Mayor Michelle Wu Announces $200,000 In Funding To Strengthen Support Services For LGBTQ+ Bostonians

Friday, May 2, 2025 - Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement (MOLA) today announced $200,000 in grant funding to expand access to critical services and resources for LGBTQ+ Bostonians. This year’s awards include 45 grants through the Beyond Pride Grant Program and a $50,000 award through the FY25 Gender Affirming Identity Document & Emergency Assistance Grant. These grants are funded by MOLA operating budget.

“These investments represent our continued dedication to uplifting LGBTQ+ Bostonians by putting resources directly into the hands of trusted community organizations,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “By funding identity-affirming services, housing, and emergency assistance, we’re helping build a safer, more connected, and more inclusive Boston for everyone.”

These investments reflect the City’s commitment to ensuring every resident—regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation—can access the tools they need to lead safe, stable, and healthy lives. Both grant programs respond directly to the most pressing challenges facing LGBTQ+ Bostonians, including access to housing, legal support, community resources, and emergency financial assistance.

“The Equity and Inclusion cabinet is committed to investing in solutions that reflect the real needs and realities of our residents,” said Mariangely Solis Cervera, Chief of Equity and Inclusion. “These grants strengthen community-based programs that are already improving quality of life and building safer neighborhoods.”

The Beyond Pride Grant Program awards range from $500 to $15,000 to support nonprofit and community-based organizations that provide services and programming to LGBTQ+ residents. Programs funded address urgent community priorities such as housing stability, health care access, legal aid, community building, and essential services.

“This is about more than dollars—it’s about dignity, recognition, and survival,” said Jullieanne Lee, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement. “These grants are a direct response to what our community has asked for—emergency assistance, housing, and sustainable support. We’re proud to be resourcing the brilliance and resilience of our community.”

Recipients of the Beyond Pride grants are below:

• LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc.
• Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network 
• GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law)
• Victory Programs, Inc.
• Big Queer Food Festival
• BOSTON Sisters Convent of the Commonwealth  
• Breaktime United Inc
• Same Boat Consulting 
• Chastity Consulting & Talent Group/ Save Ourselves Program 
• MASS National Organization for Women, Inc.
• OUTnewcomers 
• PFLAG Greater Boston
• Boston Ironsides Rugby Football Club
• Men of Melanin Magic LLC
• Boston NORAM 2025
• Mass Equality Education Fund Org, Inc. 
• BAGLY, Inc.
• Boston Acupuncture Project Inc.
• Boston Dyke March Inc.
• Boston Gaymers, Inc
• Boston LesBiGay Urban Foundation, Inc.
• Boston Theater Company
• Bridge Over Troubled Waters
• Creative Impact for Change
• East Boston Community Soup Kitchen
• FriendshipWorks, Inc.
• HELP by AMG
• History UnErased, Inc.
• IMPACT
• Multicultural AIDS Coalition, Inc.
• Neighborhood Parents for the Hurley School
• Outstanding Life
• Pride in Our Workplace, Inc.
• PrideXtended, Inc.
• SPOKE ART INC
• Spontaneous Celebrations, Inc.
• The City School INC
• The History Project
• The Home for Little Wanderers
• The Queer Film Institute
• The SpaceMakers Society, Inc
• Theater Offensive, Inc
• TLE Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
• Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Boston, Inc.

“Many LGBTQ+ people are feeling unsafe these days. Especially trans people, disabled people, and youth,” said Meg Stone, Executive Director of IMPACT and the Project Director of Ability:IMPACT. “I am grateful to MOLA for giving us the resources to offer practical safety skills to people who need us most.”

“We are honored to receive support for the third consecutive year from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement- with this year's funding supporting BAGLY's Stabilization and Success program. The City of Boston's ongoing investment is a powerful affirmation of BAGLY’s work to address the urgent and long-term needs of LGBTQ+ youth—particularly those most impacted by marginalization and systemic inequities. With this continued partnership, we’re able to expand access to direct aid, case management, essential resources, and free-to-access mental health services, while fostering safer spaces where young people can connect, heal, and move forward with strength and support,” said BAGLY Executive Director Grace Sterling Stowell.

The FY25 Gender Affirming Identity Document & Emergency Assistance Grant provides targeted support for individuals navigating legal name and gender marker changes, as well as emergency financial needs. This year’s $50,000 grant was awarded to the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), a longstanding leader in providing legal and financial support to transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse residents in Boston.

“We are deeply grateful to the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement for this critical investment in the well-being, safety, and dignity of trans and nonbinary Boston residents,” said Tre’Andre Valentine, Executive Director of Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.  “This grant supports two of MTPC’s cornerstone programs: the Identity Document Assistance Network and the REACH emergency assistance fund. With this funding, we will expand our reach, streamline access, and offer material support to trans and nonbinary residents navigating unjust systems. This funding is a statement that our lives matter, our needs are valid, and shows that the City stands with us in the fight for lived equity.” 

About the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement

The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement is dedicated to ensuring the inclusion, visibility, and empowerment of LGBTQ+ individuals in Boston. Through strategic initiatives and community partnerships, the office works to create an equitable and inclusive environment for all LGBTQ+ residents. For further information, please visit Boston.gov/LGBTQ.