Issue Highlights
Darren Walker, president of Ford Foundation, will step down by the end of 2025
Walker oversaw major investments in advocating for gender equity and disability rights, interrogating the impact of new technologies, and leveraging the foundation’s own assets for impact.
UN officials reiterate calls for countries to decriminalize homosexuality
The U.N. human rights chief and UNAIDS’s executive director have reiterated their calls for countries to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.
“Laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ people must be consigned to history,” said Volker Türk and Winnie Byanyima in a statement they released on July 19.
The 25th International AIDS Conference began in Munich on Monday.
How Rebuilding Forests Helped Pangolins, Orangutans and People - The New York Times
Land restored by local residents in Borneo drew an array of wildlife after nonprofit groups first addressed the needs of nearby villagers.
LGBTQ Social Justice
Ghana's top court upholds law criminalizing gay sex
Ghana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a six-decade-old law criminalizing gay sex as the west African country awaits another court decision on whether to introduce even harsher penalties in a new bill.
Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act challenged at Supreme Court
Following months of preparations, the long-awaited joint appeal to the Supreme Court of Uganda against the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) was formally lodged on July 11 by 22 parties who were dissatisfied with the Constitutional Court ruling that upheld AHA in April.
Dutch Supreme Court rules Aruba, Curaçao must allow same-sex couples to marry
Ruling likely also applicable to St. Maarten
Out in the World: Stern gives rare inside look at Biden administration's LGBTQ rights work in foreign policy :: Bay Area Reporter
The convening was the first time three cabinet members came together to speak about LGBTQ rights in foreign policy to "collectively articulate a whole of government approach explaining why this work is so essential," Stern said, addressing the audience.
New Mexico Supreme Court Affirms That Nongenetic Mother Is a Parent, Citing Best Interests of Child - Mombian
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that a nongenetic mother is a legal parent to the children her former spouse gave birth to during their marriage. The decision affirmed that the best interests of a child, not just the genetic connection (or lack thereof) to a parent, must be considered in determining parentage.
Judge halts part of DeSantis' Stop W.O.K.E. Act for good
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction, saying the law that bans diversity training in private workplaces “violates free speech rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.”
Technology Helps Defend LGBTQ+ Rights in Florida and Texas - Tagg Magazine
As we approach elections, activists must effectively harness digital tools, particularly in states like Florida and Texas. Using social media for targeted messaging, leveraging data analytics for voter outreach, and organizing virtual events to engage diverse communities are essential strategies. Embracing technology in advocacy efforts not only empowers activists to drive societal change but also ensures policies supporting LGBTQ+ equality and justice are prioritized. Now more than ever, integrating technology promises tangible progress in securing and protecting LGBTQ+ rights.
Florida Is Quietly Denying Transgender Residents Updated Birth Certificates | Them
The rejection comes without public notice or new law — even when all other government-issued identification reflects their current gender identity.
To Support Health Equity, Look to the LGBTQ Community: A Conversation with Allison Scott | Arabella Advisors
I was especially interested to attend a session led by Allison Scott, the interim executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, and her colleagues on the topic of safeguarding health care access and health equity for transgender communities
ACLU Announces Chase Strangio As Co-Director of LGBTQ & HIV Project | American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union today announced the promotion of attorney Chase Strangio to the role of Co-Director for the LGBTQ & HIV Project. Formerly the Deputy Director for Transgender Justice within the Project, Strangio now serves as Co-Director of the Project alongside James Esseks whose title will change from Director to Co-Director.
Great Apes & Gibbons
Oil and gas exploration likely to threaten Hoolock Gibbon habitat in Assam | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
the oil and gas unit of the Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta Ltd wants to use 4.4998ha of reserved forest land for oil and gas exploration drilling in the notified eco-sensitive zone of the Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
Philanthropy
As Funding Dwindles, HIV and AIDS Remain as Much an Issue of Human Rights as of Health | Inside Philanthropy
HIV is surging in various hotspots around the world, including Eastern Europe, Central Asia and countries of the Middle East and North Africa. These are regions where military conflicts and anti-LGBTQ+ policies and laws often contribute to inadequate healthcare and support for people with HIV and AIDS. In the U.S., too, communities in the South, and Black people in particular, continue to experience disproportionate rates of HIV.
Soros’s Open Society Foundations Says Restructuring Is Complete, Pledge $400 Million for Green Jobs
The goal of the investment is to produce sustainable jobs and a shift toward clean energy and away from carbon intensive industries in Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Senegal, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Borealis Philanthropy awards $1.2 million to trans-led organizations | Philanthropy news | PND
Awarded through the philanthropic intermediary’s Fund for Trans Generations (FTG), the grants will provide general operating support to organizations focused on issues ranging from safe housing solutions to advocating for disability justice and building supportive networks for LGBTQ+ youth.
Why Hewlett's Funding Fact-Based, Religion-Focused Media — and Why We Need More of That | Inside Philanthropy
The religious landscape in the U.S. is far larger and more complex than right-wing pundits and activists would like citizens to believe. America’s religious people run the gamut from liberal to conservative, and adhere to a wide range of faith traditions. In an environment where some factions are doing their best to use faith as a wedge to further polarize and drive us apart, funders looking to bring the country together may want to consider backing outlets that specialize in telling religion’s larger stories.
‘The Interview’: Melinda French Gates Is Ready to Take Sides - The New York Times
I’m probably somewhere a little bit more in the middle of that, still leaning toward data-driven but certainly a little bit more in trust-based model, because I don’t intend to build up a large organization and I do believe that there are many, many partners on the ground who do incredible work but often don’t get funded. And I feel like this work when done closer to the ground, sometimes can have an even larger lasting impact.
Supporting nonpartisan voter engagement to build a more inclusive democracy
While private foundations are limited when it comes to funding voter registration specifically, both public and private foundations can support broad-based voter engagement work done in a nonpartisan way. By funding and promoting nonpartisan voter engagement, philanthropy can ensure nonprofits have the resources, skills, and confidence needed to mobilize their communities.
How One Foundation Aims to Get Ahead of the Curve on Utilizing AI — and Avoid Its Pitfalls | Inside Philanthropy
AI has numerous potential uses, from the individual to the organizational level. Individuals might use AI to draft emails, memos, reports or other documents, or make transcriptions. At the organizational level, AI tools might manage, summarize or synthesize grants or grantee data. AI could also be used to support program development or grantmaking decisions, or to landscape issue areas or demographics.
The Rise of the A.I.-Powered Nonprofit — and Why Not Everyone Is Convinced
A new survey from Fast Forward categorizes four main ways nonprofits are using artificial intelligence.
A Hopeful New Way to Pursue Racial Equity
Successful narratives for progress, powell and Menendian argue, create a sense of belonging without othering. At their core, they are grand aspirations that inspire people across identities and link them in common purpose.
Grant application and review practices for more equitable and inclusive funding
If the goal is to ensure that funds are distributed to individuals and nonprofits fairly and without the influence of reputation, prestige, or privilege, these five steps can make a meaningful difference: