2002 Grant Recipients:

Samara Foundation is pleased to announce our Year 2002 grants. Twelve organizations received $35,000 to benefit the Vermont gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities in a wide range of areas including HIV prevention, youth services, education, media development, social service and initiatives to address same sex domestic violence. Samara Foundation first awarded grants in 1998 and has now awarded over $130,000 throughout the state.

Community Development and Celebration:

Faerie Camp Destiny (Grafton, VT)$1,500 for general operating support for their program of community building activities. Each year, Faerie Camp Destiny hosts a series of initiatives at their land in southern Vermont focusing on the intersections of sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity, ecologoical stewardship, spiritual growth, queer artistry and healthy communities.
http://www.faeriecampdestiny.org/

Pride Vermont 2001 (Burlington, VT)
$3,500 for general operating expenses around planning Pride celebrations during the month of June. Celebrating their 20th anniversary, Pride has grown from a small local Burlington event to a large statewide celebration.
http://www.pridevermont.org

Education, Advocacy & Outreach:

Gay Lesbian Education and Resource Network (Norwich, VT)
$1,500 to maintain and increase activity which includes providing education and support to students, parents and teachers about issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.
http://www.glearn.org

National Organization for Women: Vermont (Bennington, VT)
$1,500 to help produce a voter guide. The voter guide will show how legislators voted on a variety of issues, primarily those concerning women, the LBGT community, and civil rights. The Vermont Chapter of the National Organization for Women has been in existence for many years, promoting true equality for all women. .
http://www.now.org

Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force (Middlebury, VT)
$5,000 to support grassroots efforts organizing, the cost of any modifications to displays and to insure that VFTMTF will have a continuing presence at each of the local fairs in Vermont. Their mission is to educate Vermonters about the injustice of excluding same-sex couples and the families they form from the status of civil unions, and the myriad legal protections, supports and obligations that accompany that status.
http://www.vtfreetomarry.org

HIV / AIDS Services:

AIDS Project of Southern Vermont (Bennington, VT)
$3,000 to support regional prevention programs for Gay and Bisexual Men and Other Men who have sex with men (MSM) in Bennington County. Their goals are to build healthy communities for MSM, provide health education and risk education workshops, circulate an MSM newsletter, and offer outreach to HIV-positive MSM in Bennington County.
http://www.aidsprojectsouthernvermont.org

Health & Community Service:

R.U.1.2?/Vermont Diversity Health Project (Burlington, VT)
$1,000 for project support. The Vermont Diversity Health Project, a grassroots project of R.U.1.2? Community Center, is looking to build and coordinate a network of Vermont-based GLBTQIA trainers and technical assistance providers for health and wellness professionals seeking to improve their services for GLBTQIA Vermonters.
http://www.ru12.org

SafeSpace (Burlington, VT)$3,000 for general operating support. SafeSpace is a social change and social service organization working to end physical, sexual, and emotional violence in the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people (LGBTQQ). SafeSpace provides direct services to LGBTQQ survivors of violence, and educates the community about violence in the lives of LGBTQQ people and about the ways to help people access help and safety. http://www.safespacevt.org

Media & Communications:

Mountain Pride Media (Richmond, VT)
$6,000 for general operating costs. Created in 1996, Mountain Pride Media acts as publisher of Out in the Mountains, Vermont's monthly newspaper for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community since 1986. In addition to Out in the Mountains, Mountain Pride Media is also publisher of www.mountainpridemedia.org.
http://www.mountainpridemedia.org

New England Chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association
$1,500 to cover expenses of the minority coverage panel and help to send at least three Vermonters to the NLGJA National Conference. Founded in 1990, NLGJA works within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of lesbian and gay issues and oppose newsroom bias against gay men and lesbians and all other minorities.
barbara@abovefold.com
http://www.nlgja.org

Youth & Family:

Outright Vermont (Burlington, VT)
$7,000 to help leverage and encourage gifts through their annual phonathon fund/membership drives. For the past thirteen years Outright has been Vermont's only comprehensive and statewide resource for LGBTQ youth.
http://www.outrightvt.org

Parks Place Community Center (Bellows Falls, VT)
$1,000 to host a program called Sharing Our Unique Truths (SHOUT), a four-day skill based risk reduction workshop for at risk girls age 13-15. SHOUT groups include lesbian, bisexual and questioning youth as well as lesbian and bisexual adult mentors with discussions focusing on LGBT issues.nank@sover.net

The 2002 Samara Foundation grants were made possible through the generous support of our individual and corporate contributors and from the generous bequests of our Founding Benefactors: