Previous Grant Award Chronology

2008-2009 Gamma Mu Foundation Grants & Scholarships
Total $129,550

Community Services – AIDS Services and Prevention - $43,750 (33%)

Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association; Anchorage, AK
Grant Amount - $5,750

This is the initial Gamma Mu Foundation grant for Alaska AIDS. They will use this funding to expand their "Get It On Social Marketing Campaign" to the rural areas of Alaska. The campaign works to provide information and education about safe sex to prevent HIV and STD transmission.  

AIDS Resource Center (ARC) Ohio; Toledo, OH
Grant Amount - $8,500

ARC will utilize these funds for their northwest Ohio HIV counseling, testing, and referral program for GTBQ men. The program seeks to identify men who have sex with men in the Toledo area and Northwest Ohio area, at highest risk for HIV and link them to HIV counseling, testing and referral services. The project will provide outreach to 600 MSM, increasing their knowledge about behaviors which put them at highest risk for HIV infection and the need for regular HIV testing. 100 MSM at highest risk for infection will be tested for HIV and receive counseling, education, follow up referrals to needed services including immediate linkage to medical care, medications and case management for those who test positive for HIV.


Appetite for Life; Pensacola, FL
Grant Amount - $8,000

Appetite for Life will use these funds to aid in purchasing bulk food and is necessitated by their increased caseload and the rising cost of food. Appetite for Life provides nutritious meals (lunch and dinner 7 days a week), at no charge, to the population infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS in Escambia County. Appetite for life is the only organization in the area that provided such a service and has been doing so since 1997.


Catskill Rural AIDS Services; Oneonta, NY
Grant Amount - $8,000

Catskill Rural AIDS goal is to provide services that both support and empower those living with HIV/AIDS. This includes both practical services such as transportation, food, emergency help and referrals, as well as services to create and maintain a supportive community that decreases isolation and brings people together. Their monthly activities, pet program, phone contacts and ongoing support groups are examples . Their monthly newsletter addresses AIDS issues, wellness and community involvement.


HIV Alliance; Eugene, OR
Grant Amount - $8,500

These funds will support HIV Alliance’s community PROMISE program for gay, bisexual, and other MSM. PROMISE (Peers Reaching Out and Modeling Prevention Strategies) is a community-level intervention program to reduce HIV transmission, supported by behavioral change theories and proven effective in increasing condom use, and condom carrying, in cities across the country. Gay and bisexual men in high-risk social networks will be recruited to encourage behavioral change and distribute true role model success stories, and include local gay and bisexual men who have been able to reduce their risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV.


New Mexico Community AIDS Partnership; Cedar Crest, NM
Grant Amount - $5,000

This is the initial Gamma Mu Foundation grant for this organization. These funds will be used to support the AIDS Emergency Program used to provide emergency relief and necessities of life to individuals with HIV/AIDS facing life crises, including unforeseen expenses, in order to intervene with a potential cycle of poverty, homelessness, and recidivism in potentially harmful behaviors.


Community Services – Other Grants - $33,500 (26%)

ALSO for Gay Youth; Sarasota, FL
Grant Amount - $8,000

ALSO for Gay Youth will utilize these funds to support the Rainbow Youth Empowerment Project that is designed to address the many issues affecting gay youth. The Program employs empowerment tools, compensatory programming, life-skills coaching, and referrals through interwoven project components. This will enable sexual minority youth to decrease their level of depression and suicidal ideation, increase their levels of self-esteem, and become healthy, responsible individuals. Major components of the project include a youth drop-in center, with activities, workshops, and individual assessments, weekly peer support group meetings, and 24-hour crisis support.


Maui AIDS Foundation; Wailuku, HI
Grant Amount – $8,000

These funds will be used to support “Positive Tuesdays”, the purpose of which is to provide a safe place especially, but not exclusively, for gay-identified MSM to discuss and disclose their HIV positive status and attend to all of the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that accompany being HIV positive, gay and on the remote islands of Hawaii. The program serves individuals on all of the small neighbor islands outside of Oahu.


