Resources
A working list of the organizations that actually move people forward, from a first business idea at nineteen to a board seat at sixty. We did not invent any of these. We just got tired of watching people search for them alone.
Certification and the public agencies. This is how a company stops being invisible to procurement departments.
The third-party certifier for LGBTQ owned businesses. Their LGBTBE certification is the one most corporate supplier diversity programs recognize, and joining a local affiliate chamber usually waives the national certification fee.
nglcc.org Any stageLoans, counseling, and federal contracting basics, plus the SBA's own guidance page for LGBTQ owned firms. Free, and the same programs everyone else is using.
sba.gov First-time foundersFree one-to-one mentoring from working and retired executives in every state. Not queer specific, but it is free, it is everywhere, and you can request a mentor who fits you.
score.org Researchers and advocatesThe data set behind most of the numbers you will see quoted about queer founders, including how state policy changes track with funding and job creation.
startout.org/indexFunds, syndicates, and grantmakers that name queer founders on purpose rather than by accident.
Running since 2009. Mentorship matching, an accelerator, local chapters, and an investor portal. Free membership tiers exist for founders who have been underrepresented even inside the community.
startout.org Raising a roundAn investor syndicate that co-invests in companies with LGBTQ and allied leadership, and connects founders to a wide network of individual backers.
gaingels.com Underrepresented foundersInvests in companies led by women, people of color, and LGBTQ founders. Check their current status and thesis before you pitch, since the fund's activity has shifted over time.
backstagecapital.com Women and nonbinary foundersAn angel investing bootcamp and network created to change who writes the checks, with pitch summits for women and nonbinary founders.
pipelineangels.com Nonprofits and civic projectsOne of the longest-running LGBTQ grantmakers in the country, funding leadership, civic engagement, and community technology work.
bohnettfoundation.org Send us oneNew queer-focused funds open every year and some quietly close. If you know one worth listing, send it and we will check it and add it.
Email usFor the people who do not want to leave and start something. They want the corner office, the P&L, and the board seat.
Workplace equality organization behind the annual summit, executive forums, and training programs. Useful whether you are running an employee resource group or trying to get promoted past one.
outandequal.org Senior executivesWorks directly with CEOs and corporate boards, including board readiness work aimed at getting more openly LGBTQ executives into board seats.
outleadership.com Business schoolThe ROMBA conference brings together LGBTQ business graduate students and corporate partners each fall, and the ROMBA Fellowship carries a scholarship of at least $20,000 at partner schools.
reachingoutmba.org Public leadershipTrains LGBTQ people to run for office, serve in appointed roles, and lead in government. Fellowships and candidate training run year round.
victoryinstitute.org TechnologyChapters worldwide, leadership training, mentorship, and a volunteer corps that builds websites for LGBTQ organizations and activists.
outintech.com Queer women, trans and nonbinary peopleSummits, a job board, and scholarship programs built around queer women, trans, and nonbinary technologists and the executives they become.
lesbianswhotech.orgStudents, apprentices, and anyone under twenty five who already knows what they want to build.
Career conferences for LGBTQ undergraduates across business, technology, engineering, and marketing, with recruiters in the room.
outforundergrad.org StudentsThe largest scholarship organization for LGBTQ students in the country. Money plus mentorship plus a network that does not end at graduation.
pointfoundation.org Career-ready skillsFounded in 2014 by Angelica Ross. A co-working and co-learning community built to educate and employ LGBTQ people, centering trans and gender nonconforming members.
transtechsocial.org Black LGBTQ youthCivil rights organization for Black LGBTQ and same gender loving people, including grants to organizations serving Black queer children and young adults.
nbjc.orgBecause a room that is only queer is still only half the room.
Builds a global network of Black Pride organizations around health equity, economic equity, and social equity.
centerforblackequity.org AAPI LGBTQ communityA federation of Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander LGBTQ organizations, with leadership and advocacy training.
nqapia.org Trans and gender nonconformingSkills, paid work, and community for trans people who keep getting told to apply again next quarter.
transtechsocial.org Send us oneThis row is the one we are least done with. If your people are not represented here yet, tell us who to add and we will do the work of checking them out.
Email usStarting a company at fifty five is not a second act. It is just an act.
Founded in 1978, the oldest and largest organization for LGBTQ elders. Employment and financial security programs, caregiving support, and a national resource center on LGBTQ aging.
sageusa.org Second-career foundersDecades of operating experience on the other side of the table, free of charge, which matters more when you are not trying to spend ten years figuring it out.
score.orgThis page is kept by hand, not scraped. Send us an organization, a fund, or a program that helped you and we will look into it.
Send a resourceLinks last reviewed August 2026. Programs, eligibility, and deadlines change often, so confirm details on each organization's own site before you rely on them. Listing here is not an endorsement or a partnership.