***ATTENTION***
The Marsha P. Johnson Fund exists because we know that sometimes a relatively small amount of direct financial support can make a very real difference in someone’s life. Over the past several months, we have seen a significant increase in applications from community members seeking support. That growing need has made one thing incredibly clear: our community is asking for more help than the current funding for this program can provide.
In order to keep the fund available throughout the year, Q Center can now only award up to five microgrants per month. Applications will open on the first day of each month, and grants will be awarded to the first five eligible applicants who meet the program criteria. Each recipient may receive up to $350 once per calendar year.
We know this change means we will not be able to say yes to everyone who reaches out, and that is difficult. Our goal has never been to limit support. Our goal is to grow it.
That is part of why our Back to Belonging campaign matters so much. Community support helps Q Center sustain programs like the Marsha P. Johnson Fund and gives us the ability to put more resources directly into the hands of people who need them.
If you believe our BIPOC trans community deserves greater access to direct support, we invite you to be part of that work.
Give through Back to Belonging and help us grow the number of people we are able to support.
The Marsha P. Johnson Fund
Marsha P. Johnson
Marsha P. Johnson was a radiant, fearless Black trans activist whose courage, compassion, and fierce joy helped shape the modern LGBTQIA2S+ liberation movement. A powerful presence in the uprising at Stonewall, she devoted her life not only to resistance, but to care, co-founding STAR with Sylvia Rivera to provide shelter, support, and community for unhoused queer and trans young people too often left behind. Marsha showed the world what it means to live your values boldly: to choose love over fear, mutual aid over abandonment, and to insist that those pushed furthest to the margins are worthy of safety, dignity, and celebration. Her legacy is not only one of protest, but of possibility, reminding us that liberation must be built with courage, tenderness, and an unwavering commitment to one another.
The Fund
Q Center’s Marsha P. Johnson Community Fund was established in 2019 to provide emergency microgrants to QTBIPOC individuals, honoring the legacy of Marsha P. Johnson, whose life, courage, and compassion continue to light the way for queer and trans liberation. Rooted in her spirit of radical care, mutual aid, and collective resistance, the fund exists to uplift Black and Indigenous trans community members whose needs have too often been overlooked, underserved, or ignored.
The fund was created in response to the deep and ongoing inequities Black and Indigenous trans people continue to face, including disproportionate rates of violence, poverty, housing instability, and discrimination. These are not distant or abstract challenges. They are lived realities affecting members of our community every day, and they demand a response grounded in care, dignity, and action.
Since its launch, the fund has grown beyond its original vision in response to the strength and need of the community it serves. What began as a Portland-based initiative supporting 25 individuals expanded to reach 37 grantees in its first year, with virtual access allowing Q Center to extend support across Oregon and beyond. Requests continue to center on urgent essentials such as rent and medical care, revealing both the resilience of Black and Indigenous trans communities and the ongoing gaps in the systems meant to support them. This need is especially acute for those working in service, arts, and freelance fields, where economic instability can make even basic necessities harder to secure.
At its heart, the Marsha P. Johnson Community Fund is more than financial assistance. It is an expression of community showing up for community. It is a reminder that care is a form of justice, and that everyone deserves safety, dignity, and the resources to survive and thrive.
Funding is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Up to five awards are issued each month, and individuals may receive funding once per year.
(Applications Re-Open October 1st)
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Donate to the Marsha P. Johnson Community Fund
Every donation made here provides emergency financial support to our BIPOC/Trans community members.
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