The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy today released the 2024 LGBTQ+ Index, the only comprehensive index of charitable organizations in the U.S. that serve LGBTQ+ causes and communities. The second annual LGBTQ+ Index shows a decade of growth amid ongoing challenges for these organizations, yet LGBTQ+ organizations receive less than $1 dollar out of every $500 donated.
The LGBTQ+ Index, part of the school’s Equitable Giving Lab made possible through funding from Google.org, focuses on the 10-year period from 2012 to 2021, while also highlighting changes from 2019 to 2021, the most recently added data. The latest period marks a critical juncture, reflecting the impact of global events like the COVID-19 pandemic as well as significant shifts in public and private support for LGBTQ+ causes. This report examines key characteristics of LGBTQ+ organizations and the amount of total philanthropic support LGBTQ+ organizations receive from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
“The LGBTQ+ Index is a valuable resource that both illustrates the resiliency and impact of LGBTQ+ organizations, and also offers an opportunity to better understand the nuanced landscape of giving—ultimately helping advance equity in philanthropy,” said Una Osili, Ph.D, Associate Dean for Research and International Programs and Dean’s Fellow, Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy.
Despite heightened attention to LGTBQ+ issues, charitable giving to LGBTQ+ organizations remains a small share of overall philanthropic contributions. The LGBTQ+ Index aims to deepen understanding of the dynamic LGBTQ+ philanthropy landscape, and can help donors, nonprofit leaders, policymakers, and scholars address equity issues in philanthropy. The LGBTQ+ Index provides data to address key questions about the nature and scale of support these organizations receive compared to other causes.
Key findings from the 2024 LGBTQ+ Index include:
- Over the decade 2012-2021, charitable giving to LGBTQ+ organizations more than doubled, increasing from $387 million in 2012 to $823 million in 2021, with particularly strong growth in the last two years of the period (a 35% increase from 2019 to 2021). This growth outpaced the increase in overall charitable giving during the same period; as a result, giving to LGBTQ+ organizations rose from 0.10% of total charitable giving in 2012 to 0.16% in 2021. However, this still amounts to less than $1 out of every $500 donated going to support LGBTQ+ organizations.
- Certain sub-sectors of LGBTQ+ causes saw divergent growth trends over the past decade, such as outsized growth for LGBTQ+ education organizations (254% increase from 2012 to 2021), and lower growth for organizations focused on HIV/AIDS in the LGBTQ+ community (7% increase from 2012 to 2021).
- The distribution of giving within LGBTQ+ sub-sectors evolved between 2012 and 2021, revealing an expanding nonprofit community focused on a broader range of issues than a decade ago. The share of giving going to LGBTQ+ HIV/AIDS organizations decreased as a share of all LGBTQ+ philanthropic support, from 29% in 2012 to 15% (-14%) in 2021; the shares of dollars going to youth (+6.8%), community centers (+3.6%), transgender-focused organizations (+3.5%), and education (+2.9%) have grown significantly. Civil rights organizations remain the largest single category.
- LGBTQ+ organizations saw their assets grow 76% from 2019-2021—nearly double the size of their growth in donations. Over the decade 2012 to 2021, assets among LGBTQ+ organizations experienced remarkable growth of 257%. However, this growth was largely concentrated in the largest organizations, as was growth in other measurements related to professionalization, such as number of employees and payroll size.
Access the LGBTQ+ Index report, visual summary, or database.
About the LGBTQ+ Index and the Equitable Giving Lab
The LGBTQ+ Index is the newest index created as part of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's Equitable Giving Lab, which is funded by Google.org and brings an equity lens to philanthropy by measuring charitable giving to historically under-resourced groups. The LGBTQ+ Index is modeled after the Women & Girls Index, created in 2019 and updated annually by the Women's Philanthropy Institute.
The LGBTQ+ Index includes 501(c)(3) public charities primarily dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community that were active from 2012 to 2021-the most recent year for which more than 99% of finalized IRS data on charitable organizations were available as of December 2023. The analyses in the report focus on the ten-year period from 2012 to 2021. For details on the data sources and process used in developing the Index, please see the Methodology section of the report or the LGBTQ+ Index homepage.
About the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its undergraduate, graduate, certificate and professional development programs, its research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, or Instagram and “Like” us on Facebook.