OVERVIEW: The Palette Fund supports LGBTQ causes, AIDS/HIV and pancreatic cancer research and local arts and culture organizations in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
IP TAKE: This small fund makes national grants to a broad range of organizations supporting LGBTQ causes; LGBTQ youth, health, mental health advocacy are specific areas of interest. To a lesser extent, it supports pancreatic cancer research, organizations working in AIDS/HIV research and care and cultural organizations in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where it is based.
The Palette Fund accepts proposals in the form of short videos from organizations working in its areas of interest at any time. Prospective grantees should review sample proposal videos on the fund’s website.
PROFILE: Based in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the Palette Fund was established in 2008 by Terrence Meck and Peter Benassi in honor of Rand Harlan Skolnick. Meck and Benassi were Rand Skolnick’s partner and best friend, respectively. Skolnick, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 50, headed his family’s company, Solgar Vitamins and Herbs, and was a philanthropist who supported LGBTQ causes in the U.S. and abroad. The Palette Fund “is dedicated to breaking down barriers and advancing social change in communities that are under-resourced and facing significant challenges.” Its areas of grantmaking interest include LGBTQ causes, disease research and the local community of Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Grants for LGBTQ Causes
The Palette Fund’s LGBTQ grantmaking emphasizes youth, health, media, education, advocacy and community building, aiming to remove “the many barriers the next generation will face along their journey to living healthy and productive lives.” In New York City, the fund has supported QClinic, a Columbia University-based free healthcare clinic for LGBTQ youth, and Urban World NYC, which runs writing and mentoring programs for young LGBTQ writers and poets. Other grantees supporting LGBTQ causes include Philadelphia’s Mazzoni Center for LGBT Health and Wellbeing, Detroit’s Ruth Ellis Center, Lambda Legal, the Tyler Clementi Foundation and Equality Matters, a program by Media Matters to improve the coverage of LGBTQ issues in the media.
Grants for Disease Research
Palette’s disease research funding mainly focuses on pancreatic cancer and AIDS/HIV. The main recipient of Palette's cancer funding is Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, but smaller amounts have gone to organizations that support LGBTQ cancer patients. The main recipients of Palette’s AIDS/HIV Funding is the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Abzyme Research Foundation and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
The Palette Fund’s founders moved their headquarters to Provincetown in 2016 and since then have supported a range of local artistic and cultural organizations there. Grantees include the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, the Provincetown International Film Festival and the Provincetown Theatre Foundation.
Important Grant Details:
The Palette Foundation makes between $1 million and $1.5 million in grants each year, ranging from about $5,000 to $75,000. The fund’s average grant size is about $20,000. The fund supports a range of well-recognized national organizations and smaller community-based operations. LGBTQ is the fund’s largest area of grantmaking, with funding reaching organizations in several states. For additional information about the fund’s past grantmaking, see its grant recipients page or its recent tax filings.
The Palette Fund accepts proposals for funding in the form of proposal videos, which it aims to share with other funders via its website. Prospective grantees may view sample videos on the fund’s digital RFP page. General inquiries may be made to the fund’s staff via email.
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