During our first annual Month for Black Trans Liberation in November 2019, we launched our emergency fund for Black LGBTQIA+ people living in Columbus, OH. If you fit the criteria and need emergency financial assistance, we encourage you to apply below!

Types of emergencies this fund can assist with: bail, medical expenses, transportation, food, etc. We wish we could fulfill the entirety of everyone’s requests, but our capacity is limited due to our grassroots nature.

Are you non-Black and/or cisheterosexual and you want to support Black queer and trans livelihood? Do you just have extra $$$ available? Donate to the BQIC emergency fund HERE!

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at blackqueercolumbus@gmail.com.

JULY 2024 EMERGENCY FUND UPDATE:
THE BQIC EMERGENCY FUND IS ON PAUSE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

After careful and thoughtful discussion, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily postpone our emergency fund. We understand this fund is a vital resource for our community, and we do not take this decision lightly. We need to pause because we need to make essential changes and improve how we do things now. We want to improve our help during emergencies. By taking this time, we can give better support to our community.

Every month, we get more requests from our Black LGBTQIA+ community members than we can fulfill, especially when the cost of living keeps going up. We don’t have enough people to handle our work well. We need volunteers to help us support our programming at this time. Your time and effort can help us get funds out faster and easier.

This site will be updated with the application forms when the Fund has re-opened. Please check back here and on our BQIC Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates.

About the BQIC Emergency Fund Process

Each month, we accept applications five days, and we will announce on our social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) when the Fund application cycle has opened. After the Fund closes, you will receive a response to your application within 72 hours.

PLEASE NOTE: We do NOT review Emergency Fund applications on a first-come-first-served basis. We find this inaccessible to folks who miss the announcement or those who may need to access the application at non-traditional times. Instead, our team reviews at all of the monthly applications together at once. The application cycle will close each month after five days, and as long as you’ve got your information in at this time, your application will be considered. Applying or previous acceptance does not guarantee approval.

Each month, we receive far more in requests than we’re able to fufill. If your application is denied due to low capacity, we encourage you to apply the following month. Be sure to use the “Second” Emergency Fund Request Form if you’ve previously submitted an application to the Emergency Fund.