About Us → News & Events PAYING IT FORWARD TO MAKE A LASTING DIFFERENCE
PAYING IT FORWARD TO MAKE A LASTING DIFFERENCE
Health Care Advocates International (HCAI), through The HCAI Fund, recently awarded more than $95,000 to six non-profit organizations throughout the US, dedicated to ending LGBTQ stigma and discrimination.
While HCAI has informally given more than $2M since it opened its doors in 2017, The HCAI Fund was launched last year with the mission of providing financial support specifically to 501(c)(3) organizations that strengthen, serve and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Applicants that address basic needs, foster safety and wellness, fight stigma and discrimination and promote equality and education through programs and services are given consideration.
In creating and formalizing the application process through The HCAI Fund, HCAI intended to cast a wider net to help more organizations further their missions to end stigma and discrimination and aid the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
Established in 2023, The HCAI Fund has awarded more than $315,000 to 15 organizations, receiving submissions from 27 states and a handful from cities around the world. According to a 2023 Advocate.com article, some of the least LGBTQ+-friendly cities around the country include Houston, Texas; Birmingham, Alabama; and Memphis, Tennessee due to their restrictive laws targeting LGBTQ Americans. To recognize those most in need, Health Care Advocates International awarded grants to organizations in each of these cities, among others, in hopes of encouraging further acceptance and eradicating stigma and discrimination.
“The financial need for non-profits is real,” said Pattie McKnight, HCAI Executive Director. “Since creating The HCAI Fund last year, we have received 160+ applications for over $3.5M from the US and beyond, and while it was a challenge to choose, the 15 organizations we have been able to support are truly making an immediate and lasting difference in the lives of the LGBTQ+ community.”
In the most recent grant cycle, The HCAI Fund awarded funding to the following organizations:
Jewish Family Services of Delaware – based in Wilmington, Delaware; awarded $4,870 to help train and equip JFS staff with the skills and knowledge to make all LGBTQ+ patients feel welcome while receiving high-quality, safe, and affirming care.
Montana de Luz – based in Worthington, Ohio; awarded $10,350 to expand the organization’s reach and capabilities to bring quality HIV/AIDS information, education, and resources to disenfranchised populations and marginalized groups across Honduras.
Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS – based in Phoenix, Arizona; awarded $25,000 to advance health equity and decrease financial barriers to medical and wellness care for the LGBTQIA2S+ community by providing PrEP/PEP services, a Gender Affirming Care Program, primary healthcare, and mental health services.
The HomeMore Project – based in San Francisco, California; awarded $5,000 to fund the manufacturing, equipment, and delivery of Makeshift Traveler kits to LGBTQ+ individuals experiencing homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Trans Housing Coalition – based in Atlanta, Georgia; awarded $35,000 to support the organization’s Housing First Program to help trans and gender non-conforming individuals to obtain safe housing and support services.
Visiting Nurse Services of Westchester – based in White Plains, NY; awarded $15,200 to increase its capacity to address the unique home health care needs of members of the LGBTQ community living throughout the lower Hudson Valley and the Bronx, NY and to improve the quality of care provided to LGBTQ clients.
In a year’s time, each non-profit will report back to The HCAI Fund about the progress and success of their programs as HCAI seeks to not only ensure proper use of funds but also understand and celebrate how these organizations are continuing to help their communities.
“When I founded HCAI, my mission was not only to establish an inclusive and accepting medical practice but also an organization that the LGBTQ+ community could count on in times of crisis and need,” said Gary Blick, Chief Medical Officer, and Founder of HCAI. “We are committed to our mission of eradicating LGBTQ stigma and discrimination and are proud that The HCAI Fund is able to provide organizations the ability to do the same.”
Previous HCAI Fund recipients have included:
Samaritan Ministries of Central Bearden
The HCAI Fund will begin accepting applications for its next grant cycle July 1- September 30, 2024. Eligibility requirements and funding parameters can be found on the Grant program webpage.