The Fund for Trans Generations (FTG) is a collaborative or “pooled” fund that provides funding to transgender activists and advocacy organizations. The FTG provides grants for activists who promote left-of-center policy on transgender issues, intersectional feminism, and other left-progressive social-policy and economic campaigns. ¹

FTG was created and is administered by Borealis Philanthropy, a left-of-center philanthropic intermediary best known for partnering with the Black Lives Matter movement since 2016. ²

Background

Fund for Trans Generations was founded by Borealis Philanthropy in 2016 to support transgender issues. ³ Borealis Philanthropy is a left-wing philanthropic intermediary that does not fundraise for any specific organizations or causes. Instead, Borealis Philanthropy specializes in matching donors with groups that support their individual political preferences. Borealis Philanthropy then provides those groups with funding, specialized staff, project management, media expertise, and fundraising support. In September of 2019, the FTG disclosed that it had provided $1.9 million in grants to various organizations. ⁴ By June 2020, that number had grown to $6.7 million in grants. ⁵

FTG is the domestic grantmaking component of the Global Trans Initiative, an international transgender-interest philanthropic initiative started in 2015 by the Arcus Foundation and the NoVo Foundation. ⁶

Ryan Li Dahlstrom is the program officer for FTG at Borealis Philanthropy. ⁷ Dahlstrom is also the vice chair of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, a left-leaning nonprofit that provides grants to gay and lesbian political advocacy organizations. Dahlstrom previously worked at Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues, a left-progressive donor collaborative that funds gay and lesbian advocacy groups. ⁸

In May of 2020, FTG, along with Borealis Philanthropy’s Third Wave Fund and the TRANScend Community Impact Fund, launched a collective fund to help transgender and trans-led organizations to carry out left-of-center social justice work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative prioritized organizations focusing on racial justice or youth development. ⁹

In 2017, FTG substantively contributed to a survey report on the state of funding for transgender organizations. George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and the American Jewish World Service funded the production and dissemination of the report. ¹⁰

Donors

While the Fund for Trans Generations does not disclose all of its donors, known funders include a number of left-of-center private foundations, including the Arcus Foundation, NoVo Foundation, Laughing Gull Foundation, and Ms. Foundation for Women. ¹¹ In 2020, the Arcus Foundation gave Borealis Philanthropy $750,000 to fund the FTG. ¹² In 2018, the NoVo Foundation gave $425,000¹³ and the Laughing Gull Foundation gave $75,000 to Borealis Philanthropy for FTG funding. ¹⁴

In July 2020, MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced that she donated $1.7 billion to 117 nonprofit organizations. FTG received $2 million from Scott’s donations. ¹⁵

Grantmaking

FTG only gives to transgender activists and advocacy organizations that meet the Trans Justice Funding Project’s definition of “trans-led.” The Trans Justice Funding Project defines “trans-led” as organizations in which the majority of the people in charge of the group identify as transgender or gender non-conforming. FTG also only gives to those groups engaged in organizing, advocacy, or activism, refusing to provide funding for capital projects, scholarships, fellowships, or groups that solely provide transgender care and other services. FTG offers general operating grants up to $25,000. ¹⁶

FTG also offers “rapid response” grants to organizations to help them “respond to unanticipated events and strategic opportunities.” FTG allows organizations to receive one of these grants per year and caps each grant at $20,000. ¹⁷

In 2020, FTG awarded over $1 million in grants to over 50 transgender-focused organizations. 43 of these grants were renewals, and all of the grantee organizations had budgets of less than $300,000. That year, FTG started to fund six new organizations working on racial and disability justice and other social issues. ¹⁸

2020 grantees included:

