The Campaign for Southern Equality announced on April 1 that they are opening a new round of COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant Program funding to provide support to help with rent, food, medical expenses and other necessities.
LGBTQ Southerners impacted by COVID-19 can now apply for an Emergency Assistance Grant (EAG). Any LGBTQ person in a Southern state experiencing the health and/or financial impacts of the pandemic is eligible to apply for a grant of $250 to assist with needs such as food, rent, prescriptions. 2020 recipients of Emergency Assistance Grants are eligible to apply again in this round, but recipients of a $250 grant in 2021 are not eligible.
Since March 2020 the organization has opened up more than $335,000 in rapid response funding, including this round.
The Campaign is working with organization members and partners across the South to ensure that these funds reach the most impacted LGBTQ Southerners, including BIPOC and trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming Southerners. Of the grants issued so far, 69% of recipients are BIPOC, and 73% are TGNC.
The Campaign for Southern Equality’s mission is to build a South where LGBTQ people are equal in every sphere of life. More than one third of all LGBTQ Americans live in the South but lack basic legal protections, face political attacks, and experience health and income inequities.
