Gill Foundation pledges $20,000, CU Foundation promises to match
The CU Foundation will be working to raise money to match a recent grant for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender programs on campus.
The Gill Foundation, a Denver-based organization that focuses primarily on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights, recently pledged a $20,000 grant to promote the GLBT programs at CU. Over the next year, the CU Foundation will raise an additional $20,000 to match the funding for GLBT programs on campus.
Steph Wilenchek, director of CU’s GLBT Resource Center, expressed excitement about the much needed support, but has not nailed down exactly where it will go.
“The funds for the center could be used for lots of programs and fundraising,” Wilenchek said. “We don’t have it specifically targeted for anything at this point, just programs and outreach.”
Along with the Resource Center, the grant money will assist CU’s LGBT Studies Certificate Program as well as the LBGT Alumni Association.
Last year the Gill Foundation pledged $25,000 in matching funds. Wilenchek said the GLBT Resource Center applied for the same amount this year, but said she does not know why the grant is $5,000 less. Representatives from the Gill Foundation could not be reached for comment.
“The [CU Foundation] is the fundraising arm of the university, and helps with writing the grant and the folks at the Gill Foundation,” Wilenchek said. “They work with the donors and the alumni. They help create an advisory board that helps us do outreach and fundraising for GLBT programs on campus.”
Kimberly Bowman, associate director of development for the CU Foundation, said she recognizes the importance of such funding.
“There is a pre-existing need to expand GLBT educational opportunities and to make resources available to GLBT students,” Bowman said. “The Gill Foundation grant gives the CU Foundation the chance to expand our donor base and reach out to new donors for these programs. The matching grant provides an exceptional opportunity for donors to see the impact of their gift doubled.”
According to Wilenchek, the GLBT Resource Center’s annual budget is about $120,000. The Resource Center will use anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 of the Gill Foundation grant. Money from the Gill Foundation will account for about 8 to 12 percent of the total budget.
GLBT programs do not receive any funding from general funds or student fees. Grants like the one recently awarded by the Gill Foundation provide a backbone of funding for all GLBT programs on campus.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Monica Stone at monica.stone@colorado.edu