• API Equality – Northern California
• Arianna’s Center
• Black Excellence Collective
• Black Trans Media
• Black Transwomen, Inc
• Brave Space Alliance
• Colectivo Intercultural Transgrediendo
• Community Ele’te
• For the Culture
• Fuerza y Unión Multiple (FUM)
• Garden of Peace Project
• Gender Benders
• Green Mountain Crossroads
• Griffin-Gracy Education Retreat and Historical Center
• Hilltop Urban Gardens
• House of Pentacles
• Kween Culture Initiative
• LaGender, Inc.
• Masjid al-Rabia
• Ministries Beyond Welcome
• Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition
• Mirror Memoirs
• Montana Gender Alliance
• Montana Two Spirit Society
• My Sista’s House Memphis.
• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
• Organización Latina de Trans en Texas (OLTT)
• Our Spot KC
• Peacock Rebellion
• Queer and Trans People of Color Birthwerq
• RARE Productions
• Semillas
• Southern Fried Queer Pride
• Stonewall Youth
• The Knights & Orchids Society
• The Marsha P. Johnson Institute
• The Spectrum Center
• There’s Still Hope
• Tiger’s Eye Collective
• Trans Pride Initiative
• Trans Queer Pueblo
• Trans Sistas of Color Project
• Trans(forming)
• TRANScending Barriers Atlanta
• Transwoman Empowerment Initiative
• Transformative Justice Law Project
• Transforming Hearts Collective
• Transgender Law Center: The Disability Project
• Transgender Advocates Knowledgeable Empowering (TAKE)
• T.O.P.I.A. (United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance) Seattle
• Wage Love Apothecary
• WI Transgender Health Coalition
• Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP)

1. “Fund for Trans Generations, General Grantmaking, Year 2.” Borealis Philanthropy. August 10, 2017. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://borealisphilanthropy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FTG-Y2-Application-Questions.pdf
2. Associated Press. “Black Lives Matter Partners with Charity in a Sign of Growth.” Los Angeles Times. September 06, 2016. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-black-lives-matter-charity-20160906-snap-story.html
3. “Borealis Philanthropy Announces Fund for Trans Generations.” Leeway Foundation. November 16, 2016. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.leeway.org/blog/borealis_philanthropy_announces_fund_for_trans_generations/#.X4yaLJNKhO8
4. Dahlstrom, Ryan Li. “Repairing Harm, Meeting Need: Philanthropy and Trans-Led Organizing.” Nonprofit Quarterly. September 9, 2019. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/repairing-harm-meeting-need-philanthropy-and-trans-led-organizing/
5. “Black Trans Lives Matter.” Borealis Philanthropy. June 30, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://borealisphilanthropy.org/black-trans-lives-matter/
6. “Borealis Philanthropy Announces Fund for Trans Generations.” Leeway Foundation. November 16, 2016. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.leeway.org/blog/borealis_philanthropy_announces_fund_for_trans_generations/#.X4yaLJNKhO8
7. “Ryan Li Dahlstrom.” Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.astraeafoundation.org/team/ryan-li-dahlstrom/
8. Dahlstrom, Ryan Li. “Page Post.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-li-dahlstrom
9. “Funding Trans Communities Amidst COVID-19: funders Collaborate on Common Grantmaking Application.” Borealis Philanthropy. April 30, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://borealisphilanthropy.org/funding-trans-communities-amidst-covid-19-funders-collaborate-on-common-grantmaking-application/
10. “The State of Trans Organizing (2^nd Edition).” Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. 2017. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://s3.amazonaws.com/astraea.production/app/asset/uploads/2017/10/Trans-REPORT-for-the-web-Updated.pdf
11. “Fund for Trans Generations Awards $1 Million in Field-Building Grants to Trans-Led Organizations. Borealis Philanthropy. February 5, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://borealisphilanthropy.org/fund-for-trans-generations-awards-1-million-in-field-building-grants-to-trans-led-organizations/
12. “Grantees.” Arcus Foundation. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.arcusfoundation.org/grantees/
13. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990. NoVo Foundation. 2018. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/470/824/2018-470824753-17158474-F.pdf?_ga=2.101953985.1717283725.1602968262-658054072.1598817496
14. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990. Laughing Gull Foundation. 2018. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/364/749/2018-364749289-17146015-F.pdf?_ga=2.160675709.1717283725.1602968262-658054072.1598817496
15. “The Fund for Trans Generations Receives $2 Million from MacKenzie Scott (formerly Bezos).” Borealis Philanthropy. July 30, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://borealisphilanthropy.org/ftg-announcement-mackenziescott/
16. “Fund for Trans Generations, General Grantmaking, Year 2.” Borealis Philanthropy. August 10, 2017. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://borealisphilanthropy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FTG-Y2-Application-Questions.pdf
17. “Rapid Response FAQ.” Borealis Philanthropy. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://borealisphilanthropy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FTG-Rapid-Response-FAQ_2019.pdf
18. “Fund for Trans Generations Awards $1 Million in Field-Building Grants to Trans-Led Organizations. Borealis Philanthropy. February 5, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://borealisphilanthropy.org/fund-for-trans-generations-awards-1-million-in-field-building-grants-to-trans-led-organizations/