Funding Forward is back for a very special in-person conference. The event, to be held in at the Lowes Chicago Hotel from November 29th to December 1st will not only be Funders for LGBTQ Issues’ first in-person conference since 2019, but it will also mark the tenth anniversary of this annual gathering of grantmakers committed to LGBTQ issues.
Funding Forward is Funders for LGBTQ Issues' largest annual event and has grown immensely since our first grantmakers retreat in 2013. Today the event is a cornerstone of our annual programming and a highlight for over 90 institutional members of Funders for LGBTQ Issues and allied institutions across the United States. Funders for LGBTQ Issues works to educate and organize funders, and support power-building to create an abundance of resources for the justice and liberation of all queer and TGNC communities. We take our role as host and convener seriously, and strive to ensure that each conference attendee leaves our space feeling not just informed, but inspired, connected, and supported by a national network of colleagues working for a world where we are all free. Funding Forward welcomes private, public, and corporate grantmakers. In addition to representatives from foundations, Funding Forward is a gathering place for leading movement leaders who are invited to participate in conference events.