Student LGBTQ+ Diversity Fund

The Student LGBTQ+ Diversity Fund encourages activities that (1) provide support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students, and for others in the gender spectrum (LGBTQ+), and (2) foster understanding, acceptance and tolerance in the campus community and combat prejudice and discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons with special emphasis on activities that accomplish both purposes.

To promote support and understanding, Kenyon College student organizations and groups can apply for a competitive grant through the Student LGBTQ+ Diversity Fund by completing the online application form.

Application Criteria

The Student LGBTQ+ Diversity Fund income will be used to provide financial resources for (but not limited to) printed materials, meetings, discussions, counseling, conferences, speakers, concerts, exhibitions and celebrations. Proposals for programming around National LGBTQ+ History Month (October), National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11), Trans Day of Remembrance/Resilience (Nov. 20), LGBT Health Awareness Week (the last full week of March), and Trans Day of Visibility (March 31) are especially encouraged.

It is the intention of the donor that this fund be used to support innovative and creative activities seeking to accomplish the above-described purposes, not simply to replace existing funding from other sources of routine activities. Nevertheless, these innovative and creative activities may be supported by the fund more than once.

The fund shall be administered as follows:

• The associate dean of students/director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) shall, in consultation with the associate provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion and the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, prepare and submit to the donor a brief long-range plan for the use of the fund income, outlining overall goals as well as types of proposed expenditures and their expected impact on members of the community.
• Fund income shall be allocated at the discretion of the ODEI director with guidance from the associate provost and the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee or other appointed advisory committee and in accordance with the principles set forth here and in the long-range plan referred to above.
• Campus proposals for funding shall be submitted to the ODEI director. Submitted proposals will be shared with the associate provost and the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee for consideration.
• Advertisements for funded proposals must list the Student LGBTQ+ Diversity Fund as an official sponsor.
• A brief report to the donor of contributions, expenditures, accomplishments and impact on student life of fund expenditures shall be prepared under the supervision of the ODEI director at the end of each semester.

Recent Programs Sponsored by the Fund

In the 2018-2019 academic year, a number of events and programs that have been sponsored by the fund.

In fall 2018, many of Kenyon’s LGBTQ+ History Month programs, such as the National Coming Out Day Lecture and the Annual LGBTQ+ History Month Lecture, were sponsored by the fund. The fund also co-sponsored inclusivity training led by Equitas Health for the entire staff of the Cox Health and Counseling Center. Other programs in fall 2018 included the two-spirit book club and a shadowcast of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

For the spring 2019 semester, the fund continued to sponsor a number of events and programs including a series of events featuring staff from the National Center for Transgender Equality in February. The fund will also co-sponsored events in recognition of LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week, a program for Trans Day of Visibility, the Kenyon Queer and Trans Studies Conference, and more.

To see all events and programs either sponsored or co-sponsored by the Student LGBTQ+ Diversity Fund, please refer to the Kenyon events calendar.

Donate to the Fund

One-time or recurring donations to the fund can be made through the Office of Annual Giving.

Once there, simply click “Direct My Gift,” then select “Other” under the “Special Initiatives” tab. Select the amount you’d like to give, and type “Student LGBTQ+ Diversity Fund” under the “Additional Instructions” drop-down menu below. From there, complete the information to make your donation to support the goals of this Fund.

For help with gifts, please contact the Office of Annual Giving at 740-427-5152.