In February the Arkansas Community Foundation announced that it awarded 21 grants to organizations conducting pro-LGBT initiatives in Arkansas — and that the foundation will award additional grants in the coming weeks.
The grants are part of a $1 million fund that the Walton Family Foundation launched last year, and have been supplemented with additional funding from the Withrop Rockefeller Foundation.
According to a press release from Arkansas Community Foundation, grants are going to the following:
| Grantee | Purpose |
| Arkansas Black Gay Men’s Forum | To host the Central Arkansas LGBTQ+ Awards and Little Rock Black Pride Festival |
| Arkansas Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics Foundation | To educate Arkansas pediatric health professionals on LGBTQ-friendly care and advocacy |
| Arkansas Humanities Council | To host a lecture series and panel discussions highlighting LGBTQ+ history and culture |
| Arkansas RAPPS, Inc. | To establish a community wellness resource center in Little Rock |
| Central Arkansas Library System Foundation | To create a Gender and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) for teens and young adults |
| Central Arkansas Pride | To host the Kaleidoscope LGBTQ+ Film Festival |
| Club Z at Sweet House | To support basic needs, counseling and wraparound support for LGBTQ+ youth in the Fort Smith area |
| Equality Crew | To provide resources for LGBTQ+ youth and to conduct research on quality of life issues for LGBTQ+ youth |
| Eureka Springs Downtown Network/Main Street Eureka Springs | To provide entrepreneurship training for LGBTQ+ artists and makers |
| Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center | To provide scholarships for children and families to participate in Rainbow Family Camp |
| Foster Love | To recruit, train and support foster families for LGBTQ+ foster children |
| Gay For Good | To host inclusive events and volunteer service projects to increase LGBTQ+ visibility and build allies. |
| Good Shepherd Lutheran Church | To host camps and activities for queer youth and allies |
| The Transition Closet | To provide gender-affirming clothing and accessories for transgender and non-binary Arkansans |
| Hot Springs AIDS Resource Center, Inc. | To provide health education and support for individuals with HIV/AIDS in Southwest Arkansas |
| Intransitive | To provide peer-to-peer support, outreach, advocacy and basic needs for transgender Arkansans |
| Legal Aid of Arkansas | To provide dedicated legal services for LGBTQ+ Arkansans |
| Lucie’s Place | To provide assistance with housing and basic needs for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults |
| NEA Progress | To host Northeast Arkansas PRIDEfest |
| PowerHub, Inc. | To conduct outreach, support and community-building activities for LGBTQ+ youth in the Batesville area |
| Spinsterhaven | To establish a nurturing outdoor space for meetings and events for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies |
Many grants reportedly range between $25,000 to $150,000.
This is not the first time that the Walton Family Foundation has pushed a radically pro-LGBT agenda in Arkansas.
Besides funding pro-LGBT grants, the Walton Family Foundation also has opposed the Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act in court.
The SAFE Act is a 2021 law that protects children in Arkansas from sex-reassignment procedures, puberty blockers, and cross-sex hormones.
Researchers do not know the long term effects puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones can have on kids. That is why many experts agree that giving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children is experimental, at best.
The ACLU and others have filed a lawsuit to block the State of Arkansas from enforcing the SAFE Act, and the Walton Family Foundation is among those who have opposed the law.
Family Council will continue to monitor these pro-LGBT grant programs in the coming days.
