Question for y'all: what would you do if you had $10,000 to make things better for LGBTQ+ youth in your community or school?

If you can dream it up, we want to help you make it happen.

Since 2022, we've awarded over $1.3 million in funding to 142 youth-led projects across the U.S., including things like gender-affirming clothing closets, regional LGBTQ+ youth conferences, student wellness programs and safe spaces, and inclusive arts and education projects.

And yup, we're doing it again.

With It Gets Better: Changemakers, we want to help you create a lasting impact at your school, your library, your local LGBTQ+ center, or wherever it’s needed most in your own local community. A downtown Pride mural? Education sessions at your local LGBTQ+ center? A Queer Prom? Let's do it!

You can apply now for a grant of up to $10,000 through May 5, 2025 at itgetsbetter.org/changemakers.

P.S.: Look out for upcoming live info sessions where we'll answer all your FAQs about the application and funding process. Can't wait to see your ideas. 💜

When governments fail LGBTQ+ youth, they're gonna make their own safe spaces

As anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment surged in Mississippi, a lot of LGBTQ+ students felt overwhelmed or unsure where to turn.

With one of our It Gets Better: Changemakers grants, they launched an after-school program where students could create art, relax, and connect with others. In 2024, they even created an illustrated comic book guide for LGBTQ+ teens that was showcased at a local gallery alongside student art, which attracted over 1,500 visitors!

Messages from their art were clear: “Don’t hate what you don’t understand.”

We want to make more of this happen! You can apply for your own $10,000 Changemakers grant for projects like this by May 5th: itgetsbetter.org/changemakers

So Utah, you wanna ban Pride flags from schools and government properties?

We'll just unveil the largest trans flag IN THE WORLD right on your doorstep ahead of Trans Day of Visibility. <3

This is what refusing to be made invisible looks like.

🏳️‍⚧️ Dropped new tees & a tote in the shop for Trans Day of Visibility that support LGBTQ+ youth!

Whether you're

[ ] trans, or

[ ] just a fierce ally

our trans community needs loud, proud, and VISIBLE support right now more than ever.

We figured you might like to wear it to school, wear it to work, wear it to a protest, or wherever it's most important to show your solidarity (solidari-t? solidari-tee?)!

All proceeds from our shop benefit our work to uplift, empower, and connect LGBTQ+ youth! You can snag yours here - tees are available in English and Spanish: itgetsbetter.org/shop

˖°. ✧ 🏳️‍⚧️ If you need some trans youth joy in your life, watch the stream with us! 🏳️‍⚧️ ✧˖°.

Come watch a screening of the short documentary film Ben in Bloom with us, streaming on Twitch for TDOV!

The film tells the story of Ben (now Stella, one of our Youth Voices alumni), a non-binary and queer teenager from the contentious Bucks County, Pennsylvania school district. She weaves a heartfelt tapestry of her past, reliving the moments and people that shaped her into a fearless LGBTQ+ advocate.

Watch the film live with us and chat with stars Stella, Marlene, and Rose, director Natalie Jasmine Harris, and our current Youth Voice and filmmaker Eli!

We're streaming it for Trans Day of Visibility, Monday March 31 at 5pm ET/2pm PT, because we felt like positive stories from trans youth are exactly what we need for TDOV this year: twitch.tv/itgetsbetter

You're gonna love it (and maybe cry a lil bit), hope we see y'all in chat!

This group of Maryland high school students said f book bans, we'll write our own

Despite Maryland’s Freedom to Read act, schools still banned 64 books in the 2023-2024 school year—many by queer authors and centering LGBTQ+ identities. So this group of high school students said f that.

With one of our It Gets Better: Changemakers grants, they launched Navigating the Margins—a writing program that paired young authors with published mentors. What came out of the partnerships was a groundbreaking anthology filled with stories ranging from fantasy and dystopian fiction to school dramas and murder mysteries.

One of the students said, "I see the book at school and I’m filled with such immense pride for all of us who were brave enough and proud enough to show who we really are." <3

If you want to do this or something similar for LGBTQ+ youth in your own community, we can help! Apply for a $10,000 Changemakers grant by May 5th at itgetsbetter.org/changemakers.

It's about time for LGBTQ+ youth to take back their power, so we're awarding grants up to $10,000 for projects that support LGBTQ+ youth in their own communities and schools

"But what if my school's not accepting or doesn't have a GSA club?"

We hear that - that's why LGBTQ+ youth can pair up with various different types of organizations to apply for a Changemakers grant, including:

• Nonprofits

• Public libraries

• LGBTQ+ centers

• Public schools and GSA clubs

• And other youth-supporting community organizations!

A fave example: One of our previous grantees from a GSA club in Vermillion, South Dakota couldn't get their school on board with their idea. So instead, they paired up with a local mural artist organization to create a giant sparkly unicorn Pride mural on the side of a downtown restaurant - which went on to earn the town a USA Today Reader's Choice award for small towns with the best art scenes!

Youth + a partner organization can apply for a grant now by May 5th at itgetbetter.org/changemakers

These high school students in Louisiana staged a queer play on the steps of the capitol building to protest anti-LGBTQ+ bills

“What do you you say to a little kid who prays to the same God you do, when they ask God how much longer until they’re allowed to be themselves?”

After the tragic loss of one of their fellow GSA club members, these Louisiana students wanted to channel their grief into activism.

They were awarded one of our Changemakers grants, and used the funds to create the Q-Center for LGBTQ+ students at their school, hosted a Day for Queer Students, AND hired Broadway director Jimmy Maize to help them script a short play to perform in front of lawmakers.

They performed their show, “The Capitol Project,” in front of the Capitol building and shared their personal stories. State Senator Royce Duplessis, one of the only legislators who stayed to watch, asked, “How do we expect kids to stay in a state like this when laws are being passed that basically say to them, we don’t care about you?”

At the end of the play, adults in the audience passed the mic to tell them over and over: "I’m here to fight with them, every step of the way."

Let's make more of this happen! If you have an idea like this to support LGBTQ+ youth in your own community, apply now for one of our Changemakers grants of up to $10,000 at itgetsbetter.org/changemakers by May 5th!