New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The Lipsky-Whittaker Fund of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Mass. is accepting grant proposals for projects that help support local GLBT organizations working with GLBT youth; seed new and innovative projects to combat homophobia and create an atmosphere of respect and acceptance; support needed but underfunded services to GLBT individuals and families; or to support projects/events that stress education about and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
Grants will generally range from $1,000 to $5,000, and must be for projects focused within Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Rochester, Wareham, or Westport. Grant applications can be downloaded from the Community Foundation website, www.cfsema.org.
Applications are due by 4pm on March 31, 2014 both by email to lmaher@cfsema.org and in hard copy to the office of the Community Foundation, 63 Union St. New Bedford.
The Lipsky-Whittaker Fund believes strongly in making strategic investments for the well-being of the greater New Bedford LGBTQ community and in combating HIV and AIDS through prevention and education. The Fund encourages collaboration among individuals, groups and organizations interested in ending bigotry, violence and discrimination towards LGBTQ individuals and families, as well as promoting respect and inclusion as foundations of the greater New Bedford community’s values and actions.
John Lipsky and George Whittaker lived together in a committed, loving relationship for 52 years. Devoted to each other, they died just eight weeks apart in 2005.
George, who was born and raised in New Bedford, became a costume designer to the stars in Hollywood, and John, who grew up in Rhode Island, was a television executive from the early days of that medium. Both were also decorated veterans of World War II, in the Pacific and European theaters. When they retired in 1980, they returned to Greater New Bedford to spend their summers with family and friends.
Growing up and throughout their lives, they faced a world that was hostile to gay men, lesbians and other sexual minorities. They also witnessed the devastation of the AIDS epidemic, with so many of their close friends and colleagues dying of the disease.
Generous, caring men, their wish was to use their resources to help end the epidemic of AIDS and to change the climate of fear, hostility and rejection that George and John experienced as young gay men, a climate that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth still face today.
The Lipsky-Whittaker Fund provides resources to help realize John and George’s dream: that GLBT young men and women can grow to adulthood in this community without the fear of rejection, violence, discrimination and exposure to HIV/AIDS.
