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.
Statewide Outcomes: The Fund will support achievement of the following statewide policy changes within one to five years:
1) Statewide nondiscrimination statutes for all LGBT citizens applicable to employment and accommodations (including services), including the addition of gender identity and expression to existing statutes.
2) Statewide parenting rights for LGBT parents, including foster parenting and individual, joint, and second-parent adoption.
3) Statewide safe schools policies for LGBT and LGBT-perceived students, including mandatory training and statewide reporting.
4) Statewide broad relationship recognition for LGBT 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 (one to 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 one to three years as incremental steps towards later, broader statewide gains:
1) Nondiscrimination protections for less than all state LGBT citizens; including local ordinances, executive orders, and private employer policies.
2) 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.