Beacon: A Grant Fund for TRANSforming Lives 

Need:

While the trans community is more visible now than ever in history, we are still facing overwhelming barriers to care and support.  Many trans people struggle to keep consistent employment, especially at the beginning of their transition, and even those who are employed often do not have insurance coverage for the gender affirming care they need.  Many newly out trans people also lose family and friends when they decide to transition, leaving them isolated and caught in a body that does not yet feel like their own.  Often, our most vulnerable community members turn to fund-raising sites to raise money for gender affirming care. They are forced to put themselves on display at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.  

It is our hope to dismantle that tradition of loss and fear and create a language of healing and celebration.  We intend to create a centralized funding site that will act as a rolling grant to support trans people in need of help getting the gender affirming care they need, while taking the focus off our most vulnerable and moving it to the healing compassion and joy that runs so deep in our trans community.   

Fund Raising:

This is where you and we come in. We will raise funds via Give a Hand from friends, community members, allies, etc., much like an individual fund-raising campaign would. But these funds will go into a grant fund, allowing us to support countless more trans people in their transition journey.  *site fees apply @ 2.9% + $0.30 / transaction

In the near future, we plan to register this effort as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, enabling you to give tax-deductible donations. 

Giving the Money Back: 

We plan to request applicants share an essay introducing themselves, their story, and their plan for the money they are requesting. All of this will be kept confidential with no individual identifying information being published about the money received.  This is in no way meant to be a competition, and we will likely never have the privilege to not have to be discerning in how we distribute funds. Money will be dispersed based on demand and availability.  This allows us to record how and where the money is being utilized, while protecting the dignity of the people we are trying to empower.  

What can the money be used for?

We envision this money being used for any part of any gender transition.  If you see a need, tell us about it and how this money can help.  We recognize that barriers to care can come in so many different forms during a transition and don’t want to assume that we can anticipate the needs of any trans person struggling to feel at home in their body. 

Some examples of needs we would like to support include:

• Gender affirming medical care, including HRT, surgery, etc. (including insurance deductibles where they are a barrier to care).
• Gender-affirming clothing/accessories (such as binders, gender-appropriate clothing, etc.)
• Mental healthcare with a gender affirming therapist
• Legal fees to change a name or gender marker

We will begin accepting requests Jan 2024 and will have forms available on our website. 

Please join us in our vision of empowering trans people to be their true selves. 

Thank you for your kindness, compassion, and support.

With Gratitude,

Adam and Kal

*For more information about our initiative and apply, please visit trans-joy.com