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What is the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation (SDHDF)?
- We are a 501 (c)(3) public charity.
- A lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community foundation.
- A permanent charitable endowment.
- A grant making organization supporting charitable purposes.
- A group of charitable funds established by individuals, businesses and organizations
to make our community a better place to live and work.
What is the purpose of the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation?
Our purpose is to improve the quality of life within San Diego's LGBT community by promoting and increasing responsible philanthropy.
Will the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation always use donations to pursue its mission?
Since our inception, we have spent a lot of time cultivating volunteers and board members that believe in what we do and how we do it. Our mission is simple: to provide perpetual and significant funding to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organizations in San Diego County. If we have a grant applicant that requests funding for something outside of our mission (as in, for example, Orange County), we will forward that application to an organization that we think will match their request.
Who manages SDHDF?
- Board of Directors - currently 10 community volunteers with revolving terms of office
- Committees - board members serve as committee chairs and appoint community volunteers to a committee, e.g., Finance Committee, Grants Committee, etc.)
- Staff - Executive Director and Operations Manager.
What are the benefits of giving money to SDHDF?
If you:
- Want consolidate your giving
- Want maximum tax benefits
- Want grant making assistance and follow up
- Want a permanent fund to go for a general area of interest
- Want the assurance that your desires will be followed after your lifetime
- Want to be involved in supporting charitable causes
Is SDHDF granting significant amounts of money to San Diego's LGBT community?
Over the last nine years, the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation has distributed more than $736,000 to nonprofit organizations serving our community, partnering with San Diego LGBT Pride, the San Diego Foundation, the Alliance Healthcare Foundation, and other organizations.
Through the San Diego Lesbian and Gay Funding Partnership of the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation and the San Diego Foundation, we granted more than $391,000 in 2001 and 2002. The San Diego LGBT Pride Fund of the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation granted more than $200,000 in 2003 and 2005 to local nonprofits serving the LGBT community. These grants form the largest non-HIV-related block of funds ever granted in San Diego to benefit the LGBT community.
Although we firmly believe in supporting our future through endowment, as we continue to build donor-advised funds and our own endowment, we will continue to grant money to the local community on a regular basis.
How do I know that SDHDF will invest my contribution in a responsible and effective way?
With our team of financial advisors, we will continue to grow both our own endowment and any unrestricted gifts used for granting to the local community.
Do we need a policy that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation to apply for a grant with Human Dignity Foundation?
In order to send a message of inclusion and for the protection
of all the employees (or volunteers) at your organization, we insist that
all grant applicants have a policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual
discrimination in place. For organizations that don't have any paid staff
right now, we encourage you to address your present reality and include
volunteers, clients, and/or other relevant parties in your non-discrimination
policy.
How important is diversity to the organization?
Differing backgrounds, opinions and thoughts are integral to who we are and the community we serve. While our core group of support initially started with gay, white men, we are now proud to have representation on a board, staff or volunteer level from lesbians and heterosexual women, Pacific Islanders, Latinos, African Americans, transgender individuals, and gay white men. We are continually striving to include individuals from every walk of life San Diego has to offer.
Also as board members serve on committees with
other organizations (i.e. San Diego Lesbian and Gay Funding Partnership,
LGBT Senior Healthcare Task Force) and explore relationships
with diverse grantees, we solicit (and receive) input from very
diverse groups on a regular basis. Please refer to our grants
list which reflects the diversity we currently support.
How can I stay up-to-date on what's going on at the Human Dignity Foundation?
A great way to stay connected with SDHDF is
by subscribing to our free e-newsletter. It is published quarterly
and it will let you know what's new and noteworthy at the Foundation,
its website, and its partnerships.
To sign up, simply email us
at info@sdhdf.org or call our office at (619)
291-3383 and
the next available
e-newsletter will be emailed to you.
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