Project Rainbow Utah Awards $43,700 To Community Fund Grantees in 2026

“Receiving the grant gave me a significant confidence boost,” said Amber Jay. “When I received the email telling me I had been selected as a grantee, I felt a deepening in my resolve knowing that my community saw what I was doing and supported me. In those moments where the going gets tough, I think of all the donors as cheerleaders on the sidelines, cheering me on, reminding me that I'm not in this alone.”

Experiences like Amber’s are exactly what we aim to cultivate with our Community Fund grants, and we’re thrilled to announce we have selected more than 20 grantees for 2026. 

Those grants total $43,700, and we are supporting pride festivals with $18,500 and visibility partners with another $5,000 for a total of  $67,200 distributed in 2026. 

That $67,200 represents the generosity of our donors and every person who signed up for one of our flag campaigns or ordered a flag from our online store. Thank you for supporting us as we support our LGBTQ+ community across Utah!

“It’s an incredible feeling to be a part of this tidal wave of generosity each year,” said Jacey Thornton, Executive Director for Project Rainbow Utah. “As legislative attacks on our rights continue, these community-driven events become a much needed life-line for LGBTQ+ Utahns, and we’re proud to play our part.”

Please consider signing up for a flag in 2026, so we can keep supporting inclusive, empowering events and opportunities. You can also buy pride flags online anytime to support our work. Together we can cultivate safer, more affirming spaces for our community. 

Grants from Project Rainbow fall into three categories: Healing, Wellness, & Visibility; Arts & Creative Expression; and Community Building, Inclusion & Collective Learning.

Those awards come in three tiers: small ($500 to $1,499), medium ($1,500 to $3,499), and large ($3,500 to $5,000). 

We prioritize community-driven events, and we focus on smaller organizations or individuals so we can bridge the resource gap and reach people who often lack access to traditional funding. Our goal is to function as an incubator, helping people bring their ideas to life and build their event into something self-sustaining that outlasts our funding and contributes to our community long-term. 

“When I first started the open mic in 2023, we were averaging 8 people per event,” Jay said. “The mic in Payson on March 24th will be my 45th open mic, where we're now pulling as many as 50 performers and audience members to a single mic.  Project Rainbow Utah’s support helped us provide this regular gathering for queer folks in Utah County, a place where queer events are sparse: especially outside of Pride Month, and for folks who aren't students.”

Beyond the annual grants, we also fund long-term partners and support pride festivals across Utah and in the Navajo Nation. We see these two threads as an interwoven tapestry that tells a vibrant story of a resilient Utah.

“Queer folks in smaller cities or rural parts of our state don’t have the same opportunities to connect with community, and we want to bridge that gap with intention,” Thornton said. 

We look forward to experiencing everything our grantees accomplish in 2026. See below for a list of some of our grantees. We’ll link you to their website or social media where applicable so you can join the party.

We are stronger when we come together!

Healing, Wellness, & Visibility 

• Queer Creative Healing Circle: Art & Wellness for LGBTQ+ Community in Carbon County by Evelyn Logan. Small Award. June 13 . 

• Queer Youth Resilience Lab: Creative Skills & Community Wellness Workshops by Rowan Benjamin. Small Award. June 15.

• Social spaces, peer support, and more by Box Elder Pride Family Services. Medium Award. Recurring events. 

• Medication Lock Boxes for Suicide Prevention for the LGBTQIA+ Community by IncludEd United. Medium Award. Ongoing Service. 

• Cultivating Practical Skills & Supporting Queer Life: A 2026 Skill-Share Series with Under the Umbrella. Medium Award. Ongoing Events. 

Arts & Creative Expression 

• BIPOC Centered Burlesque Workshop by Sappho SLC. Small Award. July 18 

• Moab Stoopfest. Medium Award. March 6 & 7. 

• Trans Joy in Public Space – Portraits to Paintings by Seniors Out and Proud of Utah. Medium Award. July 1 

• Let's Go, N.T.S.! (No Theme Show) by HH Productions. Large Award. January 21.

• Queer Youth Art Night. Small Award. Monthly Events. 

• Asian Art Nite by Shiya Zeng. Medium Award. May and July events. 

• Out Loud & Queer, Even Here: Utah County’s LGBTQ+ Variety Show Series by We’re Here, Utah. Medium Award. Ongoing Events. 

• Drag shows by Cedar City Drag Community. Small Award. Ongoing Events. 

• Queer Poetry Night by Milo Wint. Small Award. Monthly events at Under The Umbrella. 

• Werq the Watershed, A Great Salt Lake-themed drag show by Cael Crosby. Small Award. September 3. 

Community Building, Inclusion & Collective Learning

• A Taste of the Rainbow: Snippets of Activism with SKITTLES by Asa Smith. Small Award. Recurring events. 

• The Motley Rainbow Squad by The Motley Squad. Small Award. Monthly Events. 

• Fat Fest SLC Festival. Medium Award. April 19. 

• Queer Constellations: A Monthly LGBTQ+ Meetup in Payson, UT by We’re Here, Utah. Medium Award. Ongoing Events. 

• BIPOC Trans Masc Collective. Small Award. Ongoing events, including potlucks, movie nights etc. 

• Black Queer Brunch by Candida Duran Taveras. Small Award. June 21.

• Queer Performance Showcase at Amusement Co. by Mended Hearts Club. Medium Award. May 29. 

• Land Lab Localized: from Turtle Island to Abya Yala from Traviesa Studios. Medium Award. Ongoing Events. 

• Inclusive Underwear Making Workshops by Wasatch Sewing Collective. Medium Award. Ongoing Events.