JuLY Member Spotlight

"As a foundation that has only been around for 13 years, we are a newer member of FPN.  We got involved in the planning of the last conference to help bring a LGBTQ lens to the program development.  From first learning of FPN, I had an interest in joining to learn more about philanthropy in Florida and this region and to make connections with other fundraising professionals doing good work in Florida."

"In South Florida, we are dealing with a population that is largely not originally from Florida. When asked where folks are from, you will often hear cities with rich philanthropic histories – Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, etc.   But more and more, we see philanthropists in South Florida who now call Florida their home.  We are seeing a shift in giving patterns that reflect this and more and more philanthropy is directed to where our supporters live and thrive – in Florida."

"We are currently supporting a partnership of 3 agencies that Our Fund brought to the table in Fort Lauderdale to develop housing for LGBTQ homeless youth.  It’s an issue that stands to get increasingly worse with the political forces in place in Florida and we have identified 3 agencies that are working together to take the current 6-bed beta site and expand it to a 16-bed model to be replicated in the future. This is a population that has unique needs – so to be working with agencies who excel in this field has been gratifying."

"I am a fan of the community foundation model because of its geographic specificity and the regional proficiency that accompanies it.  But the pass-thru nature of community foundations can perplex people newer to philanthropy.   To make a better case for supporting The Our Fund Foundation, we’ve had to pivot from solely focusing on our donors and their stories to putting the spotlight on the agencies we support and our direct connection to the change we are making in the community.  It's not only helped our supporters understand our role – but it’s energized our staff and board."

"My life and work intersect around Our Fund’s support of LGBTQ arts and culture.  I worked for the first 20 years of my career in non-profits arts agencies – so to be able to attend performances and know the role The Our Fund Foundation has in the success of South Florida’s vibrant LGBTQ arts scene is especially gratifying."