CHARLOTTE — The Wesley Mancini Foundation has announced that it is accepting applications until Oct. 1 for the grant period of Jan.1-Dec. 31, 2011.
Grants are awarded to fund specific projects and are not awarded to cover general operating expenses.
The Wesley Mancini Foundation is one of a few United States foundations dedicated solely to supporting the LGBT community. The founder and president, Wesley Mancini, has been a long-time donor to both the Charlotte arts community and to local, state and national LGBT causes. Mancini established the foundation in 2000 in response to heavy censorship in Charlotte by funding resources, as well as the pervasive attitude among major Charlotte benefactors that gay and lesbian programs were too risky to undertake or underwrite.
Since its inception in 2000, the Wesley Mancini Foundation has awarded grants to 19 organizations. Projects must benefit residents of Mecklenburg and surrounding counties and are project specific.
Past recipients have been: Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, Bare Bones Theatre, Campus Pride, Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice, Charlotte Lesbian & Gay Fund (Foundation for the Carolinas), Echo Foundation, William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Resources, Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Charlotte, Light Factory, Metrolina AIDS Project, Off Tryon Theater Company, One Voice Chorus, OutCharlotte, Playworks, Time Out Youth, UNCC Foundation, UNCC Urban Institute and Unity Fellowship Church Charlotte.
Foundation board members include Wesley Mancini, Ben Collins, Jonathan Murray, Rev. Tonyia Rawls, Nancy Ring, Ward Simmons, Connie Vetter, Tom Warshauer and Bert Woodard.
Federally-tax exempt organizations or those with tax-qualified sponsors interested in receiving a grant application should contact Bob Scheer at 704-375-4275 ext. 11 or via email at bscheer@wesleymancini.com. : :
