The goal of the State Equality Fund is to promote LGBT equality at the state level. However, no grant dollars can be used for lobbying, voter registration, electoral, or candidate work. Please see attached definitions sheet.
Statewide Outcomes: The Fund will support achievement of the following statewide policy changes within three years:
1) Statewide nondiscrimination statutes for all LGBT people applicable to employment and accommodations (including services), including the addition of gender identity and expression to existing statutes.
2) Statewide family recognition for LGBT families, including foster parenting and individual, joint, and second-parent adoption.
3) Enumerated statewide safe schools policies for LGBT and LGBT-perceived students, including mandatory training and statewide reporting.
4) Statewide broad relationship recognition for same sex couples, also known as domestic partnerships and civil unions. Due to the participating funders’ involvement in the Civil Marriage Collaborative, efforts to achieve marriage equality in the near term (within three years) are ineligible for the State Equality Fund.
Incremental and Local Outcomes: To a lesser degree, the Fund will support achievement of the following within three years as incremental steps towards later, broader statewide gains:
1) Nondiscrimination protections for less than all state LGBT people; including local ordinances, executive orders, private employer policies, and gender marker changes.
2) Enumerated district-level safe schools policies for LGBT and LGBT-perceived students, preferably with mandatory training and reporting.
3) Incremental statewide relationship recognition rights for LGBT couples, such as hospital visitation and state employee domestic partner benefits.