Odyssey Youth Center; Spokane, WA
Grant Amount - $9,000

This is the initial grant for Odyssey Youth Center. They will apply these funds to their “Phoenix Rising” project, which is a youth development program that targets as risk GLBTQ and allied youth. The program combines socio-emotional resiliency and life skills training in an effort to help Odyssey’s youth develop and enhance a healthy self image and develop leadership, advocacy and activism skills.


South Alabama CARES; Mobile, AL
Grant Amount - $8,500

These funds will be used to support the “FUSION” project; an educational prevention project that uses peer educators (gay and bisexual men) to provide services in the target community. The project is based on the M-Powerment Model where young gay and bisexual men are recruited and trained in HIV education, sexual behavior negotiation, and proper use of condoms. Once core group members are training they take the skills back to the community. Peer educators are supported in their efforts by the Project Coordinator and are encouraged to provide services to target group members in social gatherings and other her places where gay and bisexual men meet. 

Research and Public Education Grants - $42,300 (33%)


Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA); Charleston, SC
Grant Amount - $8,000

AFFA will use these funds for their "Media Education and Awareness Campaign" which seeks to influence the “movable-middle” heterosexual population to achieve equality and acceptance for GLBT people. Areas of concentration include targeting professionals in fields of education, religion, family/parenting, law enforcement, public office and mental health. In addition to offering training resources and information, the campaign builds coalitions and advocates for GLBT citizens in the workplace, legislature, and courts of law. The main goals for 2008-2009 are: education opportunities for members of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and through the tri-county Human Rights Management Diversity Leadership Conference; provide an educational component to the already strong relationships between AFFA and the NAACP; provide sexual and gender orientation workshops to local law enforcement and statewide organizations of social workers, school personnel, licensed therapists, counselors and medical professionals.
AFFA is the Gamma Mu Foundation’s FY2009 recipient of the "Richard Karpawich Research and Education Award."


Equality Virginia Education Fund; Richmond, VA
Grant Amount - $8,000

Equality Virginia will use these funds to support "Generation Equality"; a statewide association of GLBTQ college organizations. It is the only organization of its kind in the country. Equality Virginia provides support, guidance, resources and training to GLBTQ student leaders. Last year more than 100 student leaders of generation equality met at their first leadership development conference. Out of that came two goals:
     (1) Develop a resource guide for GLBTQ students and;
     (2) Hold a second conference of GLBTQ student leaders.
These funds will make these two student goals a reality.


New Mexico GLBTQ Centers; Las Cruces, NM
Grant Amount - $9,800

New Mexico GLBTQ Centers received a $1,000 unsolicited Foundation grant in 2008 enabling them to attend the Community Centers Conference in Dallas, TX. This is their first solicited grant. They will use these funds to conduct a Community Needs Assessment that will determine the current state of homophobia and community needs in New Mexico with emphasis on rural areas. The results of the project will be used by NM Centers in program development and public education. NM Centers will share results of the project with the NM Legislature, other GLBTQ community groups and the general public.


Safe Schools South Florida; Ft Lauderdale, FL
Grant Amount - $8,500

Safe Schools South Florida is continuing to expand the Safe Schools Project into non-urban areas of Florida, specifically Belle Glade in Palm Beach County, Davie in Broward County, and Homestead in Miami/Dade County. The project is designed to promote respect and safety and create safe learning environments for all students, with emphasis on GLBTQ youth. The focus on these three areas is part of a larger expansion into Broward, Monroe, Palm Beach, and Mimi/Dade counties Over the next year the project will target a minimum of 150 administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, psychologists, and paraprofessionals.


The Phoenix Center; Springfield, IL
Grant Amount - $8,000

The Phoenix Center will use these funds to continue and expand their diversity program in area schools, since a significant number of GLBTQ students are harassed and bullied. Teachers, parents, and other students need to be educated on diversity issues. The Center will continue to create new pro-tolerance policies and gay/straight alliances in schools as part of an effort to reduce drop outs, teen depression and suicide.