Fiscal Year 2013 Grants
Total $110,000

Community Services – AIDS Services and Prevention Grants - $63,000 (57%)

AIDS Athens
Athens, GA
Grant Amount - $5,000  

AIDS Athens will continue their rural testing and outreach prevention program in Northeast Georgia, including testing events for HIV/AIDS, as well as counseling and prevention education for each participant.  AIDS Athens will continue to work with community partners, businesses and organizations catering to the GLBT population with the goal to increase testing, increase safe sex practices, and decrease new HIV infections.  For more information on AIDS Athens, please visit their website at  www.aidsathens.org.

AIDS Help of Monroe County
Key West, FL
Grant Amount - $5,000

The Helping Hands Project will use the funds to provide emergency food, shelter, and health services for 207 persons infected and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Monroe County, FL.  One hundred percent (100%) of the funding will be spent on direct housing and health care services for needy and homeless HIV/AIDS clients.  Services will be made available to all persons in Monroe County (a rural county) and Key West.  For more information on AIDS Help of Monroe County, please visit their website at  www.aidshelp.org.

AIDS Project of Southern Vermont (ASPV)
Brattleboro, VT
Grant Amount - $7,000

The goal of this project – Enhancing Rural LGBTQ Community Health – is to sustain ongoing, successful HIV prevention efforts for rural gay, bisexual, and queer men.  This project will address the underserved HIV prevention needs for rural MSM, particularly younger men under 35 years of age.  This will include free and anonymous HIV testing and counseling, distribution of safer sex supplies, implementation of small group safer sex discussion groups placing HIV in the larger context of the lives of MSM and other LGBTQ individuals, etc.  The approach of the project is community-based HIV prevention programming.  For more information on APSV, please visit their website at www.aidsprojectsouthernvermont.org.

HIV Alliance
Eugene, OR
Grant Amount - $7,000

The project – Preventing New HIV Infections in Rural Southern Oregon – will interrupt the spread of HIV/HCV by providing accessible, culturally appropriate counseling, testing and referral services to those most at risk for acquiring and/or transmitting HIV in Lane, Douglas, Josephine, and Marion countries.  We are specifically requesting funding for our work with men who have sex with men and their partners in these rural countries.  For more information on HIV Alliance, please visit their website at  www.hivalliance.org.

Open Aid Alliance
Missoula, MT
Grant Amount - $3,000

Open Aid Alliance is sponsoring a Men’s Sexual Health Screening Event, a two day event specifically targeted to MSM.  Our focus for this event is on providing multiple services in one location, bundling tests for reduced cost and providing services for very low or at no cost to participants.  Our goals for this event include:  increased HIV testing while providing other sexual health services, addressing health issues specific to MSM with providers that are experienced with this population, further build relationships within the MSM community to increase numbers of MSM getting regular HIV testing and reduce the incidence of untreated STDs within the MSM community.  For more information on the Open Aid Alliance, please visit their website at www.openaidalliance.org.

Moveable Feast
Lexington, KY
Grant Amount - $8,000

Moveable Feast Lexington provides nutritional support to low-income persons living with HIV in Fayette County, with the overall objective of providing proper nutrition to help the body in controlling opportunistic infections and to aid in controlling side effects of medication in hopes that people will be medication compliant, thus living longer with a better quality of life.  Also, the provision of food to clients allows them to use scarce resources to have more stable and better quality housing than they could otherwise afford.  For more information on Moveable Feast, please visit their website at www.feastlex.org.

Philadelphia Center
Shreveport, LA
Grant Amount - $5,000

TThe Philadelphia Center in Natchitoches, LA provides direct support (including HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness education, case management services, testing, mental health and substance abuse counseling) to individuals and their families, and to the general population in four rural parishes:  Natchitoches, DeSoto, Red River, and Sabine.  Prior to 2009, the only medical and social support options for HIV/AIDS patients in this area were 50 to 80 miles away.  There is no inter-parish public transportation available.  For more information on The Philadelphia Center, please visit their website at www.philadelphiacenter.org.

Rural AIDS Action Network (RAAN)
Little Falls, MN
Grant Amount - $10,000

RAAN will use the funds to support its 2012/2013 Education and Outreach Program in rural Minnesota.  The Education and Outreach program targets men who have sex with men (MSM) and other high risk populations for HIV transmission in rural Minnesota utilizing free HIV testing as well as risk reduction strategies.  This program’s targeted approach will strengthen the organization’s ability to provide education and testing in areas of greatest need, and reach HIV-positive individuals who need services and care.  For more information on RAAN, please visit their website at www.raan.org..

Union County AIDS Task Force
Marysville, OH
Grant Amount - $4,000

Although the Task Force is located in Union County, clients are often residents or commuters from neighboring and contiguous counties, where resources are equally limited.  Testing is not restricted to Union County residents exclusively.  With fewer educational programs and resources due to discontinuation of local services and a severe lack of funding, the Union County AIDS Task Force aims to expand HIV outreach testing efforts, increase testing events, and increase HIV awareness among all age groups in these communities, particularly for at-risk populations.  For more information on the Union County AIDS Task Force, please visit their page on Facebook.

