Equality Maryland Sponsors

The HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN has supported Equality Maryland for several years and is an important ally and partner.

In 2001, HRC partnered with then-Free State Justice to help pass a statewide non-discrimination law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, housing and public accommodations. HRC helped by organizing in key districts around the state and awarding Free State Equality Fund grants of $5,000 in 2000 and 2001 to fund focus groups and lobbying efforts on behalf of the bill. After the anti-discrimination law was passed, anti-gay forces sought to repeal the bill by a ballot referendum. HRC, in its capacity as a member of the steering committee that came together to defeat the proposed referendum, raised funds and provided strategic support to the effort, in addition to contributing staff time to support the court challenge that resulted in the failure of the proposed referendum. In November 2001, Free State Justice and the ACLU were able to reach a court settlement to keep a measure to repeal the state's new anti-discrimination act off the 2002 ballot.

HRC awarded Equality Maryland two Equality Fund grants totaling $10,000 to hire a transgender organizer to work for passage of a transgender non-discrimination ordinance in Baltimore. That ordinance was passed by the Baltimore City Council in November 2002 and signed into law by then Mayor Martin O'Malley in December 2002. HRC staff also provided technical assistance in this effort.

In 2004, HRC helped Equality Maryland underwrite the costs of hiring a Field Organizer. In 2005, HRC assisted Equality Maryland in hiring an additional lobbyist who continues to work on behalf of LGBT issues. In addition, HRC generously contributed $20,000 in 2006 to support crucial grassroots canvassing efforts in key legislative districts.

For more information on the Human Rights Campaign, please visit www.hrc.org.

Equality Maryland has received several grants from the Colorado-based GILL FOUNDATION to support the group's education and grassroots efforts on marriage equality. The grants have helped Equality Maryland to develop a statewide grassroots network of well-informed Marylanders and to ensure that the people of Maryland have ready access to clear and truthful information about the issues surrounding the marriage debate.

The mission of the Colorado-based Gill Foundation is to secure equal opportunity for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Established in 1994 by software entrepreneur Tim Gill, the Gill Foundation is the nation's largest funder of LGBT civil rights organizations. With an endowment of approximately $200 million, the Gill Foundation has invested nearly $54 million in nonprofit organizations throughout the country.

For more information about the Gill Foundation, please visit www.gillfoundation.org.

Equality Maryland Foundation is generously supported by the PROTEUS FUND, most recently focused on education and grassroots efforts on marriage equality.

The Proteus Fund is a public foundation based in Amherst, Massachusetts and Washington DC. Since its founding in 1994, Proteus has funded programs that expand access to our democracy with the goal of building and strengthening the social justice movement. Our initiatives, the Piper Fund, the State Strategies Fund, the Media Action Fund, the Security Policy Working Group, the Voter Engagement Initiative, and our affiliated 501(c)(4) grantmaking organization Proteus Action League, demonstrate innovative and strategic philanthropy at its best.

Proteus Fund also provides management and consulting services to individual donors, and to private and family foundations. Because we are a group of related programs with a shared staff, we are able to direct a variety of grants for multiple and specific purposes and support individual organizations whose combined work is complementary and aggregates to much more than the sum of their individual efforts.

For more information about the Proteus Fund, please visit www.proteusfund.org.

In 2004, Equality Maryland engaged on an important capacity building project with the assistance of the NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE.

Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation (the Task Force) was the first national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights and advocacy organization and remains the movement's leading voice for freedom, justice, and equality. We work to build the grassroots political strength of our community by training state and local activists and leaders and organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation. Our Policy Institute, the community's premiere think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a world that respects and makes visible the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. Headquartered in Washington, DC, we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Cambridge. The Task Force is a 501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Washington, DC. Contributions to the Task Force are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Inc. ("NGLTF, Inc."), founded in 1974, works to build the grassroots political power of the LGBT community in order to attain complete equality. We do so through direct and grassroots lobbying to either help defeat anti-LGBT ballot initiatives and other measures or help push pro-LGBT legislation and other measures. We also analyze and report on the positions of candidates for public office on issues of importance to the LGBT community. NGLTF, Inc. is a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation incorporated in New York. Contributions to NGLTF, Inc. are not tax-deductible.

For more information about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, please visit www.thetaskforce.org.

Equality Maryland Foundation is proud to be the recipient of support from BROTHER HELP THYSELF. BHT has funded our education and outreach efforts including helping us distribute Jumping The Broom: A Black Perspective on Same-Gender Marriage.

Brother Help Thyself (BHT) funds and nurtures nonprofit organizations serving the GLBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities in the Metro Baltimore/Washington areas. BHT's successful 27 year history demonstrates expertise in funding non-profits groups.

BHT is a community based foundation that accomplishes its mission by:

  • Dispensing direct and matching grants to non-profit organizations
  • Acting as a clearinghouse for donated goods and services
  • Serving as an information resource to our community

BHT awards grants to non-profit organizations that have applied for funds to implement specific programs that benefit the GLBTQ or HIV / AIDS communities.

BHT President, Tom Yates, stated, "This is the 28th year that BHT has been able to increase the total amount of our grants. The organizations that receive money from us provide vital health, education and cultural support for the gay community -- and we are proud that we can help make our community stronger through these groups."

For more information about Brother Help Thyself, please visit www.brotherhelpthyself.org.

The UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FUNDING PROGRAM has chosen Equality Maryland for a $5,000 matching grant for our clergy outreach program through their Fund for a Just Society program. We will be reaching out to local UU churches in the state to help us secure the $5,000 match. It’s a great opportunity for us to secure the much-needed funds and continue to do more outreach to clergy and religious communities.