Giving Season 

As pumpkin spice weather transitions to flannel and hot chocolate weather, we’re approaching Giving Tuesday and the Giving Season. Here at the Effing Foundation, the Giving Season is an opportunity to share with everyone a look into the work we do and why the support of our community is important. 

The (slightly) awkward truth is, donation appeals are a sales pitch, no matter how sincere they are. Even with the best of intentions, Giving Season appeals can feel heavy handed, especially at a time of year when people are often navigating families, finances, and the stress of the holiday season. If you’ve read this far into the newsletter, I thank you. 

I’m going to be upfront, I’m going to make the case for why you should consider supporting the Effing Foundation in whatever way is most comfortable for you. I hope to do that by articulating how your generous support makes a difference, not only for our work, but also to the communities we serve.

The Effing Foundation is supported by donations 

As a 501(c)(3) organization, The Effing Foundation is bound by certain guidelines set forth by the IRS. The Effing Foundation is classified as a public charity and therefore derives its income from donations. We can’t stress this enough:  the work that Effing does is supported and made possible primarily by the generosity of our donors. Without that support, the Effing Foundation (and the work that we do) simply wouldn’t exist. 

If you’ve been able to support Effing with donations in the past or do so currently, we thank you for your contributions, which allow us to support the artistic and educational endeavors of our communities. If you aren’t currently donating to Effing, please allow me to share more about the work we do.

What does the Effing Foundation do? 

At Effing, we work to reduce the shame and stigma surrounding sex by awarding grants to sex-positive artists and educators. In our first three grant cycles, we’ve awarded over $180,000 in grants to support this vital work. The projects created by Effing grantees have reached audiences of over 3,000 people in person (pre-COVID) while connecting with over 300,000 through social media and online mediums. What makes Effing unique is that our grant recipients and the communities they serve are drawn from traditionally underrepresented and marginalized communities, especially when it comes to sex-positivity. The Effing Foundation has worked to eliminate some of the barriers faced by grant recipients, such as not requiring our grantees to hold 501(c)(3) status or having fiscal sponsorship. When needed, the Effing Foundation itself acts as a fiscal sponsor for grant recipients. 

The Effing Foundation maintains strict demographic goals to ensure that our grants are directly funding the work of marginalized people. For example, 60% of our grant dollars go to work led by all people of color, while 30% go to projects headed by trans and/or non-binary people. Our constituents often hold multiple marginalized identities. Effing grant recipients are queer, disabled, persons of size, neurodiverse and more. The complete overview of our demographic goals can be found here.

Supporting Effing financially

There are numerous ways to support the Effing Foundation, either monthly or through a one-time donation. All donations, large and small, are impactful and help us as an organization. Please look at our Donation page for ways you can directly donate to Effing. Shop on Amazon? You can contribute to Effing through Amazon Smile. 

Looking for a way to contribute directly on Giving Tuesday? Please donate to Effing's Giving Tuesday Fundraiser.

Supporting Effing in other ways 

Want to support Effing in other ways, beyond donating? Spread the word about Effing among your friends and communities. Follow us on social media: Like, share and comment. Help us get the word out when it comes to the amazing work our grantees have done. These organic ways of supporting Effing are invaluable ways to assist our mission. 

As always, thank you for being a part of the Effing Foundation community. 

Sincerely, 

Carlton Perry (he/him) 
Executive Director - The Effing Foundation