$20 million
Invested to Advance
Equality in 2015
$299M Invested Since Inception
1994-2015
In 2015, the Gill Foundation invested in new strategies and partnered with unlikely allies
to advance equal treatment for all people.
Scroll to next panel
equal treatment
LGBT Americans aren’t fully protected from discrimination in 32 states.
equal treatment
In 2015, the Gill Foundation continued to shift from advancing marriage to winning equal treatment, investing in efforts to ensure hardworking LGBT people have the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families.
National Campaign Team
Freedom for All Americans Education Fund was funded to secure equal treatment nationwide. Seeking to protect all Americans from discrimination, they provide expertise in public education and awareness building, movement collaboration, field organizing, and communications.
Unlikely Allies
From faith leaders to small business owners – LGBT people have more allies and supporters than ever before. That’s why we invested in research and coalition building to elevate these crucial voices in the public debate over equal opportunity.
Leadership in Sports
Funding in 2015 strengthened new partners like Athlete Ally, and their tireless work paved the way for the NBA, NCAA, and ACC to speak out for equal treatment this year, showing that discrimination has no place in sports.
State Agencies
Project
The State Agencies Project (SAP) was created in 2015 to work with governors and other state executives to ensure state policies treat people equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.
State Agencies Project
From simplifying the process of updating identification documents to securing parental rights for same-sex couples, pro-equality state officials made their states more inclusive and supportive of LGBT people.
Prohibiting Discrimination
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order banning harassment and discrimination against transgender people.
Parental Rights
In Missouri and Virginia, state officials updated parental recognition policies to ensure children of same-sex married couples are treated the same as all other children.
Defending Students
Virginia’s Attorney General issued opinions stating that parents can change their children's gender marker at school and that school boards have the authority to protect students and employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Progress For Transgender People
Hawaii, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Washington, and West Virginia all took steps to advance pro-transgender administrative policies, including expanding access to health care and allowing transgender individuals to update their identification documents.
federal Agencies Project
The year 2015 may be remembered as the year we finally won the freedom to marry – but thanks to the leadership of President Obama, it was also a landmark year for advancing federal government protections for the LGBT community.
Federal Agencies Project
FAP spurred some major advancements for LGB,
and especially T, Americans.
Open Military Service
After hearing directly from courageous transgender service members, the Pentagon announced the beginning of the process to end the transgender military ban.
Protecting Youth
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released a first-ever government report denouncing conversion therapy as a harmful practice for LGBT youth.
Access to Healthcare
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule that the Affordable Care Act should prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex stereotyping, paving the way to expand access to healthcare for transgender individuals.
Counting Our Community
The White House launched an interagency working group on LGBT data collection to ensure LGBT people’s unique needs and disparities are counted.
Prosperous
Colorado
Colorado is our home, and in 2015, we invested $2.7 million right here to ensure every Coloradan has equal access to our state’s opportunities.
a Prosperous Colorado
We believe Colorado offers an unparalleled quality of life. But our state’s continued success is dependent upon the success of its children. That’s why we are committed to investments in education that will shape the future of our state.
Safe Schools
87% of LGBT students in Colorado feel deliberately excluded by their peers. Grantees like One Colorado Education Fund are working to make all LGBT students feel safe and welcomed at school. In 2015, they helped expand the number of Gay Straight Alliances across the state, making Colorado’s statewide network the fourth largest in the nation.
STEM
By 2020, 74% of all Colorado jobs will require additional education after high school and 55% of the top jobs will require skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). That’s why in 2015, the Gill Foundation invested in grantees like the Colorado Education Initiative to increase the number and diversity of students prepared to compete for high-demand, high-wage STEM and technology jobs through innovative programs like Colorado STEM and Compute Colorado.
