Tennessee Equality Project
The Tennessee Equality Project is a left-of-center LGBT activist and lobbying group focused on Tennessee. The group lobbies directly and through public advocacy. In 2026, it opposes a number of state-legislative bills that would roll back LGBT activist efforts; most notably, the group opposes a bill that would not allow children to be removed from their parents on the grounds that the parents do not affirm a child’s transgender identity. It also opposes a state law that compels schools to disclose a child’s gender identity at school to the child’s parents. 1 2 3
Contents
Founding and History
The Tennessee Equality Project was founded in 2005 as a lobbying group focused on LGBT issues in the State of Tennessee. It is the lobbying and advocacy partner of the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation, the group’s charitable arm. Both organizations were founded and registered at the same time and operate with the same staff and website. 1
In 2023, the project was a signatory to an open letter issued by the Human Rights Campaign condemning Target’s decision to remove certain LGBT Pride-themed merchandise from its stores in response to backlash after it featured LGBT-themed clothing for children. 4
Financials
In 2024, the Tennessee Equality Project reported $76,166 in revenues, of which the entire amount stemmed from contributions and grants. Expenses amounted to $59,196, which included $35,678 in professional fees and payments to independent contractors, with an additional $23,477 listed as other expenses, including $7,928 in technology expenses, $3,056 in travel expenses, $7,300 in shared service expenses with its sister group, and $2,500 in sponsorship funding. 5
Total expenses were divided as $16,959 in grassroots lobbying and $34,250 in direct lobbying. 6
The group ended the year with $16,970 in net income and $72,357 in net assets. 7
For reference, the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation reported $396,467 in net revenues, $348,722 in expenses, and $352,513 in net assets for 2024. 8
Organization Philosophy
The Tennessee Equality Project embraces a left-of-center worldview and lobbies to advance what it considers to be LGBT interests. It opposes legislation that requires schools to inform parents about their children’s gender identity in school, promotes the use of gender pronouns, opposes the banning of sexually explicit books, and promotes “comprehensive gender-affirming care” for government employees. 3 1
Projects and Initiatives
The Tennessee Equality Project undertakes both direct and grassroots lobbying efforts. It maintains a list of introduced legislation in the Tennessee legislature that it considers to be of relevance or concern to LGBT people. It organizes phone banking events and mobilizes its activists to contact representatives regarding specific legislation. 1 9 10
The group releases an annual “Slate of Hate” list of legislation it identifies as especially objectionable. In 2026, this list included legislation that would clarify in state law that the legal requirement to acknowledge same-sex marriage only extends to government, not private entities; legislation that would clarify that civil rights protections regarding sex would not apply to sexual orientation or gender identity; efforts to include honorifics in a ban on forcing people to address people by their preferred gender pronouns; and legislation that would prevent the state from taking children away from parents due to the parents refusing to endorse a child’s transgender identity. 2
Leadership
Chris Sanders is the executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project and the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation, a position he has held since 2013. 1
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $119,844
- Number of Grants: 16
- Number of Funders: 12
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years: