The LOFT

Founding and History

The LOFT was founded in 1983 as a joint project of the Lesbian Task Force of Southern Westchester NOW and the Gay Men’s Alliance of the Hudson Valley to build a place for LGBT people to gather. The original meeting place was in a loft above a grocery store, from which the group gets its name. The group has expanded to include a number of social functions, and in 2026, is preparing to build a new community center that will also feature LGBT senior housing. ¹

In 2023, the LOFT signed onto a statement issued by the Human Rights Campaign criticizing Target’s decision to remove LGBT-Pride and transgender-themed children’s clothing from its stores in response to public backlash. ⁴

Financials

For the fiscal year ending in March of 2025, The LOFT reported revenues of $996,532, of which $869,595 came from contributions and grants, $10,367 from program service revenue, $206 from investment income, and $116,364 in net fundraising revenue. It received $752,660 in government funding, comprising roughly 75 percent of the organization’s revenue. ³

The LOFT reported $1,172,649 in expenses, of which $858,398 was spent on employee salaries and compensation, with $314,251 allocated to other expenses, including $91,585 in occupancy expenses, $19,285 in telephone expenses, $14,010 for grants and social events, and $9,368 for food costs. ⁵

The group ended the fiscal year with a loss of $176,117 and net assets of $257,049. ⁶

Projects and Initiatives

The LOFT promotes left-of-center views. The group embraces and promotes transgenderism and promotes an intersectional framing of issues such as immigration. ^{1  2}

The LOFT hosts many community events, groups, and resources for LGBT people in the White Plains area of New York. The group’s activities include various support groups covering a range of issues and identities, social and educational groups, senior groups, and trans-focused groups and initiatives. ^{7  8}

The group’s educational programs include classes, such as “creating a gender inclusive workplace,” “understanding pronouns workshop,” “transgender 101,” and “non-binary 101.” ⁷

Despite being primarily funded by government money, the group lists advocacy as being the first of its three missions, seeking to promote left-of-center values of inclusion, diversity, and pride. ¹

Leadership

Dante R.H. Reda is the CEO of The LOFT, a position he has held since May 2025, having worked as the group’s COO from September 2023. Prior to The LOFT, Reda held senior leadership roles at the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester, including nearly two years as the COO. He states that LGBT activism is his top priority, especially on behalf of “trans-women of color,” and that his intersectional identity is his “greatest gift”. ^{9  10}