Marriage Equality | The Overbrook Foundation

Over the more than 20 year period of continuous Overbrook support for LGBT-related issues, a fundamental and striking change has occurred in the movement to claim LGBT equality. It has moved towards full inclusion in civil society with the guarantees of access to the rights, privileges and responsibilities afforded all citizens. It is no longer defensive in nature. Responding to this shift, the Foundation supports the movement for LGBT equality by offering support to those organizations whose work includes advocating for civil marriage as a central strategy for driving the movement toward LGBT rights and equality. This campaign has picked up considerable momentum with civil marriage rights assured to all couples in nine states and the District of Columbia as of 2012.

Below is a list of the Foundation’s 2013 grantees working to advance Marriage Equality.

Civil Marriage Collaborative (Proteus Fund)

Achieving Marriage Equality for Same-Sex Couples – $100,000

The Civil Marriage Collaborative was established in 2004 at Proteus Fund, a social change foundation with expertise in state-based strategic grant making. The Collaborative supports organizations that are using public education, outreach and organizing to change hearts and minds about same sex marriage. As one of the largest sources of funding for state-based marriage equality public education, the CMC has played an essential role in every state which has gone on to advance marriage equality. The approach is based on the recognition that state-by-state advancement of same-sex marriage will create a critical tipping-point that will lead to an eventual victory at the federal level.

Freedom to Marry

General Operating Support – $37,500 (first payment of a two-year grant)

Freedom to Marry is the national campaign dedicated solely to ending discrimination in marriage. It is pursuing its Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage, and end federal marriage discrimination. It partners with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.

Lambda Legal

Lambda Legal’s Marriage Project – $45,000 (first payment of a two-year grant)

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBT people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work. Lambda Legal is one of the nation’s leaders in the modern-day fight to secure the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. In fact, Lambda Legal helped secure the first major victory for same-sex couples in 1993 when the state Supreme Court in Hawaii ruled that it is unconstitutional to deny marriage benefits to same-sex couples. Since then, Lambda Legal has advanced marriage equality victories in numerous states, and challenged the constitutionality of the federal government’s so-called Defense of Marriage Act.

Grantees by Year: 2013 / 2012 / 2011