BHT Foundation doles out more than $35,000 to local LGBTQ and HIV nonprofits
Foundation gives grants to local HIV/AIDS service providers, sports teams, arts organizations, and scholarship programs, among other recipients.
The BHT Foundation (formerly, Brother, Help Thyself, Inc.), the organization that provides financial support to D.C. and Baltimore-area nonprofits, announced it was handing out more than $35,000 to local LGBTQ and HIV organizations.
The foundation annually bestows grants of varying amounts to organizations with annual budgets under $500,000, based on need. The organization has three separate funds, each earmarked to support specific causes: the Richard Van Der Karr Memorial HIV/AIDS Fund supports HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and education nonprofits; money from the Robert H. Fund support nonprofits that provide athletic, cultural, educational, historic, or social programs that benefit the LGBTQ community; and the Billy McCoy Thompson, Jr. Memorial Fund hands out two $1,5000 awards to youth-centric LGBTQ organizations or scholarship programs.
“This year, we are honored to support a wide range of community-based organizations,” Paul Marengo, BHT Foundation’s Board President, said in a statement, noting that this year’s grantees include organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS services, direct human services, LGBTQ youth support, the arts, and the LGBTQ athletic community. “Furthermore, our grants will help strengthen our support within the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities. Our hope is by helping smaller institutions, we can reach those in our community who need it most.”
Organizations receiving money from the Robert H. Fund include: the Baltimore Men’s Chorus, which received $5,000 to assist in producing virtual concerts for the LGBTQ community during the COVID-19 pandemic; DC Different Drummers, which received $2,500 for its Ames-Whitbeck Good Fairy Scholarship Fund, which helps pay for dues, uniforms, and other costs for financially-needy members of the LGBTQ musical ensemble; and the New Wave Singers, a Baltimore-based LGBTQ chorus, which received $2,963 for broadcast and rehearsal equipment.
Other recipients include: LULAC Lambda, which received $500 to help support educational scholarships for students of Latin American heritage pursuing higher education; North Avenue Mission, a Baltimore-based organization serving homeless and food and housing insecure individuals, as well as those living with addiction, disability, or mental illness, or in recovery, which received $3,000 for its peer education group; and the Rainbow Youth Alliance, which received $3,500 for peer group support.
Related: BHT Foundation awards emergency grants to racial justice and civil rights organizations
From the sports community, Team DC received $2,000 to help support its Community Health and Fitness Expo, and the Washington Renegades LGBTQ rugby team received $699 to buy an automatic electronic defibrillator. From the leather community, Onyx Mid-Atlantic, Inc., received $2,500 for education and community support services, and Boot Black Round Up 2021 received $100 for event expenses.
AIDS Action Baltimore and The Frederick Center both received $5,000 each for HIV/AIDS services via the Van Der Karr Fund, while LULAC Lambda received an additional $1,500 for its scholarship program through the Billy McCoy Thompson Jr. Memorial Fund, as did Rainbow Youth Alliance for its peer support group services.
For more information about the BHT Foundation, visit www.bhtfoundation.org. For questions about the 2022 grant cycle, or how to apply for assistance, email grants@bhtfoundation.org.
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