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LGBTQ+ Giving Circle Fund

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The LGBTQ+ Giving Circle is a community-driven fund that supports and celebrates LGBTQ+ communities in Lancaster County by investing in initiatives that advance equity, visibility, and lasting impact.

 

Lancaster County thrives when generosity brings the community together. Over the past three years, the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle has granted more than $220,000 to local organizations centering the LGBTQ+ community in Lancaster County. These funds have supported youth programs, community art, Pride events, and so much more. They’ve helped create spaces where everyone feels safe, included, and proud.

Your support makes this possible. Every gift amplifies local voices and strengthens programs that welcome and include everyone. Together, we’re creating a Lancaster County where everyone feels valued and recognized.

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lgbtq+ impact

Our Impact

Since our creation, the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle has directed $220,000 across 21 grants to organizations doing meaningful work in Lancaster County supporting more than 15,000 of our LGBTQ+ neighbors. Building our endowment ensures that giving doesn’t stop here; it grows.

Learn More About The Projects Being Funded

2025

Gracie’s House – $12,000
Pride Camp that offers the traditional summer camp experience with affirming counselors

Lancaster County Chooses Love – $12,000
Sustaining and expanding infrastructure and services

Lancaster Pride – $12,000
Expanding and upgrading organizational capacity
 
Eastern PA Trans Equity Project – $10,000

Empowerment Programs for Transgender Individuals in Lancaster County

LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central PA – $10,000
Common Roads Program, a safe and affirming group for community, connection, and support

Ephrata Performing Arts Center – $10,000
Queer Voices Staged Reading Festival

Lancaster Public Library – $8,000
Circles of Connection and Resilience, a 12 week therapeutic program to support individuals who have experienced trauma

2024

Eastern PA Trans Equity Project – $12,460
Supportive Services and Empowerment Programs for transgender individuals, including financial assistance, mentoring, and case management.

Girls on the Run of Lancaster and Lebanon – $10,000
10-week programs for girls in grades 3-8, culminating in a celebratory 5K event, with funding for curriculum updates and training.

Lancaster Pride Association – $25,000
Supports the 16th Annual Festival, promoting visibility, acceptance, and equality through performances, vendors, and workshops.

Lancaster Public Library – $15,000
The Rainbow Visibility project enhances LGBTQ+ resources and programming for an inclusive environment.

Lititz Chooses Love – $25,000
Capacity-building efforts, including expanding areas, creating a rapid response fund, and launching an inclusion institute.

Touchstone Foundation – $12,540
Healing Circles and Group Therapy for leaders of Community Benefit Organizations serving LGBTQ+ and BIPOC populations, addressing mental wellness.

2023

Adoptions From The Heart – Lancaster – $3,000
Adopting a Baby as an LGBTQ+ Family

Eastern PA Trans Equity Project – $10,000
Empowerment Programs for Transgender Individuals in Lancaster County

Ephrata Performing Arts Center – $9,000
Queer Voices Staged Reading Festival

Lancaster General Health – $2,800
Sexual Health Service Expansion

Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition – $2,500
Infrastructure and Capacity Building Consultation

LGBT Center of Greater Reading – $7,500
Rivertown Pride Center in Columbia, PA: Service Provision

LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central PA – $7,500
Common Roads: Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth in Lancaster

Demuth Foundation – $7,500
Demuth Museum Reinterpretation Plan Inclusive of LGBTQ+ Themes

Ways To Give

Multiple gift types are accepted into the Lancaster County LGBTQ+ Giving Circle. Your donation creates impact today while also building an endowment that will care for the LGBTQ+ community tomorrow. Each gift amplifies local voices and strengthens programs that welcome and include everyone. Together, we’re creating a Lancaster County where everyone feels valued and recognized. 

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Donate securely online through credit or debit card.

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Give a Non-Cash Asset

Donations of stock and retirement funds can be easily made by reaching out to Finance at the Lancaster County Community Foundation.

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Name Us in Your Will

Gifts through bequests or naming the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle as an additional beneficiary can be made. Click link for bequest language or contact Philanthropic Services Director, Ashlinn Masland-Sarani for more information.

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Open a Charitable Gift Annuity

Partnership with the Lancaster County Community Foundation allows us to offer Charitable Gift Annuities to benefit the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle endowment.

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History

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Terry Bigler and Terry Kurtz, affectionately known as “the Terrys,” together, provided the fund’s initial financing and have continued to contribute annually, establishing a stable foundation for the Giving Circle’s growth. Their generosity reflects Terry Bigler’s lifelong commitment to building a more vibrant and inclusive Lancaster County; a legacy that continues to shape the community he loved.

In October 2022, a group of volunteers and donors came together with a shared vision to raise visibility and address the needs of local LGBTQ+ communities. From that effort, the Lancaster County LGBTQ+ Giving Circle pools resources to provide meaningful impact by awarding grants to organizations. Guiding that vision is a diverse advisory committee, who ensures grants reach a wide range of causes and communities within Lancaster County’s LGBTQ+ landscape.

“More sparkle. More impact. More community. Give today — because when we pool our love and resources, everybody wins.”  –Todd

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