Sacramento LGBT Community Center

Reviewed by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation

$54,495 raised by 282 donors

45% complete

$120,000 Goal

The Sacramento LGBT Community Center, originally incorporated as a unique assistance program known as The Lambda Community Fund, was founded in 1978 - nine years after the Stonewall Riots- to serve the Sacramento region's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community. In its first thirty years, the Center operated almost entirely on the generosity of community volunteers who offered those in need of assistance and a place to find community. 

Despite our community achieving greater acceptance and legal rights over the last decade, the visibility of societal disparities that still exist highlighted significant needs. The Center developed more robust programs and services to meet these needs, hired professional staff, and engaged considerable public and private funding to support the community. Today, the Sacramento LGBT Community Center has become one of the region's largest nonprofits, reaching more LGBTQ+ people than any organization in Northern California. 

We believe that all LGBTQ+ people deserve responsive and dignified treatment, equitable access to health and wellness, economic justice, Pride, and a sense of belonging. We are a lean, efficient organization, achieving GuideStar's Platinum Seal of Transparency.


Mission

The Sacramento LGBT Community Center works to create a region where all LGBTQ+ people thrive; we support health and wellness, advocate for equity and justice, and work to uplift our diverse and culturally rich LGBTQ+ community.

Needs

Private gifts are essential to the Center's ability to respond to people who turn to us for life-sustaining and life-saving services. For most of our history, they were our only significant source of income. Nowadays, while government grants are the largest single source of funding, at almost 60%, they never pay for the entire program's cost, and some crucial programs have no grant funding at all. Private donations also help support the Center's very efficient infrastructure; this fiscal year, the Center needs to raise nearly $2.65 million in private gifts to support our many programs and services. We must raise and additional $3.12 million in government grants and program fees.

Our greatest need is private, unrestricted funds to invest in organizational capacity building. To be an effective champion for the community and sustain our current roster of programs, we need to raise additional funds to hire more qualified and passionate staff and provide them with the proper tools and workspaces to serve. These gifts position us to improve the quality and impact of these services, especially for the most marginalized - that includes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and Trans folks and our LGBTQ+ seniors. Critical Center programming will also benefit from these funds, like our Economic Justice Program, where we provide community workforce development and employer training. We can offer additional life-skills workshops and recreational therapies for our youth housing program residents with more funding. The cost to fulfill current service demand and position us where we can add these essential pieces can be upwards of $200,000-$400,000 annually.

Our second most significant need is for renovation of our new headquarters in Lavender Heights. In 2019 we purchased this building and are nearing completion of our $6 million Capital Campaign to pay off our mortgage and renovate the space to fully meet the community's needs. Our current "Welcome Home" Capital Campaign still has $150,000 to raise to fully realize our Sutter Health matching gift. Please reach out directly at 916.442.0185 to learn more about this important campaign. You can also visit saccenter.org/welcomehome directly to make your Capital Campaign gift now.

Our third greatest need is board members and volunteers. We seek board members with expertise in finance, communications, faith communities, and corporate management. We are also constantly seeking out volunteers who are critical in helping to organize advocacy work, fundraising efforts, office tasks, and providing direct service to clients. In order to implement the Sacramento Pride Festival and March alone requires nearly 1,000 volunteers annually.

Equity Statement

The Sacramento LGBT Community Center's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is foundational to our mission. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and our programs and services are open to everyone. People of color, women, persons with disabilities, and persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex are encouraged to apply. The Center maintains a policy of non-discrimination with respect to employees, volunteers, interns, and program participation. No aspect of engagement with the Center will be influenced in any matter by race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, physical disability (including HIV or AIDS), medical/mental condition, perceived physical disability or veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by statute.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Sacramento LGBT Community Center

Year Established

1978

Tax id (EIN)

94-2502229

Mission Category

Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy

Operating Budget

$5,000,001-$10 million

Organization Need

Funding: Unrestricted, Space: Office or Other, Funding: Program, Board Members, Volunteers

Demographics Served

Youth & Children, LGBTQIA+, Homeless/Underhoused/Unhoused

BIPOC Leadership

Board Chair

Local Counties Served

El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Yolo

Equity Statement

Equity Statement

Address

1015 20th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811

Service areas

Sacramento, CA, US

Phone

916-442-0185

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