***Media Advisory***
Arcus Foundation Awards $5,000 Matching Grant for the LGBT Technology Institute’s Connect 4 Life Program
On December 8th, the LGBT Technology Institute kicked off a holiday “friends and family” fundraising campaign to raise $7,500 for it’s groundbreaking Connect 4 Life program. Today we are excited to announce a generous matching grant from the Arcus Foundation that will double every dollar donated up to $5,000.
An estimated 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT – that’s 650,000 kids on the street. A growing body of research shows that when homeless youth have cellphones, they are safer, healthier, and likely to make it off the street sooner than their counterparts who lack them. Homeless youth use their phones to connect with life saving services, to current or potential employers, and their support network.
On the basis of this research, Connect 4 Life will distribute cellphones with a year’s worth of minutes to homeless and at-risk LGBT youth – making it easier for them to stay connected with the services and support they need, helping them find a job or complete their education, and giving them a better shot at getting off the street.
With the help of the Arcus Foundation’s matching grant, LGBT Tech plans to distribute the first Connect 4 Life phones to homeless LGBT youth in Washington, D.C. in January, working in partnership with local youth services organizations. As of this morning, our generous donors have already raised $3,490 of the $5,000 needed to maximize the Arcus grant.
Those interested in supporting Connect 4 Life can give via the program’s website. About the LGBT Technology Institute: The LGBT Technology Institute is a tax-exempt not-for-profit organization conducting cutting edge research at the intersection of LGBT communities and technology and creating resources, tools, and programs to support LGBT communities.