Destination Tomorrow's $1M TRANScend Community Impact Fund Now Open for Proposals

Supported by Gilead Sciences, the Black Trans-led national LGBTQ+ organization provides crucial funding to nonprofits serving the Trans community

NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Destination Tomorrow, the only Black Trans-led funding source in the country, is now accepting proposals for its TRANScend Community Impact Fund from Transgender/Gender-Nonconforming (TGNC)-led grassroots organizations across the United States. Supported by Gilead Sciences, the TRANScend fund works to address the disproportionate impact of HIV on the Trans community and is designed to provide microgrants to nonprofits that serve particularly Black and brown communities who often live in environments with high risk of HIV infection. Through TRANScend, Destination Tomorrow is able to create opportunities for TGNC individuals around the country when it comes to housing, education, health, employment and more.

As the only Black Trans grantmaker in the country, Sean Ebony Coleman, founder and executive director of Destination Tomorrow, works to create a better reality for the TGNC community. By funding grassroots organizations with direct, on-the-ground impact, he is able to provide support tailored to the needs of community members in different areas across the country. As the South has been disproportionately affected by HIV and typically lacks the resources that TGNC individuals need, a lot of work through TRANScend has been focused within this region. In past years, Coleman has selected 45 sub-grantee organizations for funding, including The Mahogany Project, Transformations Youth Organization and I Am Human Foundation, resulting in the distribution of $1,080,000 in funds to grassroots organizations nationally.

"We are honored to be able to continue providing crucial funds to organizations doing lifesaving work in their communities for the fourth year in a row through Gilead Sciences," said Coleman. "Nonprofits serving the TGNC community – and particularly TGNC communities of color – are often overlooked by states and other funding sources, which we at Destination Tomorrow are committed to changing. Seeing the incredible work our past grant recipients have been able to accomplish is inspiring and makes us proud to continue to do this work."

According to The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 14% of Transgender women are living with HIV, compared to the less than 0.5% infection rate for all U.S. adults. Transgender women of color are even more disproportionately affected with an estimated 51% of Black/African American transgender women, 33% of Hispanic/Latina/x transgender women and 5% of white transgender women living with HIV. Despite these alarming rates, they are likely still grossly underreported. The TRANScend fund aims to address and reduce these disparities by increasing HIV awareness among Transgender communities, enhancing Trans-specific HIV services, increasing the capacity of Trans-led organizations and more.

Now open for proposals, the TRANScend grant is available to two project categories: community collaboration awards for project-based proposals and general operating awards in support of an organizations' overall mission and goals. The program uses a participatory grantmaking framework when choosing grantees, which shifts decision-making power to the community that the fund is serving, utilizing a grant review committee composed entirely of members of Transgender communities throughout the country. This ensures that funds are distributed to grassroots organizations that have a direct impact on their communities.

For requirements and further information on how to apply for a TRANScend Community Impact grant, please visit destinationtomorrow.org/fund-request.

For media inquiries regarding Destination Tomorrow, please contact Lisa Burkert at 917-929-0123 or [email protected].

About Sean Ebony Coleman and Destination Tomorrow  

Sean Ebony Coleman is the founder and executive director of Destination Tomorrow, a national LGBTQ organization with centers located in the South Bronx and Atlanta, serving the community through educational, financial, housing, health and personal support programs. The grassroots organization puts an emphasis on providing support to vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community that takes them off the path of requiring emergency care, focusing on economic, social and mental empowerment on a holistic level. As a nationally recognized leader in the Transgender community and the first African American of Transgender experience to operate a LGBTQ center in the state of New York, Sean plays a key role in advocating for policies that directly impact the lives of millions of LGBTQ individuals. Through Gilead Science's TRANScend Community Impact Fund, Sean is the only Black Trans grantmaker in the country, providing crucial funding to Transgender and Gender Nonconforming-led grassroots organizations nationally. Sean is also the founder and managing partner of Sean Ebony Coleman Consulting, where he has worked with companies including Unilever, Lululemon and Equinox on campaigns and DEI strategies to support the LGBTQ community.

SOURCE Destination Tomorrow