SafePlace International and EMA Foundation Launch SafePlace NEXT Campaign
EMA Offers $50,000+ Challenge Grant to Provide Transformational Support to Marginalized Members of Global LGBTQI+ Community
SAN FRANCISCO , May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SafePlace International (SPI), a holistic leadership development organization for displaced LGBTQIA+ individuals, and EMA Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to driving positive change and creating a more equitable world, today announced the launch of the 'SafePlace NEXT' campaign. This campaign aims to raise vital funds for operational support and capacity building to further advance SPI's mission of protecting, connecting, and providing leadership training to marginalized members of the LGBTQI+ community globally.
Founded in 2017, SPI actively works on the ground in over 15 different countries, responding to the needs of the displaced LGBTQI+ community by fostering equity, inclusivity, and collaboration. Through its flagship programs, The Global Family Initiative and The Dream Academy, SPI focuses on providing shelter, basic needs support, leadership development, socio-emotional learning, and employability skills training to empower individuals and foster societal inclusion and acceptance.
The Dream Academy, a 10-week intensive course, has already made a significant impact on the lives of the LGBTQI+ refugees, asylum seekers, and women. It equips them with the confidence and skills necessary to overcome trauma, pursue their dreams, and affect positive change in their communities. With nearly 1,000 motivated and skilled graduates to date, the Dream Academy has produced passionate entrepreneurs, human rights activists, organizational leaders, self-advocates, and influential community members.
"SafePlace International plays an extraordinary and uniquely important role in the communities they serve," says Bill Meyer, Executive Director of the EMA Foundation. "As an organization committed to sustainable growth, they have made remarkable progress. We urge everyone who shares their values and has the capacity to invest to join us in assuring the future they are working so hard ? and so effectively ? to create."
Since 2001, EMA's practice has been to build deep relationships with organizations doing value-aligned work at the community level. Unlike most funders, EMA strives to shift power and control of resources to its partners ? an approach that SPI also shares in supporting the community it serves. Over the last twenty years, EMA has provided more than $3 million in unrestricted funds as well as non-monetary capacity support to its partners and their communities, with many of these relationships continuing for 10 years or more. Of the many values both organizations share is their belief in the power of storytelling to facilitate deep human connection and ultimately reshape society, and they look forward to together sharing stories of SPI's community with the world.
The SafePlace NEXT campaign offers two key ways to get involved:
- Challenge Grant: The EMA Foundation is offering a $50,000+ challenge grant for operational support and capacity building at SafePlace International. All donations made by August 1, 2023 will be matched, doubling SPI's impact in empowering and protecting LGBTQI+ individuals.
- Community Outreach: Individuals are encouraged to spread awareness about SPI's extraordinary work and share the 'SafePlace NEXT' campaign within their networks, be it on social media, in a letter to the editor of your local paper, or even over coffee with a friend. By building a dedicated community of sustaining supporters, we can collectively create a more equitable and joyful world.
?These are difficult days for many within our community, all around the world,? says Rachael LeClear, Executive Director of SPI. ?It's our job to be there for them: those whose rights are being denied, those who can no longer safely leave their homes, those whose governments criminalize their very existence. And even in the face of these challenges, our community is there every day, lifting each other up, fighting for equality, and proving that there is a better way. They are a constant source of inspiration. We are so grateful to have EMA Foundation by our side, along with each and every one of our supporters who believe in the power of love to change the world.?
To make a donation and learn more about the SafePlace NEXT campaign, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Odkh4Y
About SafePlace International
SafePlace International is a holistic leadership development organization for displaced LGBTQIA+ individuals. As the lived experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community are often overlooked, SafePlace endeavors to create pathways for a sustainable and fulfilled life for them that celebrates the unique qualities that their lives hold.
About EMA Foundation
EMA Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to driving positive change and creating a more equitable world. Through strategic partnerships and impactful initiatives, EMA shifts power and channels resources to their partners as they collaborate to build their capacity, catalyze their network growth, and amplify their stories.
Pull Quote
It's our job to be there for those whose rights are being denied, those who can no longer safely leave their homes, those whose governments criminalize their very existence.
Media Contact
Rachael LeClear, SafePlace International, 1 620-412-7960, [email protected], https://www.safeplaceinternational.org/
SOURCE SafePlace International
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