Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project

Trans Wellness Fund

Announcing the Southwest Virginia Trans Wellness Fund!

$2,275 distributed, as of March 1, 2024!

About

The Southwest Virginia Trans Wellness Fund launched in April 2023. In its first year, the fund was supported by 100% of royalties from sales of the book Living Queer History: Remembrance and Belonging in a Southern City. Today, the fund continues through the support of generous donations from the community, plus 100% of ongoing book royalties. While Living Queer History told the story of queer and trans existence in Southwest Virginia over the past seventy years, the Trans Wellness Fund is intended to funnel profits from the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project’s work into building queer and trans futures in our region. We do this by making direct payments to trans people living in Southwest Virginia to support costs related to transition-related expenses and/or basic needs such as rent and bills. 

The fund is administered by a panel of Southwest Virginia-based trans people who review applications and make decisions. As of April 1, 2024, the fund is a collaboration between the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project and Ladies and Gents of the Blue Ridge – Transgender Alliance, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For more information on this collaboration, see here.

This is a quarterly fund. Applications open each year on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, and close on March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31, respectively. Applicants should expect a wait time of up to two months from the application deadline to the potential disbursement of funds. 

Eligibility

Applications are open to trans people in Southwest Virginia. 

By “trans” we intentionally include non-binary, transgender, transsexual, and Two-Spirit people, as well as other non-cisgender people. You will have the opportunity to self-identify on the application. 

By “Southwest Virginia” we include residents of the following counties: Alleghany, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe; and residents of the following independent cities: Bristol, Buena Vista, Covington, Galax, Lexington, Martinsville, Norton, Radford, Roanoke, and Salem. 

We prioritize funding Black trans applicants, Indigenous trans and Two-Spirit applicants, and other trans People of Color by maintaining a requirement that 30% of all funds must go to such applicants. 

Applicants must be U.S. residents with a U.S.-based bank account, but citizenship and citizenship-status are not asked on the application and does not affect one’s eligibility.

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at the time that funds are dispersed. 

Application Process

We make awards ranging from $50 to $500 to selected applicants. The application process will ask you for the following information in a Google Form:

  • First Name and Last Name (This is for your preferred name; a legal name is not required) 
  • Phone Number (where we can reach you with any follow-up questions) 
  • Email address (where we can reach you with any follow-up questions) 
  • Age (birth month / year) 
  • Race/Ethnicity 
  • Gender (This is your gender identity; we do not care about legal sex) 
  • Sexuality (optional) 
  • City/Town, State, and Zip Code of your current residence, and how long you have lived there (We do not ask for a street address) 
  • Funding request (any amount from $50 to $500)
  • Budget (a detailed explanation of how you will use these funds. The more information the better, including any possible documentation of rent, bills, or transition-related costs. You will have the opportunity also to upload a PDF or JPEG document if you would like to show any receipts, bills, or estimates for costs) 
  • Supplemental funds (if the award amount will not fully cover your expenses, you can explain what other sources of funding you intend to use or apply for)

Apply to the fund!

Within three months following the disbursement of funds, a representative of the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project will reach out to you (via phone, email, or online form) for feedback. The purpose of this feedback is to learn more about your experiences with the Trans Wellness Fund, and any stories of how the disbursed funds may have assisted you in attaining your goals. 

QUESTIONS? Contact the History Project.

Stats on the Fund

As of March 1, 2024:

Money distributed: $2,275

Money remaining: $0

Total applications received: 127

Total awardees: 8

Percentage, BIPOC awardees: 75%