ABOUT PRIDE FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA

Pride Foundation Australia (PFA – formerly GALFA) is a national philanthropic foundation specifically focused on funding lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual and other (LGBTQIA+) community issues in Australia.

The Foundation actively works to increase philanthropic support for the Australian LGBTQIA+ and allied communities through fundraising, grant giving, collaboration and commissioning projects.

Pride Foundation Australia has a dedicated focus on advancing equity for the most disadvantaged LGBTQIA+ Australians, including advocating for systemic change and LGBTQIA creative arts.

Specific LGBTQIA+ Priority Areas to date have been: healthy ageing, homelessness and disability; new focus area on asylum seekers and refugees living in Australia has been established and grants have been made. Our new area of support for LGBTQIA visual, literary and performing arts is being planned for launch in 2021.

Our Purpose

To benefit LGBTQIA+ people and allied communities in Australia by advancing equity for the most disadvantaged LGBTQIA+ Australians and support for LGBTQIA creative arts.

Leading the Way in LGBTQIA+ Philanthropy

The Gay and Lesbian Foundation of Australia (GALFA) began in 2004 when a group of like-minded people from Melbourne’s LGBTQIA+ community and the Reichstein Foundation came together to discuss the need for an LGBTQIA+ specific philanthropic organisation. Both Philanthropy Australia and Reichstein identified in the early 2000’s that LGBTQIA+ projects were significantly underrepresented in mainstream philanthropic funding.

GALFA arose as a logical step in our community’s evolution to be out, proud and supportive of ourselves. From the liberation movement of the 1970’s gay and lesbian communities emerged across Australian capital cities and sometime later in regional Australia. The HIV/Aids epidemic in the 1980’s resulted in enhanced community activism to provide support for those with illness, fight for the latest drugs, promote safe sex and overcome discrimination. By the early 2000’s significant law reform occurred with many rights and responsibilities of LGBTQIA+ citizens equivalent to others in society. However further law reform, marriage equality and campaigns to overcome homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and equal access to services were needed, as was ongoing support for the disadvantaged and most vulnerable in our community – the younger people, aged and those with illness.

WORKING FOR OUR COMMUNITY

Pride Foundation Australia (formerly GALFA) became operational in 2007 and since that time has:

Funded a range of purposeful and impactful projects for and by LGBTQIA+ communities

Fundraised to increase the organisation’s scale and impact of projects and support our sustainability

Identified and built partnerships and collaborations with mainstream philanthropy

Commissioned projects to understand the needs of the LGBTQIA+ communities and people of Australia

From GALFA to Pride Foundation

In January 2019 GALFA changed its name to Pride Foundation Australia to more accurately reflect our focus on all lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual and other (LGBTQIA+) communities.

This decision was carefully considered and was in response to repeated feedback in recent years that ‘Gay and Lesbian’ does not represent all LGBTQIA+ communities.

Our community is growing and diversifying rapidly, with emerging sexual, sex and gender identities. We noted other LGBTQIA+ organisations changed their name to reflect these changes, and it was time for us to do the same.

PRIDE AS A TERM FOR LGBTQIA+

The term ‘Pride’ has long been associated with LGBTQIA+ causes, going back to the Stonewall riot in USA in 1969. LGBT Pride month in USA commemorates this turning point for gay liberation. Pride signifies dignity, human rights, social inclusion and visibility, and continues to be associated with many international LGBT organisations, foundations and events. We consider that this word will continue to represent these issues for LGBTQIA+ Australians into the future.

National Agenda

We have retained ‘Australia’ within the name to indicate our national agenda.

PRIDE FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA IS UNIQUE

We are a philanthropic Foundation, which is reflected in our company Constitution, the deeds of the public and the charitable Trusts and Government endorsement of our public fund as a tax-deductible charity. We are established to operate in perpetuity, be a sound and stable organisation, with one of our roles being to promote knowledge of philanthropy and philanthropic giving in Australia’s LGBTIQA+ communities.

Pride is associated with a few other LGBTIQA+ causes in Australia, including Pride marches, and the Victorian Pride Centre (VPC) and their Pride Fund. Consultation with various Victorian LGBTIQA+ organisations indicates that the name of VPC differs enough from PFA and so we do not expect it will cause any confusion.

Internationally, there is a Pride Foundation in Seattle for LGBT issues, Rainbow Pride in Fiji, and Pride Foundation Malaysia for breast cancer fundraising. However, we believe that signifying Australia in our name prevents any confusion with these and other international organisations.

Our Supporters

We wouldn’t be here without the slew of LGBTQIA+ organisations, philanthropic groups and amazing businesses who have supported our work.

Pride Foundation Australia (PFA) is regulated by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), to which we report annually.

The Australian Taxation Office has endorsed PFA as a charity with income tax exemption (ITE) and deductible gift recipient status (DGR1), meaning gifts to Pride Foundation Australia (ABN: 85 116 997 427) are income-tax-deductible.