Blog Post
Meet our 2024-2025 Grantees
By Ariella Assouline
In early 2020, when office routines felt like tradition, I vividly remember our team gathered around the conference table for a group brainstorm when one idea shone brightly and boldly: What if we could transform the lives of LGBTQ+ youth across the country by funding projects led by young people to create more inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ students.
Three years later, that big idea — now known as 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices — has distributed more than $1.3 million to fund transformative projects in schools across 47 states. These projects, driven by students, aim to create lasting change in their communities. Today, we are honored to announce our Season Three grantee class, which includes schools in Florida and Idaho for the first time.
So read on to find out more about the projects we will be funding for our 2024-2025 grant cycle and check back in February to apply for the fourth cycle of 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices.
A queer literature project which aims to enhance access to inclusive books while producing storytelling events at a high school in Mobile, Alabama.
A school in Arizona that is collaborating with community leaders, supportive guardians, and social workers to create a safe space complete with educator training for LGBTQ+ students.
A Youth Pride event that will blend workshops and games to better educate LGBTQ+ students about dating and sex at a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.
A Pride summit bringing together more than 200 LGBTQ+ youth for a day of educational breakout sessions and entertainment, serving a group of high schools in Cathedral City, California.
A high school in Los Angeles, California will facilitate the development of a queer-affirming framework at their school, created by students and teachers together. They will work to develop peer-led support groups focusing on self-expression and intersectionality within the queer Latinx experience, including professional development schoolwide.
A high school in Gypsum, Colorado will partner with Mountain Pride to provide comprehensive support to LGBTQ+ students through teacher training, establishing a protocol for gender-neutral bathrooms, and organizing a district-wide Queer Prom.
A care closet with gender-affirming clothing, books for a “Rainbow Library,” and the expansion of current health curriculum to include more relevant info to the LGBTQ+ community at a school in Winstead, Connecticut.
A video series discussing body image, sexual health, LGBTQ+ rights, and other issues that will be made available virtually to GSA’s and students throughout the district at a high school in Miami, Florida.
A middle school in Ewa Beach, Hawaii will create and distribute merch that highlights safe spaces and places throughout the school and will take LGBTQ+ students on a field trip to Honolulu Pride.
A middle school in Boise, Idaho will combat the increasingly anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state by creating a community space in the library filled with furniture, info on local resources, stress-relieving activities, a monthly LGBTQ+ speaker, and an all-LGBTQ+ bookshelf.
A high school in Idaho will create and distribute banners to local high schools to designate queer safe spaces and purchase a number of LGBTQ+ inclusive books for students to “borrow” rather than “check out,” which is illegal in the state.
A highschool in Iowa will convert single, gendered staff bathrooms into gender-neutral bathrooms to be used by students and staff alike to counter the state’s recently passed law restricting students from choosing which bathroom they feel most comfortable using.
A school in Massachusetts will build a new community space where students and teachers will host professional development seminars, guest speakers and feature LGBTQ+ inclusive books. The school will also sponsor field trips for students.
A high school in North Carolina will create a website for LGBTQ+ youth in their county that will have access to mental health resources, education and social media, and will purchase LGBTQ+ inclusive books for local high schools.
A high school in Pennsylvania will create community events for their local GSA in the hopes of expanding to other GSAs in the district. Events will include teacher lunch and learns, mixers, professional development days with other GSAs, and a speaker series. These will be completed by the students dividing into smaller groups to work on each idea.
A high school in Rhode Island will create a supportive and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students through comprehensive training sessions for both students and staff. They will be partnering with Youth Pride to provide the training, equipping everyone with the knowledge and skills necessary to support LGBTQ+ students effectively.
An all-girls middle and high school in Texas will host Transforming the Rainbow, an event to encourage LGBTQ+ students on campus to advocate for themselves. They will create a Queer Bilingual Lending Library, filled with books about identity, mental health, and wellness.
This grantee will host a district wide Community and Culture Conference for LGBTQ+ youth in all of eattle’s high schools. The event will host over 100 students, a resource fair, gender-affirming clothing swaps, student-led workshops, and local queer talent.
A school in West Virginia will create new Inclusivity Zones across the state. The zones will be the place for each local GSA to meet, plan events, and be their own safe space. They will also host shared events for all students to get together, such as their Annual Art Walk
A school in Wisconsin will host a GSA Student Leadership Summit, providing students with a unique opportunity to network with students from other schools across the district, along with equipping students and staff with tangible tools to take back to their schools.
50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices. is made possible by support from American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) on behalf of its American Eagle (AE) brand and through AE customer donations during Pride Month, 2024 with additional support from the MAC Viva Glam Foundation and Tumblr. Since the beginning of their partnership in 2017, AEO and its AE and Aerie brands have generated nearly $5 million for It Gets Better. This is the first year the MAC Viva Glam Foundation and Tumblr have joined AEO in supporting 50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices.