Our Fund Foundation is a community partner that creates a better future for all by pursuing the community’s greatest opportunities and addressing its most critical challenges. By inclusively uniting people, institutions and resources from throughout South Florida, Our Fund produces significant, widely shared and lasting results.
Connecting People Who Care with Causes That Matter
Through its grant programs, philanthropy initiatives, and agency and community networking and education efforts, Our Fund stands as a powerful force for good in South Florida and is committed to community leadership as a key strategy for delivering community impact.
Providing much-needed targeted support
Our Fund has determined seven fields of interests that are especially important to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Whether you decide to establish your own fund, contribute to a field of interest fund, or give directly to a specific organization, Our Fund is here to make the connection so that you have the best philanthropic choice.
Youth Fund
Our Fund’s Youth Fund uplifts LGBTQ youth and strives to provide safe and productive home and school environments. Funds are distributed to South Florida agencies that address the staggering statistics of violence and bullying affecting LGBTQ youth that result in poorer educational and health outcomes versus cisgender heterosexual counterparts, including lower GPAs, less likely planning for higher eduation and more likely experience of self-esteem problems.
Elder's Fund
Women's Fund
Transgender Fund
HIV/AIDS Fund
Arts & Culture Fund
Our Fund recognizes the importance of arts and culture to inspire, empower and transform individuals and communities. Grants from this fund promote South Florida artistic expression that amplifies LGBTQ voices and works in the service of preserving, telling and celebrating LGBTQ stories and to promoting LGBTQ equality and social justice.
Social Justice Fund
Our Fund’s Social Justice Fund envisions a world in which all LGBTQ people live with dignity, safety, and opportunity. Preference for grants from the Fund is given to agencies, programs and services that increase LGBTQ inclusion and acceptance and expand LGBTQ-affirming protections.
SAGE@SoFIA Friendly Visitor Program
Given that LGBTQ older adults are twice as likely to live alone, they are more susceptible to the health disparities created by aging in isolation. With SAGE@Sunshine, Our Fund brings together SAGE, the world’s oldest and largest organization working with and on behalf of LGBTQ older people, and Sunshine Cathedral whose Noble A. McArtor Adult Day Care Center was founded to create a safe, open and home-like atmosphere for all seniors and their caregivers to enjoy. Together, these two agencies match community volunteers with socially isolated, often home-bound LGBTQ elders to form relationships that are mutually rewarding and relieve chronic isolation.
Uniting LGBTQ Leadership
Our Fund Foundation hosts quarterly meetings of executive leaders serving organizations that advance LGBTQ causes in South Florida. The program serves to unite South Florida’s non-profit community and introduce organizations and leaders to each other with the hopes of identifying areas of interest and potential collaboration.
To learn more about participation in the CEO Leadership Network: please contact David Jobin at DJobin@Our-Fund.org
Agencies who make a difference
South Florida enjoys a wide and diverse network of non-profits that serve to advance LGBTQ causes. Our Fund Foundation is proud to partner with these agencies to create a more livable community for all residents of South Florida.
Health & Wellness
Our Fund’s grantmaking addresses the unique health related risks and disparities LGBTQ individuals experience, including physical, emotional, social, and behavioral aspects of health as well as the social isolation of LGBTQ elders. Included as priorities for Our Fund are HIV/AIDS, addiction and mental health, and healthcare access, affordability, and responsiveness.
Equality & Social Justice
This grantmaking category encompasses discrimination prevention, equity, and inclusion and includes advocacy, political mobilization, rights, and legal protections. It is applicable to prejudice, bullying, hate crimes, and vulnerable population and minority population empowerment.
Arts & Culture
Our Fund recognizes the importance of the arts and culture to inspire, empower and transform individuals and communities. Grants from this fund promote South Florida artistic expression that amplifies LGBTQ voices and works in the service of preserving, telling and celebrating LGBTQ stories and promoting LGBTQ equality and social justice.
Click here to see list of agencies active in the lives of South Floridians.
If you know of an organization that is not listed, please contact Obed Caballero at OCaballero@our-fund.org as Our Fund Foundation is eager to learn about new agencies and engage them in the programs of Our Fund.
2022 South Florida LGBTQ Philanthropy Awards
The third annual LGBTQ Philanthropy Awards was held on February 26, 2022.
In its role of promoting LGBT philanthropy in South Florida, Our Fund Foundation launched the South Florida Philanthropy Awards on February 9, 2019 to recognize those individuals who demonstrate a significant philanthropic impact in South Florida’s LGBT community. The generosity and actions of these philanthropists help to make South Florida the most livable community in the country for LGBT people.
2020 LGBTQ Philanthropy Awards
2022 Honorees
Jayne Baron Sherman
Raising the Bar Award
Designating the Philanthropist of the Year, this year’s Raising the Bar recipient is Jayne Baron Sherman. Jayne’s thoughtful generosity directed at numerous cultural, arts and LGBTQ advocacy agencies increased at the onset of the pandemic at a time these agencies were especially vulnerable. Jayne’s philanthropic impact in South Florida and nationally has helped to sustain arts and cultural institutions beloved by the LGBTQ community. Jayne and her wife Deby Zum were initial investors in Our Fund’s success as First 100 Funders and remain generous annual supporters. Jayne also provides leadership gifts to Our Fund’s grant funds distributed to South Florida agencies.
Doug Ames
Commitment to a Cause Award
Numerous South Florida LGBTQ agencies have been the beneficiary of Doug’s volunteerism. Doug’s name is synonymous with LGBTQ benefits and galas as Doug and the teams he assembles are the first faces seen at check-in for almost every large event in the region. Doug works tirelessly to gather and relay information to volunteers so that events run smoothly with host agencies’ boards and staff able to concentrate on the event knowing that check-in and guest needs are capably managed by Doug and his crew.
Jonathan Freidin
Next Generation of Philanthropy
Nominated by SAVE, Jonathan has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of SAVE since 2020 and has served on the Board since 2018. Jonathan also serves on SAVE’s Endorsement Committee, which interviews and endorses political and judicial candidates running for office in South Florida. Recently, Jonathan was appointed by Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber to be the Vice Chair of Art Deco Cultural District Panel. In this role, Jonathan is committed to making Miami Beach safer and more enjoyable for residents and visitors. Jonathan exemplifies how his generation can become engaged and lead bringing vigor and fresh ideas to advance our region’s LGBTQ movement.
Helping to inform our community
Our Fund Foundation annually presents in the fall a community conversation on topics of national and international importance to the LGBTQ community and its allies. Information on upcoming Fall Forum events will be available on this page as details are finalized.
Last year the Fall Forum was streamed virtually on Equality Florida’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel.
You can view a recorded version of the stream below: