LGBT Regional Funders Network

 Building Community by Advancing Philanthropy

The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund (DVLF) strives to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their families can more equitably participate in every facet of society.  DVLF accomplishes this by building relationships with individuals, communities, organizations, and corporations to assess needs, fundraise, collaborate, consult, and provide grants.  DVLF launches research and education projects to assist community organizations and provides financial and legal seminars to individuals, couples, and families.  DVLF helps to build organizations by offering marketing, fundraising, and technical assistance at no charge to over three dozen nonprofits each year.  In addition, DVLF educates institutional, corporate, foundation, and individual donors on relevant issues in grantmaking through its regional funders network events.  As well as informing individuals, DVLF’s Professional Advisors Council faculty members design and present planned giving trainings to legal and financial professionals to advance philanthropy in the region.

DVLF’s Regional LGBTI Funders Network

On a quarterly basis or as needed, DVLF convenes the largest LGBT funders in the region.  Members of the network are loosely-affiliated and growing closer together with a common vision. The funders encompass corporate and marketing funding decision makers, independent, private, and public foundation leaders, major donors to the LGBT community, trust advisors, wealth advisors, and board members who make decisions on donor-advised funds and other grantmaking authorities that have an interest in serving the LGBT community.

Each convening addresses an important issue to the funders, and features a community leader, researcher, activist, philanthropist, and/or grantmaker that already has successfully addressed a particular issue.  Past issues include funding LGBT youth, funding LGBT senior programs, funding transgender issues, and funding LGBT programs in general.  The programs are generated by the membership, and an annual survey helps to inform the program.

There are approximately 1,050 people invited to participate with about 50 active members.  Attendance at the last three events exceeded 50 people.  Each time the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund convenes the group, we have learned that both the event and the supportive materials have leveraged major new funds to support the LGBT community.

Read about DVLF's Regional LGBTI Funders Network youth initiative here.

Delaware Valley Grantmakers (DVG), the region’s forum for philanthropy, serves as a network, resource and voice to help philanthropy strengthen and improve the health and vitality of our communities. Membership in DVG is open to grantmakers only. If you are interested in finding out more about our membership benefits, eligibility criteria, and the process for joining DVG, please visit DVG's website at http://www.dvg.org/joining/index.htm or download the application [50 kb].