History

History of the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas: In the fall of 2000, an opportunity arose for the gay and lesbian community of Dallas to come together and make a meaningful contribution to the Dallas Latino Cultural Center, an extremely important new addition to Dallas' cultural fabric. A small group of individuals joined forces to organize a fund-raising event, Noche de Gala, and the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas was born. The idea of the Fund quickly took hold and the overwhelmingly positive response from the gay and non-gay communities alike has fueled its growth. Long before the inception of the Fund, its founders recognized that gays and lesbians in Dallas make significant contributions to local area non-profit organizations that benefit all citizens of Dallas. The founders also recognized the illusiveness of this patronage. While the support from the gay and lesbian community for gay-related causes was widely acknowledged, the support for citywide non-profit organizations and causes by the gay and lesbian community was largely invisible. The founders’ vision for the Fund was to make apparent the gay and lesbian community’s support of the greater Dallas community. The founders believed that increased public exposure to GLFD support would raise the awareness of Dallas’ citizens, both gay and straight, to the fact that we are all part of the same community and we all share common concerns and dreams for Dallas. The founders recognized there were bridges that existed and bridges that could be built. With its growing list of naming rights the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas is well on its way in impacting the city of Dallas. The Fund is building alliances, expanding its list of local non-profit organizations, and developing its giving programs. In addition to its targeted fund-raising efforts, the Fund is continually seeking creative funding programs that include partnerships, challenge grants and bundled giving. The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas is proud to be the first member of the Gay and Lesbian Fund Affiliates Program of the Gill Foundation. The Board of the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas continues to be inspired by the work of Tim Gill, the Gill Foundation, and the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado. Although the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas remains loosely affiliated with the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas is completely independent and is locally funded by gays, lesbians and their allies in Dallas.

Significant Milestones:      + November 2000, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas establishes itself with its first fund-raising event, Noche de Gala, benefiting the city of Dallas' new Latino Cultural Center. The fundraiser, held at the Margaret and Trammell Crow Collection of Asian Art, raises $75,000. The proceeds from the event are pledged as a Grant to the Sculpture Garden in the Latino Cultural Center and earn the Fund’s first permanent public naming rights for the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas. Construction of the Latino Cultural Center is schedule for completion in late spring of 2003.      + September 2001, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas is incorporated as a public charity in the State of Texas and establishes its first Board of Directors. The following spring the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas receives recognition as a Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity from the IRS.      + October 2001, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas is one of eight corporate and foundation sponsors of the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Dallas Public Library. The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas' sponsorship also goes toward the production of a short documentary about the history of the Dallas Public Library, distributed to public libraries across the U.S.      + April 2002, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas holds its second major fund-raising event,  benefiting The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future in Dallas. The event, America the Beautiful: An Evening with Lynn Sherr, raises $100,000. The proceeds from the event are pledged as a Grant to the Women's Museum and earn the Fund permanent public naming rights for the Museum’s “Next Thing Theater” for the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas.      + October 2002, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas organizes a Saturday morning fund-raising event to benefit the City of Dallas' second dog park, Bark Park Central.  The Halloween costume contest for pets, Dogs in Drag, raises $7,000 to benefit the new park. The Grant earns a prominent feature in the park permanently named for the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas.      + October 2003, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas organizes a Saturday afternoon fundraising event, Dogs in Drag II, to raise money to benefit the Katy Trail. The event is held at Bark Park Central in conjunction with the formal dedication of the sculpture that the Fund donated to the park with proceeds from the 2002 Dogs in Drag event.  This second Halloween costume contest for pets raises a $15,000.00 gift for the Katy Trail, which earned the fund permanent recognition on a water fountain for people and animals located in the trails new David's Way Plaza.      + June 2004, the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Dallas hosts its third major event, Where the Wild Things Are, a Benefit for Kids, at the Dallas World Aquarium.  Where the Wild Things Are raises $55,000 for each of the two beneficiaries of the event: Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the Dallas Children's Theater.  In exchange for the gifts, both beneficiaries will provide permanent naming recognition for the Gay and Lesbian Fund in locations to be determined.