilities of the committee and any staff, frequency of meetings, and how the committee will oversee the organization’s executive staff member and finances, including annual executive evaluation process and developing and monitoring organizational budget. Please note, no paid staff or consultant can also serve on the community steering / advisory committee due to conflicts of interest in performing its fiscal oversight responsibility and, while there is no maximum cap in size, there should be at least 5 members on committee.
  ● Extreme preference will be given to organizations with less than $1 million in expenses.
  ● Regardless of their structure or age, the applicant’s organization’s LOI should be able to demonstrate their alignment with the values of Contigo and potential for advancing its vision and theory of change.
  ● Preference is given to organizations that have programming that responds to distinct unmet
  needs in the target communities and employ medium-term to long-term solutions.
  ● Applicants must be a part of a learning community and will be asked to participate with other community leaders, including convenings, leadership and organizational development training, and peer learning opportunities. Contigo will cover training costs, and the applicant core staff and board or advisory committee members should be prepared to devote appropriate time and thought to participate actively in these opportunities.

Grants will not be awarded…

• Outside Contigo’s grantmaking regions. Grantmaking region is defined as the following
  counties in Central Florida: Brevard, Flagler, Indian River, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk,
  Seminole, and Volusia Counties
• For individual support including charity, direct cash assistance, or scholarships
• Organizations that operate pharmacies with revenue generated from the 340B drug program that does not reinvest 100% of that revenue into community programs for and led by impacted communities

Preference will not be given to…

• Philanthropic grantmaking institutions that primarily engage in re-granting to other organizations.
• Organizations that primarily focus on programming for sponsorships for conferences, fundraisers, or other annual or one-time events …exceptions may be made for base-building and organizing events, such as strategic conferences and convenings that are part of larger movement strategy; however, applicants must demonstrate how it would advance a strong long-term systemic impact on target communities in a way that lives beyond that event.