Vermont CARES
Burlington, VT
Grant Amount - $9,000

Funding for Vermont CARES will support the rapid-testing HIV testing program.  The free and anonymous testing program is the largest and most far-reaching in Vermont; HIV testing is the primary focus of operations.  The program is critical not only to help individuals learn their HIV status, but also to share vital HIV prevention information through the one-on-one conversations that are the foundation of each testing session.  The goal is to ensure Vermonters have efficient access to free, anonymous, non-judgmental testing.  For more information on Vermont CARES, please visit their website at www.vtcares.org.

Community Services – Other Grants - $28,000 (26%)

GLBT Community Center of Colorado
Denver, CO
Grant Amount - $3,000

The Center’s youth services are run through a program called Rainbow Alley, the only GLBT-oriented youth drop-in center in the Denver area.  Rainbow Alley is a safe space where GLBT youth come to discover themselves, develop self-esteem, and practice social skills. Each year the number of youth who come to Rainbow Alley has grown steadily.  Recently two initiatives were launched to expand Rainbow Alley to new communities – Littleton’s Rainbow Alley opened in August 2011 and Fort Collins’ Rainbow Alley reopened under Center leadership in January 2012.  Through this grant, the Center will be able to expand these programs to reach more LGBT youth, providing them with the necessary resources and support to live healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives.  For more information on the GLBT Community Center of Colorado, please visit their website at  www.glbtcolorado.org/a>..

LGBT Center of Central Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA
Grant Amount - $5,000

Common Roads, the youth program arm of the LGBT Center of Central PA, aims to increase its training efforts for professional staff working with LGBTQ youth.  This will impact the lives of rural LGBTQ youth by empowering the systems that interact with these youth to be culturally competent.  The biggest impact on the lives of LGBTQ youth is created when the small staff is able to train more adults to competently work with these youth; in this sense, the training programs are as important as the programs that bring LGBTQ youth together since many barriers exist for youth throughout this large region to access physical meetings.  For more information on the LGBT Center of Central PA, please visit their website at www.centralpaglbtcenter.org.

New Mexico Community AIDS Partnership (NMCAP)
Santa Fe, NM
Grant Amount - $5,000

NMCAP’s Native MSM Project will use Gamma Mu Foundation funding for its inaugural year.  During this period, NMCAP will work with community members to design and implement two programs for Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (GBTQ) Native American men.  The first project will be an online and text message forum where community members can meet one another, interact, share information, and support one another.  The second project will be periodic gatherings for the same population, held in various locations around the state.  For more information on NMCAP, please visit their website at www.nmcf.org.

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers
Las Cruces, NM
Grant Amount - $10,000

Funds will be used to support the Friendly Visits for Seniors program.  This program matches frail and homebound LGBT older adults with volunteers from the community.  Volunteers are non-professionals; they are often the only “out” person that the client or Friend sees, and serves as the client’s link to the LGBT community.  The program serves to provide emotional support and alleviate isolation for LGBT older adults who do not have traditional family support systems to help them.  The Friendly Visits program is facilitated and administered by a full-time Program Coordinator/Case Manager.  This will be an ongoing program.  For more information on the New Mexico GLBTQ Centers, please visit their website at www.newmexicoglbtqcenters.org.

Outright Vermont
Burlington, VT
Grant Amount - $5,000

Outright Vermont is seeking funding to support the expansion of its education work in middle schools across Vermont.  The title of the project is Supporting Queer Youth in Middle Schools.  The project will begin in September 2012 and continue until December 2013 (or longer if funding can be secured).  The mission of Outright Vermont is to build safe, healthy, and supportive environments for queer youth, ages 13-22.  Since 1989, Outright Vermont has worked to provide safety and support for queer youth, helped make schools safer, and focused on youth empowerment, leadership, and advocacy.  For more information on Outright Vermont, please visit their website at www.outrightvt.org.

Research & Public Education - $19,000 (17%)

Campus Pride
Charlotte, NC 
Grant Amount - $5,000

The Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp (aka Camp Pride) educates, enlightens, and empowers youth on college campuses across the U.S.  The five-day camp experience makes a personal investment in LGBT and ally youth as the future leaders of our movement for equality.  Youth collaborate on anti-bullying initiatives as well as develop action plans to improve campus safety.  The Gamma Mu Foundation monies will be utilized to fund the youth scholarships in rural areas/colleges, overall program, educational curriculum, and activities.  For more information on Campus Pride, please visit their website at www.campuspride.org.

Equality Virginia
Richmond, VA
Grant Amount - $4,000

As part of its Safe Schools Program, Equality Virginia proposes to send personnel to rural Abingdon and Washington County to build a local coalition of support for an enumerated anti-bullying policy which lists sexual orientation and gender identity and expression among protected classes and characteristics.  There is a solid base of support in Abingdon and this grant will provide the opportunity to build capacity in that area and provide a platform to do work in neighboring rural counties in southwestern Virginia.  For more information on Equality Virginia, please visit their website at www.equalityvirginia.org.

Safe Schools South Florida (SSSF)
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Grant Amount - $10,000

SSSF will use the funds for continued expansion of the “Safe Schools Project” into non-urban areas of Florida, specifically Belle Glade in Palm Beach County. Davie in Broward County, Homestead in Miami-Dade County, and Martin and St. Lucie Counties.  Outreach in these communities will use the model of training for rural counties and is designed to promote respect, safety, and create a safe learning environment for all students.  New partnerships such as with the national GSA network are helping SSSF reach greater numbers of youth.  SSSF has been selected to receive the Richard Karpawich Research & Public Education Award.  For more information on SSSF, please visit their website at www.safeschoolssouthflorida.org.