Campus Pride Awards 8 New Social Justice Mini-Grants to Trailblazing LGBTQ+ Students 

Projects include Lavender Graduation ceremonies, trans-affirming programming, and visibility for BIPOC and disability justice initiatives. 

CHARLOTTE, NC – Today Campus Pride announced a new round of funding for its “Social Justice Mini-Grants for Activism” program, designed to elevate and celebrate LGBTQ+ students doing transformative work on the campuses of colleges and universities nationwide. Learn more online: CampusPride.org/ActNow

This fall, eight students received grants, with grantees representing schools from across the country. They join dozens of students who have received a similar grant in the past year and a half. Projects have ranged from a production of an original play featuring trans artists to a lobbying campaign for administrators to adopt more inclusive policies, to a mentorship program for LGBTQ+ students to an LGBTQ+ art installation on campus. 

Campus Pride first began the Social Justice Mini-Grants for Activism program in June of 2021, awarding 20 grants to commemorate Campus Pride’s 20th anniversary. Each grant is worth up to $600. Campus Pride will continue awarding Social Justice Mini Grants for Activism throughout 2023. 

Shane Mendez Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride, said today:

“So many LGBTQ+ students at colleges and universities have imaginative, innovative ideas for how to increase LGBTQ+ visibility and equality on their campuses. The problem is that there is often a lack of funding to fuel these projects – and that’s where Campus Pride comes in. We aim to nourish and sustain a variety of projects on college campuses nationwide to ensure that LGBTQ+ students feel affirmed, understood, and supported at school. We are grateful for these grantees for all of their work.”

Fall 2022 grantees include:

• Em DePriest, Emporia State University (Emporia, Kansas). Em supported the creation of a Lavender Graduation to honor and acknowledge LGBTQ+ students upon graduation
• Ray Chen, New York University (New York, NY).  Ray’s project was to provide programming assistance for building awareness for  speech-language pathology and audiology students as part of the LGBTQ+ Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Student Association, especially focused on minoritized students (whether disabled, racialized, multicultural, or religious minorities) who are visibly queer and/or gender non-conforming.
• Aliyanda Harris Cobbinah, North Seattle College (Seattle, Washington). Aliyanda provided gender-inclusive bathroom signage, new LGBTQ+ book titles for library and funding materials for sex positive health stations to distribute condoms, dental dams, etc.
• Lu Mila, Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT). Lu helped to support LGBTQ+ programming in the Effervescence House, including the Snow Ball (the first ever ballroom event), Twilight Tea and the Winter Semester Drag Debut Workshop 
• Ramier Villarama, Macalester College (St Paul, MN). Ramier provided support for BIPOC LGBTQ+ artists on campus to celebrate their work, display and sale for commission to support the LGBTQ+ community.  
• Annie Cantoran Temple, Brigham Young University, (Provo, UT). This project provided funding for the Cougar Pride Center (previously  BYU Pride) to plan a free family friendly drag show to help celebrate the campus community and its history as well as foster a safe space.
• Madline English, Texas State University (New Braunfels, TX). Madeline’s project supported operations and programming for the Queer Agenda, a Texas-based queer education station specializing in history, issues, and support for the LGBTQ+ community.
• Abigial Shillingburg, Potomac State College of West Virginian University (Keyser, WV). Abigail led the creation of a community clothing and binder resource, as well as dedicated space for LGBTQIA students to find community, support among peers, and a “safe space.”

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Campus Pride is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to building future leaders and creating safer, more inclusive communities for LGBTQ people and allies at colleges and universities. Founded in 2001 by nationally-recognized LGBTQ civil rights leader and campus pioneer Shane L. Windmeyer, Campus Pride offers a wide variety of programs and resources for students and prospective students, including the Campus Pride Index, HBCU Clearinghouse, Trans Policy Clearinghouse, Lambda 10, Stop the Hate and Safe Space trainings, and the annual Camp Pride leadership camp. www.campuspride.org