Rainbow Advocacy is a 501(c)3 private nonoperating foundtion advancing dignity, creative expression, and human rights through storytelling, arts, and global solidarity.

 

Our work grows out of the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement and the conviction that culture, memory, and community are essential to lasting change. We support artists, writers, educators, and grassroots partners whose work preserves history, confronts injustice, and imagines more just futures.

 

 

Our Roots

 

 

Rainbow Advocacy carries forward a legacy shaped by courage, faith, and public witness.

 

The organization was inspired by the leadership of Rev. Troy Perry — founder of Metropolitan Community Churches and a central figure in the early Pride movement — whose message “We’re not afraid anymore” helped transform fear into collective action at a time when visibility itself was an act of resistance.

 

Founded during the height of the AIDS crisis, Rainbow Advocacy emerged from a commitment to education, culture, and community care — especially for LGBTQ+ youth whose lives and stories were too often ignored or erased.

 

That moral lineage continues to guide our work today.

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How Our Work Has Evolved

 

 

Over the past decades, Rainbow Advocacy has served as a platform for creative and civic engagement through arts installations, youth media programs, storytelling initiatives, and community partnerships.

 

What began as local, place-based programming has grown into a broader commitment: supporting creative work that connects history, identity, and human rights across generations and geographies.

 

Today, our focus is not on producing events for visibility alone, but on sustaining initiatives that deepen understanding, preserve memory, and strengthen global solidarity.

 

 

 

How We Work Today

 

 

Rainbow Advocacy is a non-operating foundation.

 

We do not run large in-house programs. Instead, we work through:

 

• Arts and education initiatives

• Publishing and storytelling platforms

• Community partnerships and collaborations

• Direct support and micro-grants

 

 

This model allows us to remain flexible, ethical, and responsive — investing in people and ideas already advancing dignity and human rights in their own contexts.

 

 

 

What Guides Us

 

 

Our work is grounded in:

 

• Human dignity and human rights principles

• Respect for lived experience and community autonomy

• Responsible stewardship of resources

• Transparency and accountability

• Long-term vision over short-term cycles

 

 

We believe creativity is not decoration. It is a force that shapes conscience, preserves truth, and helps societies imagine what liberation can look like.

 

 

 

Looking Ahead

 

 

As the world approaches pivotal milestones — including the 50th anniversary of the rainbow flag and the 80th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights — Rainbow Advocacy is focused on reflection as much as action.

 

We see this moment as a responsibility: to honor the past without being confined by it, and to support work that carries dignity forward with clarity, care, and courage.​

 

We invite artists, partners, and supporters to walk alongside us in sustaining work that endures.

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Our work takes shape through a small number of interconnected programs designed to support artists, storytellers, educators, and community partners.

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Explore our programs →